It seems like most people are tired of talking about the proposed $180-million multi-purpose arena in the downtown Duranguito area, which is now pending a court appeal by the city.

Whether one was for the construction of the stadium or for the preservation of people’s homes and stores in the Union Plaza area, one thing was for certain—most wanted something to simply come of it. But after nearly two years, it feels like nothing has been accomplished.

That’s when talk of the city trying to get a professional soccer team sparked up again. No, this team will not play in the Duranguito area or the proposed multi-purpose center, but instead different businessmen are looking into the possibility.

MountainStar Sports Group, the organization that helped bring the El Paso Chihuahuas Triple-A baseball team, has been actively pursuing conversations regarding bringing a Division II United Soccer League team to the Sun City.

Businessmen Paul Foster and Josh Hunt, who were both important factors in bringing in the Chihuahuas, have been scouting different places where this could be located, such as the Union Pacific railroad property and the Asarco land.

Even the USL is interested in the city, telling El Paso Inc. that they are “looking closely at El Paso.”

A soccer team in El Paso would work out extremely well due to the city’s demographic–its love for the sport and the new incentives to advance El Paso.

The attraction that a soccer team would bring is really like none other in the local area. Think about the Chihuahuas—people don’t necessarily watch the game attentively, but they still have a great time at the games.

A soccer team would provide an extra attraction in the city that’s worth going to. While people in El Paso are starting to go to less and less to UTEP’s athletic events.

There’s room for a new local team to emerge and steal the hearts of the locals.

In The City magazine’s Best of the City issue, the Chihuahuas won best team of El Paso in the past years, which is a testament to how much the city has accepted the team.

When the announcement of the team first came to light, many people were against it and vowed to never step foot in the stadium. Moreover, when the team’s mascot was announced, more controversy was stirred and some El Pasoans seemed discontented.

But now, it’s almost impossible to imagine local sports without the Chihuahuas, especially the mascot that everyone now adores.

Now imagine the possibility of a new soccer team joining the city and becoming as beloved as the Chihuahuas. It can happen.

The demographic of El Paso caters heavily toward something like this. Being a border city with Mexico right across from us, the soccer community is well known throughout the region. There are different teams throughout the area that aren’t even professional, but are still widely attended, such as FC Juárez and the El Paso Coyotes.

Opening its doors for its inaugural season last year, the El Paso Coyotes brought in tons of people for each game of this semi-professional indoor soccer team.

After talking with some fans, they knew most of the players’ history, where they’ve played before and had their favorite players. Despite the team losing every game of the season, each game still brought in a good number of fans and never disappointed in making games interesting.

More so, many Juárez citizens and even El Pasoans make the trip to go to the FC Juárez games, which usually pack the stadium in Mexico.

The bottom line is that El Paso is a soccer town and a soccer team here would thrive with regional support.

With a soccer team, El Paso’s prosperity and progression as a city would substantially improve. It gives visitors from out of town another option, although they might not necessarily enjoy sports. It gives families and individuals an extra option for a weekend spot.

Then comes the long-term prosperity. With a soccer team, more local businesses have the opportunity to grow in the area where the stadium is built, more jobs will be created and on a grand scale, more franchises might look El Paso’s way.

With this, there could even be the possibility of a professional team, such as an MLS team, baseball team, basketball team or even a football team.

One thing is for certain however, a soccer club is the exact thing El Paso needs.