Chances of a MLS team in South Florida?

Discussion in 'Inter Miami CF' started by stinky, Apr 12, 2012.

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  1. aetraxx7

    aetraxx7 Member+

    Jun 25, 2005
    Des Moines, IA
    Club:
    Des Moines Menace
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Who else is your projected ownership group? Cameron Diaz? Is Jamie Foxx going to get some playing time?
    I think you missed his point. Money is only part of the equation.
    I would venture that Ft Lauderdale could be sold as Miami/South Florida with no problems. Most people who are not from Florida don't really know the difference anyway. They're both sunny, warm, and awesome places. Plus, if it's good enough for the Tri Lambs, it's good enough for MLS.:thumbsup:
     
  2. Smoke & Mirrors

    Jul 18, 2010
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    Germany
    You've made two posts here that amount to nothing more than a waste of space. It is painfully obvious to anyone who lives in South Florida and is a soccer fan that you have zero clue as to how things have been, and currently are here in relation to the game and its support. Your statements are wildly and completely ludicrous. No one is getting a stadium built in Dade County in our lifetimes with tax payer dollars. No one. Even if we got to the point in your fairytale where Beckham does want to own a team in Miami, and he does have someone to fully pay for the building of an SSS, where are you going to put it? You have no concept of this area, so stop commenting on it. Read DR's post a few times to educate yourself better, and then, if you do happen to live in South Florida, get yourself down to Lockhart, something that actually can make a difference if you want MLS in this market.
     
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  3. drSoFlaFan

    drSoFlaFan DEFEND THE FORT!

    Feb 25, 2008
    Plantation, FL
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Miami and Fort Lauderdale are not that far apart. Despite what the so called soccer "fans" who refuse to make the drive north will tell you. Players on the other hand, would not have a problem playing or living in Broward and still enjoying the "South Beach" aspect of South Florida. Heck there are guys on the Strikers NOW who do that. One Mike "South Beach" Palacio comes to mind from the 2011 squad.

    Or they could live in Miami if they wanted and play up here. There are plenty of Dolphins and Marlins players who live in Weston. Probably some Heat guys north of the county line too.
    Fort Lauderdale was sexy enough for George Best, Ray Hudson, Nene Cubillas and Gordon Banks. I don't think ANYONE you could sign in MLS would complain about Fort Lauderdale if you paid them.
    But it's not about what the players want. It's about running a successful business, and professional soccer has never been a successful business in Miami. Glamour can only get you so far. Just ask the New York Red Bulls.
     
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  4. SteveUSSF_ref8

    SteveUSSF_ref8 Member+

    United States
    Oct 25, 2010
    Sun City, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Who knows for sure where Beckham's team will end up. Only he knows for sure, alole ng with some league officals. But seeing where beckham lives today. If its South Florida, its going to be in Miami itself. Maybe he will surpise us all and go to Atlanta.
     
  5. FLRef

    FLRef Member

    Dec 11, 2010
    Florida
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Honestly just continuing the Strikers' legacy in the MLS is probably the best option. I'm pretty skeptical about the MLS going with Lockhart again though (it's an old high school football stadium, after all). No viable stadium in Miami-Dade County (and the taxpayers sure as hell aren't going to support one after that crook Loria left us with this Marlins Park albatross) besides MAYBE FIU Stadium with the upcoming improvements. The new FAU Stadium in Boca Raton is a possibility as well.
     
  6. Antique

    Antique Member

    Nov 11, 2008
    the river of grass
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The Strikers have announced that they will seek a refurb or rebuild of Lockhart or will build something new somewhere themselves. We'll see how all this plays out.
     
  7. drSoFlaFan

    drSoFlaFan DEFEND THE FORT!

    Feb 25, 2008
    Plantation, FL
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Yup the if they can modernize Lockhart it would be just fine for any future MLS effort. Or if they can build a new ground, as new pres Tom Mulroy says would be 8-10K seats to start, that is expandable, it would put the Strikers in the driver's seat.
     
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  8. futbol in Miami

    Colombia
    Sep 11, 2011
    Miami
    Club:
    FC Internazionale Milano
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  9. Prime Time

    Prime Time Member

    May 1, 2004
    South Florida
    Wahl said today that they have happened and that MLS wants a franchise in Miami.
     
  10. futbol in Miami

    Colombia
    Sep 11, 2011
    Miami
    Club:
    FC Internazionale Milano
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Its still a long shot.
     
  11. redinthemorning

    redinthemorning Member+

    Apr 26, 2011
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Total conjecture here: I don't see Ross investing in a more modular renovation just for the U; it's already been reported that a spruced up Joe Robbie Stadium will include a more intimate lower bowl, in part because attendance for Hurricane home games is unreliable.
     
  12. Macsen

    Macsen Moderator
    Staff Member

    Nov 5, 2007
    Orlando
    Club:
    Orlando City SC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That sounds like they intend to close the upper bowl for future U games.
     
  13. nbace

    nbace Member

    Jacksonville Armada FC
    United States
    Apr 8, 2006
    Jacksonville, FL
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It seems like an MLS team owned by Steve Ross playing at a improved JRS (It will always be Joe Robbie Stadium to me) is our easiest path to getting a team (considering how the Strikers claim to be uninterested in MLS expansion). JRS is a tremendous venue for watching soccer...even in the upper levels (I sat in upper corner for Chelsea vs. Milan last year and it was awesome)....a revamped stadium, perhaps with lower bowl and club seats only (closing off the upper deck like the Marlins used to)...would make a fine MLS stadium. Plus the location would keep both Miami and Broward supporters from complaining too much.
     
