BUFFALO, N.Y. — As the men's FIFA World Cup comes to United States in 2026, professional soccer could return to Buffalo as well.
Former soccer executive and Western New York native Peter Marlette Jr. announced Thursday the formation of Buffalo Pro Soccer, which through an agreement with the United Soccer League, seeks to bring a men's USL Championship team to Buffalo by 2026.
"This is boom time for soccer and it's time to get in," Marlette Jr., the president of Buffalo Pro Soccer, told Channel 2. "Buffalo is a perfect market for soccer, especially at the USL Championship level."
"[Buffalo] is diverse, and that is hugely important in the world's game as soccer is. It is, in my opinion, the best pro sports town in the country," Marlette Jr. said.
Buffalo Pro Soccer is seeking to capitalize on the excitement around upcoming soccer tournaments in the US, which include Copa America, the FIFA Club World Cup, and the men's FIFA World Cup over the next three summers, with its 2026 timeline.
"That is an ambitious goal," Marlette Jr. said. "We're going to have to work very hard to make that happen, but who knows when the World Cup is coming again. This is probably once in a lifetime, once in a generation timing."
Thursday's announcement marks the second attempt at a USL Championship team in Buffalo after a previous ownership group reached an agreement with USL in 2019.
In an interview with Channel 2, USL President Justin Papadakis explained why the league was open to giving Buffalo a second chance.
"You don't have to spend too much time [in Buffalo] to hear about Buffalo sports," Papadakis said. "Whether its the Bills, the Sabres or the Bisons, Buffalo sports fans are very avid and they'll tell you about their teams... It's been top of the list."
"Now, we feel with Peter, we have the right people in place that are local," Papadakis said. "Even though we're coming out publicly today, there's been a lot of work for the past year or so to get us to today. Buffalo is such an amazing town and it's a big city, but it's a tight knit community. We wanted to make sure that when we do bring USL to Buffalo, it meets the high standards of the Buffalo sports fan."
The men's team would sit in the second tier of American professional soccer, one rung below Major League Soccer (MLS). The USL Championship is home to 24 clubs, including teams in Pittsburgh, Detroit and Indianapolis, with five more listed on its website as future clubs.
A women's team is also planned by Buffalo Pro Soccer, which would compete in the USL's Super League, sanctioned as a first division league by the U.S. Soccer Federation, alongside the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL).
While FC Buffalo competes in USL's League Two, an amateur league, a professional soccer team has not called Buffalo home since the Western New York Flash of the NWSL dissolved in 2018.
"This is not AAA baseball, we are not an affiliate, this is not the AHL. We are not the farm team to a major league team," Marlette Jr. said. "We are independent. All of the contracted players, their contracts will be held by Buffalo Pro Soccer and they're going to represent Buffalo and endeavor to win championships for Buffalo."
Marlette Jr. indicated that the group's first focuses are securing both investors for an ownership group and a site for a soccer specific stadium in the Buffalo area. A modular construction stadium could be a solution, Marlette Jr. said, for both driving down costs, and assuring the new club has home in time for its target date.
"2026 is very ambitious for a stadium. I'm confident we can do it, having said that, if it doesn't happen that way, if the stadium's not quite complete in time for that kickoff in 2026, there are sites in Buffalo that meet USL requirements and could serve as a temporary home for the club until that permanent one is built."
Marlette Jr. is hoping his background in soccer leads to a successful project. The Buffalo native played collegiate soccer at Trinity College before playing professionally in Australia. From there, he decided to enter the business side of the sport. Marlette Jr. previously served as general manager of USL League One club Union Omaha for the past three seasons, with time spent in business development at MLS's FC Dallas before that.
"I'm pretty confident I've gained the experience and the necessary knowledge to do this," Marlette Jr. said.
The club doesn't yet have an official name, logo, or colors, with Buffalo Pro Soccer seeking the community's input on the team's identity.
"That's intentional," Marlette Jr. "That's because we need this club to represent Buffalo and represent this community, and if we want it to truly do that, we need insight from Buffalo and this community on all of those key things."
Marlette Jr. says fans can go to buffaloprosoccer.com to be involved with the identity process of the team and to stay updated with the a club he hopes becomes a sporting representation of the community.
"It's the global game and Buffalo is a diverse community and our stadium location and our ticket prices and the sport that we're playing are going to allow everybody from all corners of Buffalo and all backgrounds to come together and watch a team that represents them."
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