Cleveland will get a team.....

[BennyDee19]

I have heard from close friends in Ohio North that Cleveland will get a team starting in the year 2006....They are going to build a SSS either downtown where the new convention center or near the Plain Dealer building on Tiedeman Road...both lands owned by Bart Wolstein.....The Force will probably be sold...Gibbons and Garfolo will probably own the team....I would say this is nearly a certainty....

-PB20

[sniper]

ANY city looking to join in the proposed MLS expansion will possibly get a team when....

1. An ownership group steps forward with the multi-million dollar fee the single-entity league is asking.

2. A soccer-specific-stadium (SSS) with seating of approx 25K-30K is BUILT.

3. A season-ticket drives provides cash deposits (not a bunch of signatures) of at least 5,000 fans.

....anything else is just frustration waiting to happen.

[art]

Originally posted by BennyDee19
I have heard from close friends in Ohio North

Who are they, what do they do, and why would you believe them. I've no patience of rumors like this, spill the details, or dont post.

[ToffeeCrew]

By the new convention center?? The site has not even been determined yet. I believe that Mayor Campbell will make her recommendation in a couple weeks to the commision. Wolstein proposal is one of at least six, and I read his was considered a bit of a long shot. Plus I don't think that the stadium should be built downtown. Well we've gone over this in the other Cleveland expansion post before. I guess a site out in Brooklyn on Tiedeman Road wouldn't be too bad. It would be a bit farther for eastsiders(Mentor, Willoughby, Painesville etc) than the potential North Randall site, but it would just be a little bit more time on 480. And it would be closer for the westside people. Plus it is better than Strongsville or someplace that far out.

Did your friends say if and when an annoucement will be make regarding the ownership and the sss, either by Garber or the investment group?

[wasdykec]

why we're at it, i have a close friend who told me that in 2007 detroit is giogn to have a team, around where tiger stadium is, he's a close friend, but i'm not going to tell you who he is or what he does, but TRUST me.

give us details, everybody could start a damn rumour.

[Wolves_67]

Originally posted by ToffeeCrew

Did your friends say if and when an annoucement will be make regarding the ownership and the sss, either by Garber or the investment group?
I think it's 60-90 days.

[Rich P]

Originally posted by BennyDee19
I have heard from close friends in Ohio North that Cleveland will get a team starting in the year 2006....They are going to build a SSS either downtown where the new convention center or near the Plain Dealer building on Tiedeman Road...both lands owned by Bart Wolstein.....The Force will probably be sold...Gibbons and Garfolo will probably own the team....I would say this is nearly a certainty....

-PB20

But then you woke up...

There simply isn't enough fan support in this town to be able to have two soccer franchises.

The Browns and the Indians (no matter how much they suck) own this town, and will continue to do so.

[ToffeeCrew]

Is that 60-90 days time frame similar to the Metrostars 60-90 days until an announcement regarding their stadium.... yeah they've been waiting years for those 60 days to elapse.

[RevdUp]

I still say ESPN is to blame for this!

[Crew14]

Originally posted by Rich P
There simply isn't enough fan support in this town to be able to have two soccer franchises.

If you're talking about the Force I wouldn't exactly call them a legitimate soccer franchise.

C14

[Rich P]

Originally posted by Crew14
If you're talking about the Force I wouldn't exactly call them a legitimate soccer franchise.

C14

And why prey tell not? Just because they don't play in the almighty MLS?

[ToffeeCrew]

I'm going to have to side with C14 on this one. The Force is admittedly a professional soccer franchise but indoor and outdoor are different. I find a lot of soccer fans just don't like indoor and feel that it is the bastard-child of soccer. I have not been to a Force game for a couple years myself, but would buy full season tickets for an MLS team in Cleveland. If we could truly only support one team then goodbye Force, hello MLS.

[soccerfan]

Can Ohio support two MLS teams, how far is Columbus from Cleveland , is Ohio state realy such a hotbed for soccer ?

[peledre]

Originally posted by soccerfan
Can Ohio support two MLS teams, how far is Columbus from Cleveland , is Ohio state realy such a hotbed for soccer ?
Well, they are split into two different regions for youth soccer, Ohio North and Ohio South. Both regions usually have some pretty good teams.

[Crew14]

Originally posted by ToffeeCrew
The Force is admittedly a professional soccer franchise but indoor and outdoor are different. I find a lot of soccer fans just don't like indoor and feel that it is the bastard-child of soccer.

Exactly.

C14

[USRufnex]

Originally posted by Rich P
And why prey tell not? Just because they don't play in the almighty MLS?

No. Because they play the sport I like to call "human pinball."
The relationship between the outdoor and indoor game is no different than outdoor football versus the arena version we're now treated to every Sunday on NBC.

Unfortunately, the indoor game tends to take casual fans away from the outdoor game. Soccer-novice parents take their kids and enjoy the high scoring. The MISL has an easier time providing a better fan atmosphere in smaller arenas than MLS has in playing games in front of 15K at gargantuan NFL stadiums.

<yet another 20 year old NASL reference from US Rufnex>

Attendance in the NASL city of Tulsa peaked in '80 at nearly 20K fans per game... because the league wanted to compete with the MISL they had separate indoor seasons with an ever increasing number of games. Even though Tulsa's team only averaged about 5300 per game (at the ancient 6200-seat Expo Square Pavillion), it served to split up the soccer fanbase. The NASL indoor game was actually more popular than the outdoor game at the time in cities like San Diego, Chicago and Memphis.

If interest in the indoor game were an indicator of interest in MLS, then San Diego would have drawn a much higher crowd when they hosted the MLS all-star game a few years back.

[BulaJacket]

Guess you were right Benny ;)

Now to find out where the stadium will be...

[Ferris]

My vote is for Akron...course, I live here (unfortunately :( ). Richfield is practically in Akron and the Cavs used to play there :)