SYRACUSE, N.Y. - There will be no A-League soccer in Syracuse 2005; the Syracuse Salty Dogs have suspended operations. The team's owner, a partnership called Syracuse Pro Sports, announced on Oct. 27 that it would dissolve and forfeit its rights to an A-League franchise.
Despite fielding a strong side that put together a 12-game unbeaten streak and competed for the Eastern Conference title in only the club's second year, financial problems and overwhelming debt put the kibosh on the coming campaign. A report in the Syracuse Post-Standard put the team's current debt at $300,000.
Originally capitalized with an initial investment of around $400,000 in late 2002, the club's operating budget per season ran about $1.2 million, according to the Post-Standard. Before ever taking to the pitch, the Salty Dogs had to butt heads with Syracuse's AAA baseball team, the SkyChiefs, over rights to play at P&C Stadium, a publicly funded 12,000-seat venue owned by Onondaga County.
A USL press release dated Oct. 27 attributed the Syracuse club's folding to "economic difficulties due to their lease arrangements at P&C Stadium." The statement also noted that A-League clubs in Edmonton and Calgary would also cease operations immediately.
"It pains us to make this decision because the ownership group has made progress towards long-term success," said Tim Holt, USL vice-president, in the press release. "In today's financial climate, however, we have to look at the reality of tomorrow and, unfortunately, there was no plan in place to make the short-term viable to the satisfaction of both the Salty Dogs and USL."
During their expansion season, the Dogs compiled a respectable 11-12-5 record and stayed in the playoff race until late in the campaign. Syracuse drew a total of 96,385 fans, an average of 6,885 per match, the third highest total and average in the A-League that year, behind only Rochester and Montreal. The Dogs drew over 10,700 fans to their first-ever home match at P&C, a 3-0 win over Toronto on May 17, 2003.
In 2004, the club finished 15-8-5 and captured third place in the Eastern Conference. They defeated Richmond in the conference semi-final series before losing to eventual league champion Montreal in the conference finals. Attendance was down slightly, with a total of 89,421 fans on the season, an average of 6,387 per match; both figures were again good for third behind the Rhinos and the Impact.
The Post-Standard reported that new investors could resuscitate pro soccer in Syracuse for the 2006 season, and that A-League officials would welcome the opportunity to return to the Salt City.
