Posted June 29, 200717 yr Has anyone ever heard of USL? I sure as hell haven't. But they're here, brand new for '07. And best of all, they didn't demand a new stadium in the middle of BFE. They play at Krenzler field at CSU. http://clevelandcitystars.com/ http://uslsoccer.com
June 29, 200717 yr Looks like they are off to a god start 6-1-3, 21 points But they were eliminated from the US Open Cup
July 1, 200717 yr Remember, the indoor counterpart did it a number of times. yeah, and i won a Beer Pong championship.....
July 2, 200717 yr You have definitely been out of Cleveland way to long. No dear, the league folded, restarted, folded again and has been resurrected once again and is currently operating with I think 9 teams.
July 13, 200717 yr Isn't there some team called the Internationals, too? And it's too bad about the Force. One of the guys who is trying to bring MLS to Cleveland was talking about folding the Force b/c Cleveland's not a soccer town while pursuing the MLS franchise.
July 15, 200717 yr ^^ Cities with large immigrant populations? If NEO were to get an MLS team, I still think they should play in Browns Stadium or the yet-to-be-built Akron Zips football stadium in downtown Akron. And then they could name them the Akron Villa. Like Aston Villa. Har Har Har. I don't know, I think soccer would have a very hard time getting "huge" here just for the simple fact that the players are not considered as good as those playing in Europe. America is used to seeing the "highest level of play" in its sports.
July 16, 200717 yr ^ funny thing is al lerner his bad self owns the real aston villa. maybe he could start up an akron villa? :laugh: Are there any "soccer towns" in the U.S. of A.? supposedly this will be los angeles when bend it like beckham comes to town. or has he already? no one noticed.
July 16, 200717 yr there in LA. We've done various stories on them. Posh spice has a tv special on NBC soon. I wont be watching
July 16, 200717 yr supposedly this will be los angeles when bend it like beckham comes to town. or has he already? no one noticed. So LA finally has a football team.
July 27, 200717 yr True, we used to joke that Bay Villagers genetically engineered their children for soccer ability.
August 11, 200717 yr Does anyone know how the City Stars attendance stacks up against the rest of the USL Second Division :-)
November 19, 200816 yr 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!
November 19, 200816 yr congrats, and i just realized that the cincy kings dropped from division 2 to the development league this year. that's the wrong direction!
November 19, 200816 yr They deserved more fanfare when they won that title. Is there any possibility of the City Stars moving up a division or two if they keep doing well?
November 19, 200816 yr Already a thread on this one: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,13267.0.html
November 19, 200816 yr They deserved more fanfare when they won that title. Is there any possibility of the City Stars moving up a division or two if they keep doing well? This is why the U.S. needs to adopt a promotion/relegation system. Send the bottom 1 to 3 teams down to a lower league and send the top 1 to 3 teams up a league.
November 19, 200816 yr This is why the U.S. needs to adopt a promotion/relegation system. Send the bottom 1 to 3 teams down to a lower league and send the top 1 to 3 teams up a league. 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.
November 25, 200816 yr City Stars to USL1. http://www.canada.com/theprovince/news/sports/story.html?id=ec02001e-f74c-4ba1-9242-7a34cf0a3eaf
November 30, 200816 yr 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 great to hear especially as major league baseball has purposefully abandoned it's urban market in all but stadia and the nba and nfl don't seem to care much. coupled with the fact that soccer-crazy immigrants traditionally tend to initially cluster in city neighborhoods there is huge untapped potential for the promotion of soccer to the urban population now.
December 4, 200816 yr It's Official. City Stars moving to USL-1. http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3747794
December 4, 200816 yr 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?
December 4, 200816 yr Most likely unless they want to build a stadium. Really though, I'm not from cleveland, is there another facility suitable?
May 6, 200916 yr Plenty of Parking!!...Sounds like a nice facility though City Stars To Play In Bedford The Cleveland City Stars announced today that Bearcat Stadium in Bedford, OH will serve as the club's new home. As part of the agreement with the Bedford City School District, the stadium will be known as Middlefield Cheese Stadium during all 2009 City Stars events. "Having our name attached to such a tremendous facility and associated with an organization as respected as the Cleveland City Stars is an honor for Middlefield Cheese," said Middlefield Cheese President and CEO John Rothenbuhler. "The City Stars are proven winners on the field, and perhaps more importantly, they are winners off the field as well. The agreement to bring the City Stars to Middlefield Cheese Stadium in Bedford will be beneficial for this great community, particularly the children who will have excellent role models on and off the field." Other terms of the agreement include free soccer clinics for children of Bedford and performance and attendance incentives for students of Bedford City Schools. Incentives include having students with improved G.P.A.'s and superior attendance announced and rewarded during City Stars games. "The Cleveland City Stars are happy to have a new home in Bedford," said Cleveland City Stars General Manager Mark Geissbauer. "Middlefield Cheese Stadium at the Bedford City Schools is more than a place for us to play. It offers us a chance to make an impact in the community and continue our mission of serving the city and changing the world while also taking advantage of Bedford's beautiful facility. The partnership with the school district falls right in line with what we have accomplished in our first two years and we look forward to a great relationship." Both sides worked together in ensuring the school district and the community would benefit from the partnership. "As president of the Board of Education, I can say that we are excited to have the Cleveland City Stars join the Bedford family," said Bedford Board of Education President Tim Tench. "I'm sure the organization will find our facility second to none and will consider our stadium a welcome home. We will treat the Stars and their fans as our own and everybody that's affiliated with the organization will be well taken care of." Pastor Doug Boquist, the team pastor for the City Stars and a long-time resident of Bedford, played a role in bringing the two sides together on an agreement. "I'm immensely pleased that the City Stars are making their home in Bedford," said Boquist. "This is a win for Bedford, a win for our schools and a win for the children of our community. For the past two years I have watched the City Stars unselfishly give their time and talent to help the children of the inner city. I am looking forward to seeing them work with the children of our community as well." Middlefield Cheese Stadium at Bedford City Schools holds 5,000 seats with room for an additional 3,000 in standing room and features restrooms, merchandise stands and full-service concessions under the grandstands. The 985,600 square foot stadium was built in 1994 at a cost of $7.95 million and was renovated in 2004 with the installation of a brand new FieldTurf playing surface over the 120 X 75 field dimensions. The state-of-the-art press box features two levels with room for announcers, reporters and scouts on the first level and production space on the second level. The 520 square foot scoreboard includes a message center with changeable graphics and displays. The grounds also include 539 on-site parking spots, including 25 disabled spots, with overflow parking readily available. http://www.clevelandcitystars.com/news/467-city-stars-to-play-in-bedford
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