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  14. redinthemorning

    redinthemorning Member+

    Apr 26, 2011
    Club:
    Houston Dynamo
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It mentions tarping the upper end zones (instead of the current tarped corners), but it's a similar point. Miami wants capacity flexibility, which would bode well for any potential MLS franchise. If I'm Ross and I'm already spending cash on additional lower bowl seats, an additional tenant sounds like a solid plan.

    Now, whether that attitude means that tenant will be a quality product, I don't know. There's a video in the linked article where the Dolphins brass emphasizes "big... international" soccer. The bright side is that means the renovation should keep a soccer friendly layout despite the new seats closer to the sidelines.
     
  15. Macsen

    Macsen Moderator
    Staff Member

    Nov 5, 2007
    Orlando
    Club:
    Orlando City SC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Well they have tons of space for it since they're killing off the built-in baseball configuration.

    The problem is, would MLS seriously consider allowing Miami in with the use of Sun Life Stadium? Not every market is Seattle, and putting a South Florida team in Miami instead of Fort Lauderdale would instantly alienate the Striker Likers. And regardless, if that were to happen, I guarantee you the people in Orlando would be up in arms.

    But considering Miami's past with club soccer, I just don't see it happening seriously. Sure the Don has mentioned Miami offhand recently. But remember: Stephen Ross owns the land MLS wants to build the NYC2 stadium on. He was probably just giving a random name-drop as a favor to get JRS remodeled with public money. The same way he did with Minnesota and the new Vikings stadium.
     
  16. raymondleone

    raymondleone Member

    Aug 7, 2010
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  17. drSoFlaFan

    drSoFlaFan DEFEND THE FORT!

    Feb 25, 2008
    Plantation, FL
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States

    Been hearing the same thing for years now. It's deep into "Boy Who Cried Wolf" territory at this point.

    MLS is OUT OF THEIR MINDS if they in any way try to court what would likely be a Beckham "owned" team playing at Joe Robbie Stadium. It would be Revolution South - at best. How would large patches of empty orange seats serve the league in any way? Just to get the "Miami" name back on their list of markets? Nationwide TV marketability? Please.

    Hopefully Tim Robbie & Co. can lock up the Strikers SSS situation within the year, making any MLS advances South of the county line(which would no doubt involve playing at either JRS or FIU) even more foolish than they already would be.
     
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  18. Smoke & Mirrors

    Jul 18, 2010
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    Germany
    Surprised we're not seeing more nut jobs going wild over this supposed story here like there are on Twitter. I still refuse to believe that a guy who was savvy enough to get that discount ownership ticket written into his MLS deal would be totally and completely stupid enough to try and use it in Dade County. Just wait until the Spain vs. Haiti match draws 40,000 or 50,000, we'll have the same handful of idiots proclaiming Miami is "ready" for MLS. :rolleyes:
     
  19. deejay

    deejay Member+

    Feb 14, 2000
    Tarpon Springs, FL
    Club:
    Jorge Wilstermann
    Nat'l Team:
    Bolivia
    Regardless of there being a team in Miami or not there has to be a Beckham team. I just can't see him throwing away an option that is worth tens of millions of dollars.
     
  20. Smoke & Mirrors

    Jul 18, 2010
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    Germany
    I'm sure he won't just keep it in his pocket forever. If he were at some point to get involved in an existing team like LA, I'm guessing he could probably even sell it to someone. Or at the very least, he could sponsor the new team up front, and then sell his stake in it to fellow investors for a tidy profit. Any way you want to look at it the guy will clean up. As long as he doesn't choose a place that will fail.
     
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  21. raymondleone

    raymondleone Member

    Aug 7, 2010
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  22. deejay

    deejay Member+

    Feb 14, 2000
    Tarpon Springs, FL
    Club:
    Jorge Wilstermann
    Nat'l Team:
    Bolivia
    Miami is different but why are you assuming that all MLS teams would fail there? We're not a cookie cutter league. There a multitude of ways to run a team as shown by Seattle, LA, NYRB and SKC. We can toss out Seattle's and SKC's approach but a NYRB style team with a heavy Euro influence might do it.
     
  23. Antique

    Antique Member

    Nov 11, 2008
    the river of grass
    Club:
    Ft Lauderdale Strikers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    No team, repeat - no team- has succeeded in Miami-Dade County. All have failed or moved to Broward County to survive. I say this while admitting that the demos for the area have changed since the days of the Original NASL. Miami is a far different city now compared to then as is Miami-Dade County itself, which has probably changed even more than the City of Miami. Miami is now less a part of the USA and much more a part of South America and, somewhat less than that, the Caribbean. This means a "Spanish" style team might just work here. Maybe. If done perfectly. Sadly, Ross and his group have not really shown the ability to do things right. Ask any Dolphin fan.

    A team with the W/L record comparable to the Dolphins is going to fail. Period. Even if it just matches almost all of the other pro teams we have here - Dolphins, Marlins, Panthers, it would have to be much more like the Heat and maintain that level constantly. A difficult thing to do with sport in this country.

    For all of that, the domestic game has only had support in Broward/Palm Beach Counties. A young man interviewed at last Saturdays Striker/Rowdies game defined the problem perfectly. When asked what he thought about the match he said that while he followed International soccer he wasn't that familiar with MLS. The guy didn't even know which league's game he was attending. Typical of the area...:(

    This makes SoFl one of the, if not the, most difficult areas to succeed. Becks may be the name needed to finally get the attention of folks here, but the group he works with must do everything just right at the start and maintain a high level of competence in all areas for an extended period of time while probably losing a small fortune in the process.

    I wish them well.
     
    drSoFlaFan repped this.

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