The Reno Aces (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) are negotiating to bring a pro United Soccer League (USL) team to Aces Ballpark for 2017 and beyond, as another baseball team looks to add soccer to the mix.
Not a surprise, as Aces President Eric Edelstein, who has turned things around for the Aces since coming onboard, has exposure to pro soccer during his time with Rich Baseball. And pro soccer is hot right now, with MLS, NASL and USL all in serious expansion mode.
We expect to see some other baseball teams express an interest in pro soccer. The New York Yankees and members of the Minnesota Twins ownership are involved in MLS efforts (as you’ll recall, the expansion New York City FC play out of Yankee Stadium), and the Tulsa Drillers installed a USL team, the Tulsa Roughnecks, at ONEOK Field. Right now pro soccer in the form of the USL’s Louisville City FC, is being played at Louisville Slugger Field, home of the Louisville Bats (Class AAA; International League), though that deal was brokered by the city and not the team.
We cover the issue more thoroughly on our Soccer Stadium Digest site, with a discussion of the logistics and the economics.