Oklahoma City’s new professional soccer team is still two years from its debut, but it has attracted a host of high-profile athletes to its cap table. The latest investors are NFL quarterback Baker Mayfield, NBA guard Jalen Williams and track world record-holder Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone.
The star trio joins nine-time NBA All-Star Russell Westbrook and former U.S. soccer standout Jozy Altidore in the ownership group. Financial firm Echo Investment Capital and its founding partner and CEO Christian Kanady is the lead investor in the USL team, which starts play in 2028.
Oklahoma City had a USL team that played in a pre-World War II stadium and went on hiatus in 2022. The re-launch will include a venue with more than 10,000 seats that meets MLS standards, with $121 million of public money directed towards the stadium. It broke ground in early June. Kanady said he thinks sports can serve as a catalyst for “community and economic growth” in announcing the news.
This project is more than just a USL club. Echo is planning for the stadium to be the centerpiece of a $1 billion mixed-use development, which will include retail and hospitality experiences, a music campus and public green spaces. It will sit two blocks from the Oklahoma City Thunder’s new $1 billion arena. Other investors include the Chickasaw Nation Tribe and Nick Gross, son of bond king Bill Gross.
