USL Nola Stadium Options

Patty V • August 2, 2022

As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, the United Soccer League has announced they have entered an exclusive partnership with USL NOLA, with plans to bring both a men’s and women’s professional soccer club to the “Greater New Orleans Area” by the year 2025.
 
The biggest question this has seemingly brought up, other than team names, kit designs, etc., is “Where will the team play?” There are a few options on the table, each with different reasoning behind them. In my opinion however, there are truly only two options if the team wants to see any sort of long-term success. 


What are the first options that come to mind?


Pan-Am Stadium

Currently host the high school football and the New Orleans Jesters (NOLA’s current soccer team, playing in the National Premier Soccer League, which for many who don’t know, is considered “semi-pro”. Pan-American Stadium has been around for decades, being built in 1973 and hosting many Soccer Clubs throughout the years, feels more suited for a high school football game than any professional sporting event. It has been renovated post Katrina, but even this was done over 14 years ago. By the time the USL Nola team would be ready to play, these renovations for what ultimately looks like a small-scale high school stadium, would have taken place around 17 years prior. By stadium standards this is a lifetime. On top of this, the location in City Park isn’t ideal to draw any sort of walk-up crowd. People would have to seek out this old, run down, small stadium, to spend a day feeling as though they’re attending their nephew’s ball game. The overall vibe is off here, do not recommend.


Patty’s grade for this option: D+
 
Tad Gormley Stadium

Also located in City Park, the location is a bit more ideal being that Gormley is much closer to, well, anything. This stadium would certainly allow for a better walk-up option, and the stadium is also much larger. This stadium gives the feel of the classic, romantic, historic stadiums of yester year. This stadium actually hosted a World Cup tune up match back in the 80’s, as well as a friendly between the MLS’s Chicago Fire, and Honduran soccer club Real C.D. Espana.  However, the positives basically stop there. While history is romantic, the scoreboard and concrete seating are not. Also, with the dated feel, as well as location a little off the beaten path (closer to neighborhoods and Delgado, which is a ghost town outside of school hours), the ease of being in the area and just simply catching a game doesn’t feel, special. This could cause a major problem. The game day experience and overall perception of the team can take a major hit if you are only drawing 5,000 people to a stadium that seats over 26,000. I would steer clear of this one as well.


Patty’s grade for this option: D-


The Shrine on Airline

First and foremost, this is a place that is VERY close to my heart. For years, I lived just across the highway from the shrine off Elise. I also worked at the Shrine for over 2 years. Even as I type, I am looking to my right at my placard for my old workspace: “Account Executive – Patrick Vath”, once employed by the Zephyrs/Baby Cakes. CAKE NATION NEVER DIES. I digress. For years I have wondered why the following for the Zephyr’s turned Cakes waned. What lead to their untimely demise? In my humble opinion, I point to the Shrine (amongst a few other things). This stadium, originally built in 1997, has simply not been kept up with through the years. It does provide many options that a professional club would be looking for: suites, party space, corporate sponsorship possibilities. However, it certainly FEELS old. The pre-game and post-game options in this are also severely limit the possibility of young folks in the area who just happen to decide to walk up to the game last minute. If you are going to the Shrine on Airline, you are just…..going to Metairie. Also, when talking about hosting a Soccer Club (or even rugby, see: NOLA Gold), there is no getting around that the place feels like a baseball stadium. Without some serious renovations to this stadium, there is really no draw other than the on-field product, which is a major way to set yourself up for failure. While the club could make this space work, it would be a LARGE undertaking, where they would be fighting an uphill battle from day one.


