14th Team Announced by August

[ClevelandMark]

Garber, who is touring MLS cities this month, will be in Toronto today to announce the name of that city's expansion franchise. He said the league hopes to settle on a city for its 14th team -- either St. Louis or Cleveland -- by the All-Star Game in August, and plans to add two more teams before the end of the decade.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/10/AR2006051001890.html

[CBusCrew12]

Who's closer to having a SSS?

[santeroatomico]

You guys better get the ball rolling......

[ChiCleveSoccer]

I would hope they make the right choice and pick Cleveland. I would also hope that Cleveland is closer to making a very nice SSS a reality.

[ClevelandMark]

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/mls/article/0,2777,DRMN_23926_4672639,00.html

MLS is now in a growth period, with Toronto joining next year as the league's 13th team. The Toronto team will have owner-operators from the same group that owns the Maple Leafs of the NHL.

"Expansion is continuing to go along pretty well," Garber said. "We've talked about the Midwest. Cleveland is very active."

Garber identified St. Louis as another possible expansion site after 2007. He said expansion is dependent on strong ownership, plans for soccer-specific stadiums and marketing plans.

[BulaJacket]

You guys better get the ball rolling......
If you are going to post here, maybe you should keep up with the topics. ;)
The ball is rolling seemingly well, if just quietly.

Nothing that hasn't pretty much been covered up top, but...
http://mid-atlantic.matchnight.com/umindex.cfm?page=ARTICLE&show=18913
Garber: No Timetable On New DC United Ownership, Stadium

Says Cleveland, St. Louis Leading Candidates For 14th Team, Adds That Kansas City Going On Hiatus Is 'Never Going To Happen'
John Dyson and Jimmy LaRoue · May 11, 2006
WASHINGTON DC (MNN) -
"Expansion, as I mentioned, will happen next year in Toronto. The next team, our 14th team, will be in the Midwest--Cleveland or St. Louis, two cities that are vying for that 14th team. The 15th and 16th we hope to happen by the end of the decade. That will be in either St. Louis or Cleveland, possibly Philadelphia, San Jose, and Milwaukee is another market where we're making a lot of process. We have a lot of cities that are interested in being number 15 or 16. Then we're going to take a deep breath and stop for awhile. We want to maintain that 16 team league size for a number of years to let the game grow and be able to manage where we are competitively with many new teams coming on in a short period of time."

- When do you think you will have a decision about Cleveland or St. Louis?

DG: "We should be in a position to finalize and announce by our All-Star game. That is what our goal is."

"But, these things are different today than they were in the past. We don't need to expand. I think years ago we needed to expand. I think we needed to show that the league was growing, and to show that there were new investors coming in. Now expansion is about strategic growth. We need the right owner, we need to have a facility plan in place, and we need to be sure we're in the right market. We don't need an additional team just so that we feel that we have a bigger league. One more team isn't going to affect our national footprint dramatically as far as television ratings or sponsorship value. It's all about building for the long term."