YellowMercer08

Yes indeed! Here is the press release from the league. http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/292932.html Great news for the City Stars organization. Does anyone know if they will continue to play at Krenzler Stadium?

Lerner is one of the best owners in the Premier League. He chose a manager in Martin O'Neill and backed him with money to spend like $4 million for Friedel and also for another promising American goalkeeper Brad Guzan. With all the money Lerner has wisely spent for Villa they could potentially make it into the Champions League. Although Villa are a promising side I still remain loyal to Everton! :-D

These are a few of the many quality videos made about the Crew this year. Being a part of the evolution of the Nordecke has been amazing. Columbus has had the most improved supporters group by far this year! Hopefully we can keep this support up next year after we win the Cup! :-D

I agree with you that promotion/relegation should be the goal for soccer in America. This would generate more interest for teams at the bottom of the table who have to fight for survival. This would also allow for smaller markets and organizations the chance for vertical ascension through the American soccer pyramid. We would no longer have teams like the Kansas City Royals or the Detroit Lions consistently playing poorly year after year and not being punished for it. This goal would be tough to meet given the current state of soccer. MLS expansion fees are $40 million to enter the league plus you must have a plan to build a soccer specific venue. On the USL website I found out what the initial fees would cost a new USL franchise. "A: There are variable estimated initial investments for each league. The initial franchise fee range is $75,000 to $750,000 (depending on league). Average operating budgets for the USL First Division range from $2M- $2.5M, USL Second Division range from $600K - $1M, the USL Premier Development League range from $100K - $200K, and the USL W-League from $75K to $150K. League administrative and affiliation fees vary from league to league." http://www.uslsoccer.com/aboutusl/franchise/123541.html Even if the Cleveland City Stars wanted to be promoted they would need much more financial support from the city, its investors and sponsors, as well as a soccer specific stadium. This transition to pro/rel would be great for the sport in terms of development of players and organizations however the current business plan for soccer can't quite support this dream just yet.

This is an area to discuss all things City Stars. The Cleveland City Stars is Cleveland's own professional outdoor soccer team. They competes in USL-2, which could be considered as the third-tier of American soccer. CCS were formed in 2006 and is housed in Krenzler Stadium on the campus of Cleveland State University. The City Stars are committed to benefiting the Cleveland community. They strive to help the inner city and try to use soccer as a positive force in peoples lives. Through their work on and off the field the City Stars strive to promote themselves as positive role models for the children of Cleveland. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is pretty old news but here is an update on the Cleveland City Stars! Cleveland won the USL-2 championship game defeated the Charlotte Eagles 2-1 in the final which was held at Krenzler Stadium. The attendance was believed to be the biggest in CCS history ranging between 2000-2100 people packed in to see the team win its first championship. http://www.clevelandcitystars.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=258&Itemid=107 As for attendance figures from the regular season Wikipedia stated the average attendance was at 1634 which was up a little more than 200 from year one. Although most may not know this but the City Stars had some pretty big names in the lower divisions of US soccer. Mark Schulte was named defender of the year for the second year in a row. They also brought in a Kenyan international star named Musa Otieno on loan for the season. Musa is considered one of the best players in Kenya's history having played over 100 times for his country since 1993. They have also been a springboard for several young players to start their careers. Andrew Peterson and, more notably, Adam Moffat started at the City Stars before moving onto the Columbus Crew. This year Floyd Franks played well and he will be furthering his career by signing onto a club in Denmark. In an unique situation, this off season Cleveland formed an official partnership with a team in based in Nairobi, Kenya. The team used to be known as World Hope FC but will now be known as Nairobi City FC. The partnership sprang from the City Stars relationship with AIS Kenya and former players Stephen Rigby and Musa Otieno. http://www.clevelandcitystars.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=264&Itemid=107 Unfortunately today the team lost the services of their coach, Martin Rennie. Rennie received an offer to take over as head coach/technical director at USL-1 Carolina Railhawks. His guidance of the team will surely be missed. http://www.clevelandcitystars.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=267&Itemid=107 So Cleveland if you miss cheering on a championship winning team, here is your chance! Have fun discussing and supporting grassroots soccer!

The Crew made the front page of the Dispatch and now Mayor Coleman stood in front of the Nordecke. Seems that Columbus is really starting to love their Crew!