Patty’s grade for this option: C


Yulman Stadium

I’m not sure if this is even an option, or how they would go about negotiating this, but Yulman stadium feels like a space that was simply built for a professional soccer club. The stadium, easily the most modern on the list, was opened in 2014. It would provide the updated amenities any professional team would be looking for. Yulman offers multiple club options, bars, suites, and padded seat back chairs in many areas. They also have a brand new 94 by 24-foot LED scoreboard. With the location of the stadium being uptown on the Tulane campus, the location is certainly much more promising than some of the other areas, with local bars and restaurants scattered all around the campus, plus perhaps the ability to use some of the campus for pregame festivities. The two negatives here I would think, are the size of the stadium and the overall feeling of it not being themed towards the club. Would there be a way to cover seats at Yulman to make it feel more intimate? How would they cover the giant angry wave, or other Tulane markings?


Patty’s grade for this option: C+


Build new in the “River District development”

The other option for the new USL Nola franchises would be to simply build a brand-new stadium. The current thought/proposal has the club attached to a development in the River District of New Orleans. When it comes to starting a team off with the most buzz possible, having a brand-new stadium, on the river, surrounded by a BRAND NEW entertainment district, certainly seems like the way to go. The possibilities would be endless here. The only true negatives would be dealing with the politics of the situation, which we all know can be difficult in the area we live, and simply dealing with any public pushback against the development including a stadium rather than something else voters would like to see. The area in question is extremely close to a currently bustling Warehouse District, where the exact demographic this team would hope to draw currently resides.


Patty’s grade for this option: A


The best option available for the new Soccer Club would have to be building new, for various reasons. Firstly, many of the stadiums suggested are either outdated, too large, or just not set up to host a professional soccer club and draw in the way one would hope. Even Yulman, the most up to date of the bunch, is far too large, and totally themed towards the University. In looking at the attendance numbers for the 2022 season so far, New Mexico United comes in with the highest avg, sitting right around 11,000 people, with the league average sitting right around 4,800. Without a new stadium, my fear is that The New Orleans Football Club to Be Named Later may be fighting an uphill battle to create buzz from day one. I suppose it depends what the goal is here. If the goal is simply to draw 2,000 to 5,000 on average, a few improvements to one of the run down stadiums may be just enough. Otherwise, I fear the club could be doomed from the start if the goals are much loftier, and the team cannot secure a stadium deal to their liking.

Regardless, I'm in.


