Baltimore and the Beautiful Game
Hoping the next USL club will be playing in Charm City
Many soccer fans around the country are chomping at the bits to get a pro soccer club in their city. Some are hoping for the next MLS club while others are waiting for an announcement from U.S. Soccer’s 2nd Division, United Soccer League (USL). In Baltimore many are just looking for something that can bring the large soccer community of Charm City together.
Right now there is hope in Baltimore because of an article posted by USL back in May. In the article USL President Jake Edwards discussed the idea of USL expanding to Baltimore.
There has been little talk from the league offices since the article but plenty of soccer fans around the country have been continuing to mention Baltimore whenever USL expansion is discussed.
Our hope with USL 2 Baltimore is to keep that discussion going and bring everyone and anyone talking about USL coming to Baltimore, together. I want everyone who loves the beautiful game in and around Baltimore to have a place to talk about the possibility of having a pro outdoor soccer team in one of the top leagues in our country and one of the top 2nd divisions in the world.
As this blog grows we will cover Baltimore’s soccer past. We want to dive into the history of pro soccer in and around Baltimore. Everything from the Baltimore Bays (1967–69), the Baltimore Comets (1974–76) and Crystal Palace Baltimore (2006–2010). We will also talk about the Bohemians, Christos FC and of course the pro indoor soccer powerhouse, the Baltimore Blast.
Along with looking back at Baltimore’s soccer history we will take a closer look at Baltimore’s soccer community today. There are a large number of supporter groups around the city. Most support English Premier league clubs like Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal but there are groups that follow clubs from La Liga, Bundesliga and other leagues around the world. If a USL club does come to Baltimore, our hope is that all of those supports will finally have something that can bring them all together and all of those groups deserve to have their stories told.
Finally we will be discussing why Baltimore deserves a club and what the future could look like if USL brings a club to Charm City. We will talk about the benefits a club could bring to the city and also focus on some of the potential players that could be responsible for making a USL club in Baltimore a reality.
This is going to be a crazy journey and we know it all hinges on whether a USL club ends up coming to Baltimore or not but we are excited to go on this adventure. Soccer is a huge part of who we are and it is a huge in the Baltimore community. We have seen first hand how being part of a soccer community can bring people from many different backgrounds together. Soccer is a sport that touches all cultures around the world and can unite us all. We are just hoping that Baltimore gets a chance to show that it has what it takes to support a USL club and as long as there is still hope we will continue to keep this discussion alive.
If you are interested in taking part in the this discussion more you can follow USL 2 Baltimore on Twitter @USL2Baltimore and on Facebook where we have also set up a group for anyone interested in joining a potential #USL2Baltimore supporters club.
