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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LSU Baseball Sweeps Troy In Fall Ball Doubleheader Sunday Afternoon

By Justin Babin Jr. • November 9, 2026
The Storylines: LSU continued Fall Ball action in The Box Sunday with 2 9-inning games against the Troy Trojans. If I had told you back in January that this game would feature 1 team who made the College World Series in 2026, you probably wouldn’t have found that hard to believe. However, it didn’t turn out the way you thought it would. While LSU had perhaps their worst season in 15 years missing the postseason for the first time since 2011, the Trojans made an improbable run to Omaha and eliminated Ole Miss in the CWS before getting bounced out by West Virginia. The work in Fall Ball is put in to prepare a team for when it really matters in February. The Tigers though used some late inning magic to take game 1 from Troy by a final score of 10-9 in what turned out to be a heck of a matchup. LSU trailed the game throughout, at one point being down 9-4 going into the late innings. The comeback started in the 8th when star Shortstop Steven Milam launched a 3-run bomb to cut the Trojan lead to 1. The hero though was Bino Watters, who walked it off with a 2 RBI single in the bottom of the 9th to give the Tigers the 10-9 win. Watters was a First-Team All-ACC selection at Notre Dame in 2026 and was the #1 portal prospect in the country in the offseason. Tiger fans should expect more heroics from him in 2027. In Game 2 of the day, LSU quickly jumped out to a 5-0 lead after 4 innings. Freshman Lucas Nawrocki started the scoring with a solo shot to leadoff the bottom of the 1st. Nawrocki, a 2-way player, was without a doubt my player of the day. In Game 1, Nawrocki hit a triple and then struck out 3 on the mound in the 9th. Then Nawrocki added another RBI single later in Game 2 after his solo homer earlier. Jay Johnson said in the time we got to speak with him that he believes Nawrocki will end up being one of the best players to ever come out of this program, a bold statement coming from the head man of the top College Baseball program in the nation. It’s only November and the Tigers still have a lot to work on, but this was a good chance for Jay Johnson to see where his team is at against a squad that made a deep postseason run this past June. Now let’s take a deeper look at what we saw on this Sunday afternoon. Pitching: (I got some help from my friend David Billiot Jr on some of these final stat lines. Make sure to also follow David for excellent Baseball coverage) William Schmidt- Schmidt got the start for LSU in Game 1 and was dominant in 2 innings of work. He gave up only 1 hit while striking out 4, including striking out the side in order in the 2nd. Schmidt looked very sharp and had a lot of swing and miss. Jay Johnson said that both Schmidt and Casan Evans (more on him later) took the time over the offseason to bulk up, which you can definitely tell when Shcmidt stands on the mound. Logan Schmidt- The Freshman came in to start the 3rd and struggled. He only went 0.2 innings and gave up 4 runs on 3 hits while walking a batter and hitting 2 more. We haven’t seen much from Schmidt so far this Fall. This is a guy that LSU never expected to come to campus because of his talent. Jay Johnson in talking with the media has mentioned how they’ve had to do things a little differently with Schmidt. He was prepared and amped up to go right into the minors in the Summer, but when he fell through the cracks somehow in the draft, LSU had to cool him down a little bit. Now the staff is in the process of getting him back up and ready for when the season starts in February. With Schmidt’s talent, he will be just fine. Landon Hood- Hood pitched 2 innings in game 1 and looked pretty solid. He pitched a scoreless 4th while striking out 2, working around a walk and a hit by pitch. In the 5th, he recorded another K, but also gave up a single along with a 2-run blast as well. Hood has looked pretty good in the Fall, featuring low 90s heat with good offspeed in the 70s that he throws a ton. Hood was one of the top portal arms in the country coming out of Gonzaga and I wouldn't be shocked if he challenges for a role in the weekend starting rotation. Danny Lachenmayer- Lachenmayer struck out a batter in the 6th, but also gave up 3 singles to bring in another run for the Trojans. Then, he would give up a leadoff homer in the 7th along with a hit by pitch before coming out of the game. Lachenmayer had moments where he was solid last season. It will be interesting to see who emerges on this staff as the go-to left handers, something the Tigers struggled to find last season. Diego Velazquez- The USC transfer would come in with no outs and a runner on in the 7th. He would record 3 strikeouts in the inning, but also hit a batter and give up another run off of 2 singles. Velazquez would come back to set down the side in order in the 8th. Velazquez threw in the mid 90s and had a good slider in the upper 80s. He was a key arm coming out of the bullpen on a USC team that made it to a Super Regional in 2026. Lucas Nawrocki- Won’t spend a ton of time here since he was mentioned earlier, but Nawrocki was so impressive tonight with what he did at the plate while striking out the side in the 9th in between 2 singles given up. Casan Evans- Now we move to Game 2, where Casan Evans started and much like William Schmidt, dominated