Photo by: Henoc Kivuye
A new ball recently rolled onto Oklahoma City’s soccer field with the upcoming addition of two professional men’s teams.
United Soccer Leagues PRO and Prodigal LLC officially announced the approval of a USL team for the city to debut in April 2014.
Another professional team could be on the horizon. A group led by Oklahoma City resident Tim McLaughlin wants to bring a North American Soccer League (NASL) team to Oklahoma City by the Spring of 2015.
“There is a historical feud between the two leagues that these teams are going to be in and they are both fighting to be the second best league in the United States, behind MLS [Major League Soccer],” senior Ben Meaders said.
The acceptance and support of both teams by the local fan base is essential to their success in Oklahoma City.
“I know that Oklahoma City is one of the big soccer cities in the U.S.,” senior Edwin Goodwin said. “They’re actually ranked No. 3 in viewers for international cups.”
The contrast between viewership and attendance to games, however, is another unknown factor that will affect how successful these teams will be.
“I’m afraid that they won’t get a whole lot of attendance at either one of the games because they’re competing with each other,” Meaders said. “Honestly it will be better if there was one team in Oklahoma City…because if both of those teams have only half of the support of the city…they will die. That’s what makes me nervous.”
Similar concerns were raised in 2008, when the Seattle SuperSonics relocated under new management and became the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“We’re so eager, especially when we get new teams,” sophomore Edmond resident Kristen Rojo said. “I see it as getting another Thunder. I know at the beginning it was kind of rough, but then we got really good. I think that will be what will happen with the soccer team. We might be a little under the bar a little at first…but once we get some good players, once we get some good coaches, and once they get good attention and press, it’s really going to grow. We’re going to be soccer fanatics here.”
Despite the speculation of problems these two rival teams could cause, the addition of these professional soccer teams has the potential to create a cultural revival throughout Oklahoma City.
“I think it will help grow soccer within the city,” graduate student and Men’s and Women’s Assistant Soccer Coach Neil Hilton said. “I think the game is growing every year in the U.S. I don’t think it has hit Oklahoma as much as other states at the moment, but I think it’s ready to go to the level with the right support and the right people in charge. I think it could be a great success.”
Along with growing a soccer culture within Oklahoma City, the addition of these new professional teams allows for more positive repercussions.
“[Having a professional soccer team] will be super positive for kids to be focused on [soccer] and have a positive outlook within their own city,” Rojo said. “It’s another reason to stay away from bad stuff…I know OKC can be a rough place, so I think if kids can see that positive influence, they’ll think, ‘Wow, if I can apply myself to my school and my sport, I can make it to the big leagues here in my city.’ I think it will be good.”
Oklahoma City’s outlet for a focus on professional soccer will be a bit of a cultural shift. As the weeks play out, the true benefits of this new franchise will be proven or scorned.
“The soccer community, especially in the United States, is pretty tight knit and in a lot of cities you’ll see that it fosters community that other sports don’t,” Meaders said. “It’s never a bad thing to have a group of people get together when they are literally all there because they love the city. That can honestly be really good for Oklahoma City as a whole.”
Meaders pointed out the similarities between Oklahoma City and his hometown of Portland.
“I know for a fact that Oklahoma City is a good market for the team,” Meaders said. “While it’s not necessarily a big city it’s almost exactly the same size as Portland. Our team is huge there because they only have one other pro team in town: an NBA franchise. Sound familiar?”
As Oklahoma City expands, new teams are entering the sports arena to keep the locals moving. For more information on the new teams, visit the leagues’ websites at www.uslsoccer.com and www.nasl.com.
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