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2025 LSU Football Preview

By Erik Trosclair • August 28, 2025
The 2025 LSU football season is here! Here we go Tiger fans!!! This may be the biggest season of Brian Kelly's tenure at LSU. The Tigers are ranked 9th in both the AP and coaches polls. Number 7 For the second consecutive season, Harold Perkins, Jr., has been awarded the number 7 jersey. The number 7 jersey is awarded to an electric playmaker who is also a leader. Number 18 Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier has been awarded the honor of wearing the number 18 jersey. The number 18 jersey is awarded to a true leader on and off the football field. This is a perfect choice for this number. Preseason Award Watch Lists Maxwell Award - Garrett Nussmeier, Caden Durham Bronko Nagurski - Whit Weeks Butkus - Harold Perkins Jr., Whit Weeks Wuerffel - Harold Perkins Jr. Paul Hornung - Zavion Thomas Lou Groza - Damien Ramos' Walter Camp - Garrett Nussmeier Biletnikoff - Aaron Anderson Davey O'Brien - Garrett Nussmeier AP Preseason All American - Garrett Nussmeier, Whit Weeks, Harold Perkins Jr. Preseason Coaches All SEC - Garrett Nussmeier, Whit Weeks, Barion Brown, Caden Durham, Aaron Anderson, Harold Perkins Jr., and Zavion Thomas (WR and Return Specialist) Offense Quarterbacks #18 Garrett Nussmeier - You cannot say enough good things about this guy. In a world full of transfers, Garrett stayed at LSU to wait his turn. Garrett has high expectations for the season that lies ahead. According to DraftKings, Nuss has the 2nd best odds to win the Heisman. #11 Michael Van Buren Jr - The Mississippi State transfer comes into the season with valuable starting experience. The dual threat quarterback brings a lot to the table. #16 Colin Hurley - Entering his redshirt sophomore season, Hurley has had an impressive camp. Running Backs #29 Caden Durham - Coming off of a Freshman All SEC season, Durham is looking to have a big season. Look for Caden to touch the ball early and often. #28 Kaleb Jackson - The junior has played in all 26 games of his LSU career. He brings value to this offense and special teams. #8 Ju'Juan Johnson - Possibly one of the most versatile Tigers on this roster. Johnson has spent time in many position rooms. Look for Ju'Juan to get plenty of touches this season. #22 Harlem Berry, #23 JT Lindsey - These two true freshmen will add valuable depth to the backfield. Tight Ends #14 Trey'Dez Green - At 6'7" and 240 pounds, Trey'Dez will be a red zone threat. The two sport athlete will have a big part in this offense. #10 Bauer Sharp - The versatile tight end brings a lot of experience to this tight end group. Bauer has played in 37 games at tight end and quarterback in his college career. #88 Donovan Green, #47 JD Lafleur, and #45 GiVanni Peterson - All three will provide valuable depth. Offensive Line #71 Tyree Adams - Probable starter at left tackle #65 Paul Mubenga - Probable starter at left guard #61 Braelin Moore - Probable starter at center #56 Josh Thompson - Probable starter at right guard #75 Weston Davis - Probable starter at right tackle #79 DJ Chester, #78 Coen Echols, #57 Carius Curne - Look for these three to get a lot of playing time. Wide Receivers #3 Chris Hilton Jr. - Look for Chris to be involved in a big way this season. This can be a huge season for Hilton Jr. #1 Aaron Anderson - Aaron was the most consistent receiver for the Tigers last season. Look for Aaron to continue to step up in big moments. #0 Zavion Thomas - Thomas is a threat anytime he touches the football. #6 Barion Brown - The 3 time All SEC wide receiver is the most experienced in this group. Brown is a big play threat. #4 Nic Anderson - Anderson had a huge freshman season at Oklahoma. Nic looks to build off