MLS to Portland: Other Candidate City Discussion.

[Hierarchyfive]

Since we have a brand new forum, I thought the more threads the merrier for fostering lively discussion and participation in our new forum.

Here is the rundown of other cities over at www.mlstopdx.com

Atlanta
What is there to say about Atlanta? The city has the notorious reputation of not supporting major league teams regardless of their record. MLS desperately wants a presence in the most valuable media market in the South East. However, Atlanta hasn’t shown that the market can support another professional sports team enough to justify an expansion bid. The possibility of an MLS team in Atlanta has received minimal coverage in the media and only a few one-liners from Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank. The city seems destined to spend the foreseeable future in the USL first division.

Miami
Miami has already failed once as an MLS market when the Miami Fusion were contracted in 2001. With MLS trying to complete their media footprint throughout the country and the South East the city has found itself
on many expansion short lists. However, even with all the rumors and speculation over the years, no investor has stepped up to lead a firm expansion bid, and the city recently pulled the deal for a SSS (Soccer Specific
Stadium) off the table due to lack of interest. With the league now showing the promise of sustained revenue, one has to wonder if this is really the right time to return to a once soiled market.

Montreal
With St. Louis most likely taking the first expansion slot for 2011, the second biggest threat to Portland owner Merritt Paulson’s plan has emerged in the form of a Montreal bid. While the league has fallen in love with the success of Toronto FC, both at the gates and the register, another Canadian city has risen as contender for the second 2011 slot. The Montreal Impact’s billionaire owners, the Saputo family, have teamed up with another billionaire, Liverpool co-owner George Gillette. This partnership offers the marriage of big money and the “cosmopolitan” city that MLS is looking for. However, the recently completed 13,000 seat stadium needs to be expanded to about 20,000 seats. It also lacks many necessities, improved concessions and luxury suites for example, which would help to provide the ancillary revenues needed for a
MLS franchise to be profitable.

New York
The New York Mets owner has stated interest in building a SSS next to the new Mets stadium in Queens. The biggest enemy of this expansion effort is time. Getting anything done in New York is a LONG process (ask yourself why both NFL teams play in New Jersey). The New York Red Bulls franchise, formerly the New York Metrostars, took over 10 years to make their stadium a reality, and because of all the market logistics, is still currently under construction in Harrison New Jersey. The driving force behind the desire for a second team in the New York area is to give fans a team within the city, as most feel that the Red Bulls are a New Jersey team. In order to capture the fickle New York sports fan, the expansion New York team must play in
New York City proper. As a result, Red Bull Park or Giants stadium may not be acceptable interim venues for this team.

St. Louis
The most mature expansion effort of all the candidate cities is found in the Midwest as the St. Louis United bid. This effort has already secured approval and funding for a stadium seating 18,500 and an accompanying 400 acre retail and residential community across the river from downtown St. Louis in
Collinsville, IL. Essentially, Collinsville is to St. Louis as Vancouver, Washington is to Portland. The man behind the effort is Jeff Cooper, who is worth a considerable sum but is still lacking a big money investment partner to make his MLS bid a reality. It is interesting to note the long period of time that this expansion bid has sat idle waiting for MLS approval, during which Philadelphia swept up the 16th team slot. However, a betting man could wager that St. Louis will take the 17th expansion slot, barring an unforeseen catastrophic
event.

Vancouver
Much like Montreal, Portland’s current Cascadia Cup rival the Vancouver Whitecaps are also hoping to leave the USL in their rearview mirror. Although their current plans for a downtown Vancouver waterfront stadium have failed to materialize for years, their chances are not solely dependent upon that factor. MLS is on record as stating that the revamped post-Olympic BC Place would be a suitable interim venue for a Vancouver MLS franchise. Their billionaire owner Greg Kerfoot has recently added celebrity power to their
efforts with the inclusion into the ownership group of NBA star Steve Nash, a Vancouver native. Nonetheless, it is doubtful that MLS will accept two Canadian cities in the same round of expansion, and it looks like
Montreal will likely get the nod first.

Discuss :D

[harmsway01]

I'd like to go MLS along with Wankouver. Keep the Cascadia Cup going.

[The Marquis]

That would be the way to go, but MLS brass don't have the stones to go two expansion clubs in the same region, I can practically guarantee it.

[axehammer]

From what I read and thought about it'll be Montreal and St.Louis, Montreal and Portland, Portland and St. Louis, or St. Louis and Wankcouver.
I just don't see BOTH Canadian or Cascadia cities getting the nod.

[The Marquis]

MLS is retarded enough to forego U.S. expansion. Still, not as retarded as USL (though brining back the Rowdies must have been an epiphany).

