At a guess MLS will look at the more central parts of the country as soon as this south-east push is finished..
I don;t quite know how much Ersal has, but it seems to be pretty good. perhaps more investors would jump on as well with an MLS push
With the franchise fee being around $100 million, there is no way the MLS will stop adding teams if owners are willing to front that money. Even if franchise fees are lowered, they will expand to 30 to 32 teams. That is common for sports leagues in the US and Canada. I would be surprised if the current owner could make a run for MLS on his own, but definitely with this growth of interest here in Indianapolis, I could see other investors jump aboard.
Orlando will not have to pay $100m like NYCFC did for a New York franchise..Places like L.A, Chigago or New York will always fetch a higher price.
It is 184 miles from Chicago to Indy. By comparison, NY to Philly - 96 miles Vancouver to Seattle - 140 miles Philly to Washington DC - 141 miles Seattle to Portland - 174 miles All closer than Indy and Chicago.
Seariously an MLS Indy team (Racing Indianapolis) would create a rivalry with the Fire and/or the Crew, hell ill drive to Indy to see my beloved Fire play against your Indy team. Thus it would be good for business. But considering that MLS will only have 24 teams according to Don Garber, there will be 3 open spots left. Atlanta seems to be the next contender along with Beackham's/ Lebron Miami MLS team which means the last spot is anybodys for the taking.... St. Louis,San Antonio , etc
1. A team in Indianapolis cannot be called Racing Indianapolis. The Indy 500 and Indy Racing League have made that clear. The NASL team is Indy Eleven. 2. When did Garber say that there would only be 24 teams? He said 24 teams by 2020. That might be the end but I wouldn't bet on it.
I think Indy and San Antonio have the upper hand on places like St Louis and Detroit. This is because there is something already established. St Louis won't happpen unless they hurry up and get an investor
Having spent four years in Richmond and four years in bloomington, may I simply offer an unequivocal "no"after only reading the title. You would have a better chance getting a successful womens water polo team than an mls team. Close thread, lol.
Thank you. No way MLS is done with 24 after going over that 20 team threshold (like other soccer leagues in the world). MLS is going to 30 and Indianapolis is definitely team 25-30.
So since you lived in towns that are not Indianapolis for eight years you are an expert of soccer in the area and are able to state all knowingly that MLS would never be viable in market that has sold out its season ticket deposits, has one of the largest supporters groups in the nation and some of the best management in Peter Wilt. lets back up our opinion with more things than "I lived in two places over an hour away from Indy and therefore know that MLS would never work in that city."
Well if you guys keep that up for 2 or 3 seasons more I'm sure Indy can be considered a major contender for expansion.
I think we've seen that MLS benefits from a derby type atmosphere (Seattle, Portland, Vancouver). How bout a Chicago, Indianapolis, Columbus rivalry ( and maybe one day a cup)?
http://indyeleven.com/support-soccer-stadium-initiative-write-a-letter/ the process for building a SSS in Indy is starting. Peter Wilt has states the stadium would be 20,000 seats and built for NASL, but I bet MLS would like that.