of that season after missing last season. This is an extremely deep wide receiver room. Defense Defensive Tackle #96 Dominick McKinley - At 6'6, and 308 pounds, Dominick McKinley looks to make a statement for the Tigers this season. #88 Bernard Gooden - The 5th year senior will bring a ton of experience to the defensive tackle position for the Tigers. #16 Ahmad Breaux - The true sophomore will look to build off of a strong freshman season. #90 Jacobian Guillory II - The 6th year graduate student is a true leader on this team. He brings a lot of talent and experience to this group. Defensive End/JACK - #44 Jack Pyburn - The Florida transfer has 80 total tackles in his career. Jack has hit the ground running in Baton Rouge. Get familiar with this name Tiger fans! #19 Gabriel Reiford - Reiford had a strong freshman season. He will be making a statement this season for the Tigers. #6 Patrick Payton - Payton played in 40 games in 4 seasons at Florida State. Payton has 16 sacks to his name. #12 Jimari Butler - The graduate transfer from Nebraska has played in 36 games with 7.5 sacks. Linebackers #33 West Weeks - The graduate student looks to continue building on his strong career at LSU. #40 Whit Weeks - The true junior, with 174 career total tackles, is looking to have a huge season for the Tigers. #42 Davhon Keys - Keys burst onto the scene last season for the Tigers. The sophomore flies to the football. #46 Tylen Singleton - Tylen had a big offseason. Tiger fans will be hearing this name often. STAR Position - The STAR position is a safety/linebacker hybrid in Blake Baker's defense. #7 Harold Perkins Jr. - It goes without saying, Harold Perkins Jr. is a massive part of the success of the Tiger defense. Cornerback #4 Mansoor Delane - The Houston transfer has 146 total tackles and 6 interceptions in his career. Look for Mansoor to have a big season. #1 Ashton Stamps - One of my favorite Tigers. Ashton is an extremely hard worker and plays with passion. Look for Ashton to continue his strong LSU career. #11 PJ Woodland - PJ stepped up early in his Tiger career. The true sophomore brings experience and production to this defense. #3 DJ Pickett - At 6'5" and 195 pounds, look for DJ to make a quick impact this season. Pickett had a great offseason. Safety #13 AJ Haulcy - The Houston transfer has 259 total tackles, 7 interceptions, 15 pass breakups, and 22 passes defended in his career. This guy has a nose for the football. #10 Dashawn Spears - Dashawn had an extremely productive freshman season. Look for Dashawn to have a strong presence in the defensive backfield. #0 Tamarcus "Agent Zero" Cooley - Tamarcus had a strong season at NC State last season with 39 total tackles and 3 interceptions. Tamarcus will look to keep the momentum going. #25 Javien Toviano - Toviano has played in 26 games in 2 seasons with LSU. Javien can provide valuable depth all over the defensive backfield. Special Teams Kickoff Specialist #32 Aeron Burrell - Burrell has a cannon for a leg. He finished in the top 3 in the nation in kickoff average. Aeron will look to build off of his All SEC 2024 campaign. Kicker #34 Damian Ramos - The fifth year senior will look to build on his strong LSU career. Punter #90 Grant Chadwick - The All Conference USA punter brings his talents to Baton Rouge. Tiger fans should feel great with Grant taking over the punting duties. Long/Deep Snapper #49 Jonathan Ferguson - Ferguson is likely to take over as the long snapper for the Tigers. Return Specialist #0 Zavion Thomas - A big play waiting to happen. #6 Barion Brown - Brown can take one to the house at any point in the game. These two returners are EXPLOSIVE! GEAUX TIGERS! Thank you for checking out my article. Follow me on X (the artist formerly known as Twitter) @eazytro