[Timbersdrumman]

The boys up North think it is a sure thing the two team in Canada will get in. I do not think the MLS would be willing to piss off US fans.

[The Marquis]

Haha, seriously. If they did, they are more daft than I thought.

[evangel]

Given the recent announcement from the owner of St. Louis' bid that their ownership group has been completed, I think they're as good as in.

[The Marquis]

That sure sounds like St. Louis/Montreal for expansion. As much as I love PDX, and the Timbers, St. Louis' failure was to our benefit. I think Vancouver's situation at the present is worse than ours in terms of a stadium. Montreal is as good as in, I can't imagine MLS turning down a brand new SSS that just needs expansion, that already seats 13,000+ and an ownership group that will likely be second in total worth in the league, or some such shit.

[The Marquis]

Tribune and Mercury with some press today. Tribune wasn't buying the baseball stadium location, Mercury more or less was. So far the gauging of the Lents neighborhood is about 33% for the stadium 33% against and 33% undecided. That's pretty solid considering these stadium things typically go heavy into the negative category early on.

[Paul Schmidt]

Know what's funny... the Tribune is a dying paper, with a baseball-friendly guy who helped FOUND it getting dumped last month. They're irrelevant. They're trying to shame the city into finding downtown land, and haven't figured out not only that city planning CANNOT be shamed, but their supporters get voted in easily. Not to mention there's no real downtown land for baseball.

The other thing... the Beavers have the worst attendance in AAA in a downtown ballpark. The Timbers are drawing 2,500 per game better in announced terms... and seeing the crowds this year, by even more in real terms. Baseball may have more games, but I wonder if they cover expenses on a per game basis, or if Paulson is sick of the opportunity cost.

I know that there are rumors the Omaha Royals are bailing on Rosenblatt and the new downtown stadium being built for College World Series, hoping for a smaller suburban ballpark... or, if that doesn't come about, then Vancouver and suburban Houston and perhaps Tucson (about to lose their team to Reno) have been mentioned. Maybe Paulson would cast an eye elsewhere for the Beavers. (Living in Boise, the word I hear here is he has... LAST year.)

[Adair]

Could Paulson sell the Beavers and still operate things at PGE Park? My understanding is that the stadium lease signed with the city requires both baseball and soccer. That lease ends in 2012 or thereabouts. MLS wants proof that a Portland team won't be sharing a stadium with a baseball team. The city wants proof that baseball will be played at PGE or at least somewhere in Portland. Hence the Lents talk. I doubt he'd get funding for PGE Park upgrades if the baseball team is sold to another city.

Please correct me if I am wrong about this.

[The Marquis]

I have a STRONG suspicion that The Beavers will play in PGE through 2012. The plan will have the Beavers play at PGE with the MLS Timbers for the 2011 and 2012 seasons while the baseball stadium is built. Garber already said MLS would be willing to agree that the stadium be shared for up to 5 years while the baseball stadium were being built and renovations being completed on PGE.

[Paul Schmidt]

Contracts are always subject to renegotiation.

[The Marquis]

Especially if it involves urban re-development.

[DavidP]

Here' a question for yinz (or youse, y'all, etc. :D): Suppose Portland was/is a solid contender for MLS (i.e. Paulson puts in a bid by October). Now, let's say that Paulson got his act together in the next month or so, and the Beavers were able to get a stadium going for next year (or maybe even for 2010). Do you think MLS would approve PGE Park as is, on the condition they take up the turf and put in grass, or at the very least, re-do the turf so as not to have holes for the base areas and pitcher's mound, and allow for other renovations in future, say on a year to year project schedule, or maybe just as is, if it was set that the Beavs (is there a team called the Wallys?) would be moving in a year or so (and then re-do the field after they are gone)? Does not PGE already seat enough for MLS, or close enough (isn't it around 19,000?)?

In other words (and without another run-on sentence :D), would it be possible for the Timbers to pull out some sort of miracle and come into MLS with Seattle?

The reason I'm asking is because I just visited the PGE Park website, and it looks like it would be a viable MLS site as is, seeing as how DC United shared RFK with the Nats until they got their own place.

[The Marquis]

No, I don't think it's possible even for Montreal who have a leg up. The reason is because MLS doesn't want to dilute the talent pool. 2011 is the date regardless. otherwise Montreal would already be in. I know that MLS will allow PGE being used as is for a time, but of course that would be starting in 2011. It's good as is for a temporary solution. Much better than any temp solution MLS teams have had in the past including the more permanent temp solutions like the football stadiums.