in 2 innings of work. He struck out 5 in those 2 innings while giving up a single and hitting a batter. Both Evans and Schmidt pounded the strike zone tonight and looked to be in control. There has been some talk about some potential shakeup in the starting rotation in 2027, but if these 2 keep performing like this, I find that hard to believe. Cooper Sides- The Freshman also went 2 innings and got up to 96 mph. He would walk 2 and record 2 strikeouts in the 3rd before getting out of the inning unscathed with a flyout. Sides would then retire the side in order in the 4th, adding another strikeout. Sides was ranked according to Perfect Game as the #20 RHP in the nation coming out of High School, #3 in the state of California. Braxton Beaty- Another impressive Freshman who gets up to 96 mph, Beatty looked lights out in the 5th retiring the side in order with 2 strikeouts. He would walk 2 in the 6th before striking out 2 more to get out of the inning. Sides was ranked as the #12 LHP in the nation coming out of High School, #2 in the state of Texas. Kaden Smith- The USF transfer came in and struggled in the 7th inning, giving up 3 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks. He came back out in the 8th and I thought he did a nice job of bouncing back with 2 strikeouts, but then he issued 2 more walks before coming out of the game. Smith has good stuff, but struggled with command in the past at USF and has done the same when I’ve seen him so far this Fall. Ethan Plog- Plog would come in with 2 outs in the 8th and get a huge punchout to get LSU out of a jam before recording 2 more strikeouts in the 9th. Hitting: At the plate, I’ll just go over a few things that stand out. We’ve already talked about Lucas Nawrocki’s stellar performance and Steven Milam’s 3-run monster mash in Game 1 that cut the Troy lead to 9-8. Not only did Bino Watters walk it off in Game 1, he also had 2 more singles in that game as well along with an RBI double later in Game 2. Even when Watters struck out in the first AB of Game 1, he did it after battling over 10 pitches. Watters was impressive just like we thought he would be. A guy that might fly under the radar is Angel Laya, but I’ve really liked what I’ve seen from him so far this Fall. Laya had a nice Game 1 with a solo bomb that started the scoring for LSU followed up by a 2 RBI single later in the game. Laya has a good build at 6’2, 211 pounds and was named a Freshman All-American by Perfect Game in 2026. Cade Arrambide and Dominic Santarelli both had RBI singles against the Trojans. Arrambide has had a little bit of a slow start to the Fall, but he led the Tigers with 18 homers in 2026 and was arguably the most dangerous hitter in the lineup from the beginning of April onward. Santarelli is a mountain of a man for a true freshman who has light-tower power similar to that of Jared Jones. For instance, Santarelli hit a ball 118 mph off the bat earlier this Fall. 118 MPH!!! I’m so excited to see what Santarelli will do over the next 3 seasons in the Purple and Gold. Parker Loew and Jason Wachs also drove in runs in Game 2 as well, but I want to give some love to Jack Ruckert. While Ruckert didn’t do much in today’s scrimmage, I’ve been impressed with what I’ve seen from him so far this Fall. I went to 2 straight Friday intrasquad scrimmages in October where Ruckert hit homers in both of them. He just looks a lot more comfortable at the plate now in my opinion. We’ve seen guys take the jump from Year 1 to Year 2 like Cade Arrambide did in 2026, and I think Jack Ruckert might be able to do the same. Final Thoughts and What’s Next: You can’t win much in November, but it was nice to see the Tigers go out and perform today against a solid Troy program that just made it to Omaha last season. This LSU team will continue to grow and get better before February, but I love the mix of veteran returners like Casan Evans and Steven Milam along with important portal additions like Bino Watters and Landon Hood. Don’t forget about one of the best Freshman classes we’ve seen step on campus in Baton Rouge in quite a long time with guys like Dominic Santarelli and Lucas Nawrocki. I look forward to bringing more Baseball coverage to The Kneaux leading up to February and throughout the season as well. The Tigers will host Southeastern in The Box this upcoming Friday with first pitch at 5:30. Follow Babin On The Bayon on X: https://x.com/BabinOnTheBayou

Pelicans @ Clippers Takeaways

By Chrissy Smith • November 9, 2026
Team Stats (Pelicans @ Clippers) Final Score: 123-139 Rebounds: 35-35 Assists: 23-34 Blocks: 2-2 Steals: 6-8 Turnovers: 16-11 Stat Leaders (Pelicans/Clippers) Scoring Leaders: Trey Murphy III, 26; Darius Garland, 24 Rebound Leaders: Trey Murphy III, 7; Brook Lopez, 7 Assist Leaders: Jeremiah Fears, 5; Darius Garland, 10 My Player of the Game: Trey Murphy III Takeaways The Pelicans got blown out on the road against the LA Clippers, who had won only one game this season. The Pelicans are 4-0 when they start Herb Jones, and they are 0-6 when they do not. This mix of starting Dejounte Murray and Jeremiah Fears is not working. In fact, I don't really know what DJM is bringing to the table at this point. The Pels drafted Fears, so give him the keys to start with Herb, TMIII, Zion, Karlo/Missi. The Pel icans play against on Monday at Golden State. Follow The Kneaux on X , and follow me there too @SportsChrissy.
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