Lancaster Rattlers becomes feeder club for FC New York

FC New York Press Release - [url=www.fcnewyorksoccer.com]www.fcnewyorksoccer.com[/url]

Thursday, June 3, 2010

NEW YORK, NY - FC New York recently announced its first USL Premier Development League affiliate will be the Lancaster Rattlers, based in Lancaster, California. The two clubs will exchange best practices, while Lancaster will act as a feeder club for F.C. New York.

“Gerry Brunner and the Rattlers have been great," FC New York President Doug Petersen said. "They truly understand what we can achieve. We believe in the partnership and their area of geographic influence.”

For players in the Southern California region, being with the Rattlers potentially brings them only a step away from the professional ranks of F.C. New York.

On the one hand, it does make sense to start making affiliate relationships to identify future talent...and I can see where they would be interested in connecting with a PDL team in another market to extend their possibilities.

On the other hand, wouldn't it be easier by starting closer to home?! There have got to be at least 4 or 5 PDL clubs in the NY-NJ area that could serve as good player development/identity partners...including the LI Rough Riders, Westchester Flames, Ironbound Express and NJ Rangers.

I'm not saying that their relationship with the Lancaster Rattlers won't be a good one - it just seems odd to start with a PDL organization that is so far away.

"Exchange best practices?"

I'm afraid that relationship will be a bit one-sided.

First: "Don't use clip art for your badge."

Stone Cold: Exactly what I was thinking.

Bernie: So I guess that I can't convice you to go in with me on buying up all of the left over FCNY gear when they go bust, huh? All we need in one rapper or rocker or actor to rock one of the jerseys and that 4th grade badge is gonna blow up. We'll get paid. People bought parachute pants and shredded t-shirts. You just need a buzz for your product. I've already done most of the work. Now we just need your capital and contacts and we are going to need accountants to help us with tax shelters.

We could even put the stuff on Ebay like Cleveland City did.

I'm going to express two theories, take your pick:

1 - Internecine feuding. Those teams may see FCNY as unwanted competition and that they'd become serfs. I know, I know, I'm laughing, too. And I have no experience with any of those PDL organizations, so I don't know if they subscribe to the notion that what's good for soccer is good for everybody or not. They very well may think that way. But I've seen it go the other way. Especially if...
2 - FCNY is not an organization you'd want to partner with on any level. It's possible they couldn't organize a trip to the men's room, and if it's going to be a disaster, you may be better off not being anywhere near them.

Those are just two theories. I may be overthinking.

A California feeder club to an ostensible New York club that barely exists. A club that intends to play their matches at the "state of the art" Hofstra University. This hot on the heels of USL expansion to Gilligan's Island. The tears of mirth have started to roll.

Let's be fair...how much "feeding" really goes on from any PDL club to a specific club at a higher level?

Seems to me that most PDL guys are college guys who (if they're good enough) then go into the MLS SuperDraft, and if they don't get drafted, they try to get a trial with an MLS team and if that doesn't work out they go to whatever D2 team they can (or D3, whatever) or they go sell insurance.

I don't see a lot of PDL "feeding" to higher-level teams going on. And as far as "best practices," that is, as you allude to, hilarious.

Speaking of if they are good enough, this article about the Ajax academy in the New York Times yesterday was very interesting.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/06/magazine/06Soccer-t.html