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San Antonio unveils USL plans as Scorpions close up shop

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The San Antonio Scorpions’ time in the NASL is over as soccer in San Antonio is set to move in a new direction.

Following the sale of Toyota Field and S.T.A.R. Soccer Complex to the City of San Antonio and Bexar County, the San Antonio NASL franchise will be no more. According to sources close to the situation, owner Gordon Hartman, who has been operating the team at a loss due to charitable work with Morgan’s Wonderland, is expected to offload the team imminently with Las Vegas as a rumored destination.

As for soccer in San Antonio, Spurs Sports and Entertainment will now operate the local facilities and is expected to field a team that plays in USL starting in March 2016. Following the sale of the stadium to the city and county, sources tell SBI that the Spurs have entered a “sweetheart deal” that will see the ownership group pay just $100,000 a year in rent to operate the facilities.

“We are extremely honored to have an organization of the caliber of Spurs Sports & Entertainment request entry into the USL,” USL CEO Alec Papadakis said. “They are an incredible fit to our ownership model, which is based on vibrant local ownership, great venues and a marketplace with a hunger for the game. We anticipate a quick final approval process for the Spurs’ application.”

Although the league has yet to announce anything regarding the future of the franchise, the NASL announced on Tuesday that the league is working with Hartman to determine the future of the franchise. According to a source close to the situation, general manager Howard Cornfield has been contacted to continue to be the general manager of the club as it exists in NASL.

Still, many involved with the club were left “disgusted” with how the situation unfolded. Despite the recent sale of the club’s stadium to the city, many within the front office were kept in the dark over the potential future of the club. Those involved with the Scorpions were not informed of the direction of the club until last Friday.

That direction,at least on a local level, is the USL, with one eye focused on the SSE’s efforts to secure a team in MLS as the league continues to push towards expansion to 28 teams.

Comments

  1. Sickening. Hartman was muscled out by the SSE group and all for what….$$$$$$.
    Mr. Hartman has done wonderful this for special needs children around SA and has a great relationship with CRIT ( Children’s Rehabilitation Institute of TeletonUSA). Hopefully I am wrong, but lets face it, SSE is a business and as long as they are in it to make money…they will

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  2. why wouldn’t the Spurs just keep the name “Scorpions” for the USL team? i imagine that’s what the fans would want. the Scorpions were a moderately successful team with four years of history and one championship. does Hartman still own the trademark for “Scorpions”?

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  3. according to this it sounds unfortunate how it went down with the staff but hopefully something can worked out with the Spurs to bring if not all then maybe most of the former staff. 1 thing I’m really hoping is that Morgan’s Wonderland is still around and the Spurs continues that relationship to some extent. Maybe with SA joining MLS there will be much more support for them too.

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  4. Was able to attend the press conference and sort of had mixed emotions over the whole thing. In the end, I think Mr. Hartman did what he ultimately had to do. I am guessing that somewhere down the line, Gordon figured he didn’t have the MONEY and maybe in the CONTACTS to get MLS to SA. I am GRATEFUL for everything Mr. Hartman has done in SA both for both soccer and Morgan’s Wonderland, it is a fantastic place…Thank You, Gordon!

    As far as the SSE goes. Maybe they really are what we need to turn the page and finally land a team. There is NO doubt in my mind that SSE’s contacts in the professional sports industry are absolutely essential for MLS in SA. Like many other soccer fans in SA, I love MY SPURS. Quite frankly, I am happy “keep it in the family”. I saw some rumblings on FB about the SPUR logo being so prominent at the presser… but come one people, really? Yes, the team will most likely have the same color scheme, but I think it is pretty neat.

    All we can do now as soccer community is stand behind the new ownership. I Love SA and will miss the SCORPIONS, let the journey begin.

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