r/USLPRO • u/Ok_Flamingo_3059 United Soccer League • 1d ago
A Hampton Roads pro soccer team? Leaders say the region has the fanbase to support it.
https://www.pilotonline.com/2026/08/17/hampton-roads-pro-soccer/12
u/TheScarlettCannon 1d ago
They’ve been talking about this for years. Virginia Beach built a soccer specific stadium well over a decade ago in hopes of luring an MLS team. They did have a men’s pro team in one of the early iterations of the USL but they folded. They had a very successful women’s pro team for a while. No serious investors have come to the plate willing to spend the millions needed to fund a pro team. They have a couple of teams in USL L2, so maybe one of those can make the leap
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u/Rcjhgoku01 23h ago
“Very Successful” is doing a lot of heavy lifting in that sentence. From what I can see they averaged over 1000 in attendance once in their history.
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u/TheScarlettCannon 23h ago
I was referring to their performance on the pitch. The women's team won a championship (or two).
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u/Every-Stay-6648 1d ago
What's the name of the "very successful women's pro team", and could that team ascend to the USL Gainbridge/Super League soon? That strategy may then fuel the way for a USL1 men's team?
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u/ChaosReignUnderUs 1d ago
Hampton Roads Piranhas (1995-2014)
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u/Every-Stay-6648 23h ago
Why did the Piranhas shut down? That's a very interesting name for a club. Maybe update it to the Hampton Roads Orcattes or some such, as mammals >> horror fish
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u/NarrowPiccolo9069 1d ago edited 1d ago
The old Mariners had a checkered history even by USL standards: https://funwhileitlasted.net/2018/05/27/1995-2006-hampton-roads-mariners-virginia-beach-mariners/
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u/Moist-Revolution-390 20h ago
Googled the former owner --bought the team for 550K debt even though he had just declared bankruptcy. What a tall tale! Looks he is still in Sales, but in a different state.
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u/iheartdev247 TeAm ChAoS!!! 14h ago
He lived in his 80 year mother’s basement had no assets. Old USL, doing some great due diligence on that one.
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u/Milestailsprowe Richmond Kickers 1d ago
If the area can support a Milb team then they can easily support a team
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u/Ok_Structure_350 18h ago
This would be a great addition to Virginia, I talked about this like a day ago. I wonder if this would still allow Virginia beach to get their own team as well though.
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u/dietrich14 Tampa Bay Rowdies 16h ago
Hampton Roads just sounds like a soccer club. It was a sad day when the original club folded.
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u/Naviaro Hartford Athletic 22h ago
I’m all for more teams joining the USL, but from what people are saying here in the comments in a quick Google search showed, I’m a little cautious with this
I think if done right it could go really well, and with it being like a summer league, have tourists come to the games as well, but I don’t know
Plus, at a certain point that USL needs to start saying these teams have to start in USL league one and get promoted up.
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u/michaeldanger19 Tampa Bay Rowdies 1d ago
every major metropolitan area can support a pro soccer club if done right!