The Curious Case of the Player to Be Named Later

By David Rainey • July 19, 2025
It’s that time of year again. The excitement of All-Star weekend and the Homerun Derby are behind us, and it’s on to the second half of the MLB season. This is the time where the great teams separate themselves from the good teams. It’s the time for teams to show whether they should be considered contenders or pretenders. And with this time of the year, of course, comes the MLB trade deadline. Arguably the most intriguing trade deadline of all the major sports. Fringe teams will have to decide whether to be buyers or sellers, and the great teams will mortgage their futures for one player they believe will take them to the promise land. Now, as out of left-field as the ending to this year’s All-Star weekend was (raise your hand if you also weren’t aware that swing offs were a thing), the MLB trade deadline features something much more curious. The Player to Be Named Later. You see, as most of us know, it’s extremely common in Major League Baseball for a team like the Padres, for example, to sell off a handful of their top prospects at the trade deadline for a lefty reliever they hope will help them navigate the difficult waters that is the postseason. But what some people aren’t aware of (outside of us baseball nerds of course) is the use of something, or someone more specifically, called the “Player to Be Named Later (PTBNL)” in these trade scenarios. For those of you who don’t know, here’s a quick explanation of what exactly the phrase “Player to Be Named Later” means. In baseball, when a team isn’t sure exactly which prospect they want in return or when they are trying to finesse the roster management rules, they will accept a “Player to Be Named Later” in return in a trade. This gives that team the opportunity to further evaluate players and choose who they want in return at a later date. This doesn’t mean that the team will just be able to choose a superstar down the road, there are limitations placed on who can be chosen, and most of the time the player ends up being just another player lost in baseball lore. However, sometimes these PTBNL turn out to be more than just a journeyman or even lead to oddities that only baseball can provide. So, what are the most famous cases of Players to Be Named Later? Well, I’m glad you asked. Let’s start with the not so unexpected scenario that actually led to the PTBNL rules to be changed. Trea Turner Before 2015, there was a rule in place in the MLB in which prevented players from being traded for a year after being drafted. Trea Turner was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the first round of the 2014 Draft which meant, you guessed it, he wasn’t eligible to be traded until the following year. However, in December of 2014 the Padres, Nationals, and Rays agreed to mega-deal that involved 11 players AND a Player to Be Named Later. So, what does this have to do with Turner? Well, everyone was aware of who that PTBNL would be. Trea Turner. But as I mentioned before, he wasn’t allowed to be traded yet. So Turner had to spend the beginning of the next season playing for the Padres who had already traded him. This led to a rule change in MLB before the next draft to avoid this situation ever playing out again. But where is Trea Turner now? He’s certainly no journeyman. He had an incredible start to his career with the Nationals, before being traded (again) to the Dodgers with Max Scherzer in 2021. He eventually signed a $300 million deal with the Phillies where he still plays and remains one of the best players in Major League Baseball. But is he the best PTBNL of all time? Not quite. David Ortiz Big Papi. Ever heard of him? Sure you have. But did you know he wasn’t always the mashing lefty for the Red Sox that we know and love? That’s right. Early on in David Ortiz’s career he actually struggled to find a place in the league; and at one point, was even a Player to Be Named Later in a trade. He actually started his career with the Seattle Mariners, but he doesn’t mean much to the Mariners franchise outside of being a PTBNL in a trade in 1996 with the Minnesota Twins for Dave Hollins. As a matter of fact, not only was Ortiz not the player we know on the field, he wasn’t even David Ortiz on paper. At the time, he was actually known as David Arias. You might be thinking, “Wow. The Mariners really traded BIG PAPI.” Trust me when I tell that the Twins feel even worse. Ortiz would play a handful of seasons for the Twins from 1997-2002; however, even after a solid season in 2002 with the Twins, they would go on to RELEASE Ortiz. That’s right. Even one of the greatest players to ever step foot on a baseball diamond was not only traded as PTBNL but was also outright released. Of course in 2003, David Ortiz would go on to join the Boston Red Sox. Ten All-Star games, 3 World Series Championships, a World Series MVP, and a Hall of Fame selection later, David Ortiz would go down in baseball history as one of the most feared batters of all time, and the legend we know him as today Big Papi. What is the oddest Player to Be Named Later situation? There is a rare, but always delightfully bizarre situation in which a player is traded for himself as a Player to Be Named Later. This hilariously absurd scenario is so rare that it has only happened four times in the history of Major League Baseball. Harry Chiti – traded from the then Cleveland Indians to the Mets in 1962 for a PTBNL. However, he was so bad that the Mets decided trade him back to Cleveland as the PTBNL Brad Gulden – traded (with $100,000) from the Yankees to the Mariners for Larry Milbourne and a PTBNL in 1980. Once again, he performed so poorly that the Mariners traded him back to New York as the PTBNL in the original trade. Are you sensing a theme? Dickie Noles – In 1987 the Cubs traded him to the Tigers for a Player to Be Named Later. Sadly, he didn’t do enough during the Tigers playoff run that year for them to want to keep him around. So, they shipped back to the Windy City to complete the trade as the PTBNL. John McDonald – The most recent example. He was acquired by Detroit, who clearly didn’t learn anything in 1987, from the Blue Jays in 2005 for, that’s right, a PTBNL. Later that year, he was sent back to Canada for cash considerations. There you go. Next time you’re hanging out with your buddies on the back porch naming random athletes from your pass, feel free to drop in a “Dickie Noles” reference and explain the wonderful scenario of him being traded for himself. Baseball is such a beautiful sport in so many ways. For many of us, it’s the first sport we play as children, or the sport we remember watching with our grandparents on the living room floor. It has such an iconic and rich history. It’s known as “America’s past time” for a reason. But throughout that history, there are so many things that have happened that can only be described as strange and uniquely baseball. And that’s why we love it. So, when you’re scrolling social media or watching ESPN this trade deadline season and see that stud middle reliever traded for nothing but a Player to Be Named Later, maybe you won’t just brush it off this time around. Maybe you’ll wait to see who that player becomes, and maybe they’ll end up being another great piece of baseball trivia.
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