AC St. Louis officially kaputski

[jloome]

http://www.insidemnsoccer.com/2011/01/17/ac-st-louis-closes-its-doors-for-good/

[Yeoman]

too bad, i'd of consider going there
the WPS team didn't even last the season

[ag futbol]

Sad enough, I'm waiting for the day we see that headline for Edmonton.

Side note: anybody play for that team worth picking up?

[Yeoman]

maybe their one keeper, becker
everyone else would be a total crap shoot really either peaked at their playing abilities, or over that age gap that you can still develope skills really

[jloome]

Sad enough, I'm waiting for the day we see that headline for Edmonton.

Side note: anybody play for that team worth picking up?

St. Louis' best player already moved to Tampa in the offseason.

Edmonton has a few worthy: Chris Kooy, Matt Lam and Michael Cox could all make it in MLS eventually. Cox has a real nose for goal.

[Damien]

You knew something was up when Steve Ralston returned to the Revs.

[TFCwestcan]

Sad to see any North American soccer team fold, it happens in the UK but they have so many more teams. Doesn't help any future MLS plans in that city which is too bad for Sporting KC.

[Redcoe15]

Too bad for soccer fans in St. Louis. That city is supposed to be the mecca for soccer in America. Yet, the last time St. Louis had a team in a top flight league were the Stars of the old NASL back in 1977.

I don't know if I would call Jeff Cooper a con man, but he wasn't totally honest with the financing of AC St. Louis. And he was supposed to be the one who said could run an MLS team on his own. The worst part is, there's nobody else willing to step forward to try and help bring MLS to St. Louis. Jeff Cooper totally screwed the pooch. His name is mud down there and throughout the American soccer community.

[Keystone FC]

Too bad for soccer fans in St. Louis. That city is supposed to be the mecca for soccer in America. Yet, the last time St. Louis had a team in a top flight league were the Stars of the old NASL back in 1977.

I don't know if I would call Jeff Cooper a con man, but he wasn't totally honest with the financing of AC St. Louis. And he was supposed to be the one who said could run an MLS team on his own. The worst part is, there's nobody else willing to step forward to try and help bring MLS to St. Louis. Jeff Cooper totally screwed the pooch. His name is mud down there and throughout the American soccer community.

I think there were a number of factors that lead to the demise of ACStL and I do think MLS dodged a bullet with St. Louis.

St. Louis MLS was one of the first possible franchises that MLS truely put under the magnifiying glass as far as ownership, facilities, and market.
There are some that believe MLS really put the hatchet to the St.Louis bid because they wanted to stay out of the midwest and it would also hurt the potential NY2 club with club alotment close to reaching 20.
ACStL was to be the club that got them into MLS but finances, of many sorts, was a huge downfall of this club.

I also think the NASL/USL split I think was a big factor in the demise of this club as the new leagues were still at the tables in JANUARY trying to decide what was going to happen. This put off those who followed USL closely and with the delay of the start of the league hindered proper marketing by clubs on both sides.

[Oldtimer]

St. Louis MLS was one of the first possible franchises that MLS truely put under the magnifiying glass as far as ownership, facilities, and market.
There are some that believe MLS really put the hatchet to the St.Louis bid because they wanted to stay out of the midwest and it would also hurt the potential NY2 club with club alotment close to reaching 20.
ACStL was to be the club that got them into MLS but finances, of many sorts, was a huge downfall of this club.


One of the most important things MLS learned from the demise of the old NASL, as well as the history of D-2 soccer in the US, was that they needed to have credible ownership with deep pockets. I suspect that the real reason they put St. Louis under the "magnifying glass" was that there were already serious questions about Jeff Cooper, and he couldn't get credible partners to fund the club.

I don't think that NY-20 had as much to do with it. MLS will be quite willing to go over 20 in the long-run, unless FIFA makes a hard-and-fast rule against it, something they are very unlikely to do.

[Fort York Redcoat]

Too bad for soccer fans in St. Louis. That city is supposed to be the mecca for soccer in America. Yet, the last time St. Louis had a team in a top flight league were the Stars of the old NASL back in 1977.

I don't know if I would call Jeff Cooper a con man, but he wasn't totally honest with the financing of AC St. Louis. And he was supposed to be the one who said could run an MLS team on his own. The worst part is, there's nobody else willing to step forward to try and help bring MLS to St. Louis. Jeff Cooper totally screwed the pooch. His name is mud down there and throughout the American soccer community.

Good points. St. Louis is talked about as if it needs/wants/deserves a team ASAP in MLS. I can see that other factors are involved such as ownership but if the town is so footie starved one would think they could manage higher than 7th highest attendance in their league.

Perhaps it's a town that's waiting for an MLS side to come before they'll pass through the turnstiles??