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Saint Louis Athletica folding, AC St. Louis safe for now

STL

The financial mess in St. Louis has claimed its first victim. It was announced that St. Louis Athletica of the WPS will fold, becoming the second club to fold this year in the league. Jeff Cooper, one of the financial backers in St. Louis, broke the news to the team.

A financial crisis that impacts both the Athletica and the USSF D-2 side A.C. St. Louis is at the heart of the issue. The men's side will remain afloat for the time being, as bonds were issued to meet the club's payroll.

“We looked at a few options as a league together with our Board and U.S. Soccer, but the operational hurdles and finances just didn’t work out," WPS Commissioner Tonya Antonucci said in a league statement. "In the face of a severe funding gap in St. Louis, the local ownership group is shutting down the team at this point.”

Athletica players will become free agents on June 1, and the club won't play its scheduled match this weekend against Atlanta.

What do you think of the news? Will A.C. St. Louis survive?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. ATL Beat picked up Solo, Ellertson, and Aluko!!! Sorry to see a team fold, but glad Atlanta is bringing some new faces in. GO BEAT!!!

    Reply
  2. Rochester doesn’t have the big money owner to make a push to MLS happen.

    Plus, the MLS brass is too concerned about TV market sizes to award an expansion team to Rochester.

    The closest Rochester is likely to get to MLS is to be used as a threat to an are like DC as MLS tries to strong arm a local government into funding a stadium.

    It worked in Dallas!

    Reply
  3. Using that logic, TFC would never have been a reality because of the joke that the Toronto Lynx were for years.

    If the right owners wanted to get a team to St Louis, it would happen.

    MLS is all about strong owners now. Whichever city (Miami, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, NYC, etc.) has the best ownership group with the best plan will get a team.

    TFC is a success because of MLSE.

    Seattle is a success because of their ties to the Seahawks.

    It is not a mistake that those markets are much better MLS cities than they ever were as 2nd Division cities.

    Reply
  4. How many MLS teams bring 30K to each game? Even better how many MLS stadiums even have a capacity of 30K. Brand new Red Bull Arena is 25,000. St Louis could support a competive top division soccer team. But if a team came to St Louis and didn’t win the seats would be empty. That’s what happened in past years to the Blues and Rams. And exactly what happens in most cities.

    Reply

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