Who do you think will win the expansion spots or possibly 2010 or 2011

First of all, San Antonio does not have a very well developed soccer culture relative to other cities in the US that would warrant teams. I think the first step is for San Antonio to have a USL team, see how that goes and then possibly apply for an MLS franchise. This whole process would take no less than 15 years.

Now most people think that San Antonio would be a great market for soccer because of the ridiculously high percentage of Hispanics in the city. The problem is that the Hispanics in San Antonio tend to be very different from those in Houston and Dallas. The Hispanics in San Antonio are 3rd and 4th generation Mexican Americans that have pretty much assimilated fully into the American culture. Most of the Hispanics in Houston and Dallas are either Mexican citizens or 1st and 2nd generation Mexican Americans.

If San Antonio had one but lacked the other, it could still possibly be successful. However, without any significant soccer culture and without being able to take advantage of the Hispanic population, I see it very hard for San Antonio to acquire an MLS team anytime in the near future.

 

If I remember correctly, the people here were in favor of an MLS team, but our idiotic mayor screwed it up.

You're probably right about it taking years before SA has a chance to bring a team here again. I guess I'll just watch the EPL with no emotion until then. I want a team *snivel*

 

Well, in my opinion, Portland and Vancouver are better soccer towns than Miami. If the Portland and Vancouver bids are well-funded and the soccer stadium situation in both cities seems relatively reasonable, I say let them in over Miami. The rivalries between Seattle, Portland and Vancouver would be great for MLS.

Sure, Barca wants a foot in MLS but does Barca take MLS seriously or, instead, does Barca simply want to use MLS to extend its brand name a la Chivas USA? Would MLS take the Miami bid all that seriously if Barca wasn't involved?

 

Miami for 2010 is a done deal. Vancouver will be the other expansion city for 2011.

 

Wow - that's huge news. HUGE! We've been waiting for-eva.

Can you please post a link to the press releases or announcements of Miami and Vancouver?

 

Ottawa dropped out to?

 

Vancouver does not need any funds, the ownership group will be covering all costs.

St Louis=Money? LOL

Vancouver & Miami 2011

 

Where is Vancouver going to play once the lease runs out at BC Place. It's great that Kerfoot is planning to completely fund the stadium...its just too bad that he has no place to actually build.

Do you think MLS is willing to risk granting an expansion team to a city that will be forced into another long term lease at a 60,000 seat arena with artificial turf?

Don't go around acting like your shit don't stink? It smells just as bad as the other bids do.

Besides, Miami won't be in for 2011 anyway. They already said they'll take their ball and go home if they don't get let in for 2010.

 

They can extend the lease if they want to. However, the SSS will be built by than.

 

Hey Pats, I think you are wrong on this one.

If you look at what they are planning to do to BC Place for soccer, it won't be a 60,000-seat stadium. To be honest, I don't think there will ever be a different stadium in Vancouver. But, like with Seattle, I don't think it's an issue.

The ownership group is loaded and has a sweet deal in place with a government corporation that wants them as a tenant.

Too many people on BS are still caught up in the SSS lie. I imagine both Miami and Vancouver are going to get in with no SSS and no real plan to build one in the future. People just need to get over it. It's not really a factor in the final decision, as Seattle proved.

 

Sorry to disappoint you GVPATS77, but Miami will start in 2010. I say that Miami is a done deal.

 

WOW thanks for the incite full commentary, seems like the stink is in CA.
I was just pointing out that the Vancouver bid is fully funded.

May 14 2008, Vancouver Whitecaps 2 - L.A Galaxy 1

 

I'm well aware of the tarp that will cover the upper bowl. I've read every article that has been written about it. And like another poster has said on another thread...I've never seen this done successfully, so I'll only believe it when a see something other than a picture drawn up by an architect.

As far as the difference between Qwest and BC Place. Qwest is owned by one of the Sounders owners, hence the sweet deal (I still don't like plastic grass and 68,000 seats but I don't want to get into that convo). The Government owns BC Place and has no obligation to give the Caps the same revenue deals.

Furthermore, its the govenrmnet that is holding up Kerfoots stadium deal by not approving the land swap. What incentive do they have to approve the land swap if it means they will lose a tennant at BC place in the process.

To compare any other non SSS deal to Seattle's is wrong. Unless the ownership group bidding for expansion owns the pre-existing non SSS that they plan on moving into, then there is no basis for comparisson.

 

Well if you say so then it must be. I mean, you have nothing to base this on other than your nut love for Barcelona, but I'm sure you have inside info that nobody else has. How many weeks has it been since Miami fans have been screaming that an announcement would be made in two weeks. I think we're already past that point.

 

I think the big diff is that BC Place will have a roof within a roof, I don't think that this has ever been done before. I agree with you on the tarps they never seem to work.

 

I'm not a Galaxy fan captain assumption. Nor am I a Chivas USA fan. I'm an MLS fan, but my professional doesn't allow me to be a fan of any one team over another.

Congrats though on having a fully funded stadium that will never get built. Good luck selling that to MLS.

Oh yeah, I didn't even mention the fact that Garber has once again stated that a lack of a Canadian TV deal and Canadian sponsorship money is a huge detriment to Canadian expansion. What country is Vancouver in again?

 

Now now, don't get all bent out of shape, I did not realize that you were a janitor at the Home Depot Center. You should move to San Jose and work for Amway, then you can support the Quakes.

P.S
Get Stuffed

 

fail.

federal government is causing the delays, provincial government owns bc place ("owned and operated by PavCo (BC Pavilion Corporation), a Crown Corporation of the government in the Province of British Columbia." - wiki). i would've thought that you knew that, though, since you know all about the "tarp" (read: roof) that will section off bc place.

p.s. saying the stadium will "never get built" is like when the barca fans say they're "in for 2010". sure. it might happen that way, but how about we keep our mouths shut for now, hmm?

 

We're at 4 plus years and counting for the Port Authority to approve the land swap if memory serves. Not too promissing. Besides, thinking that the provincial govt and federal govt. don't work hand in hand and that corruption doesn't cross polinate is naive at best and utterly stupid at worst.

And yes, I'll admit that I was being a bit short when I used the term tarp. But in reality, that is what we're talking about here. It's a retractible tarp that will give the illusion of a roof just above the lower bowl. At least, that's what I've been able to dicern from the artists renderings. Still, it's foolhardy to Vancouver fans to say that their stadium situation is ideal or puts them ahead of any other bid because the fact remains that BC Place is not a permanent solution, and I just don't think that MLS wants to be in that venue long term.

And again, Vancouverites (is that what you call yourselves) continue to ignore the most damning item working against them. Garbers repeated statements about the lack of a Canadian TV deal and the lack of Canadian sponsors.

Believe me, I know first hand to take everything that Garber says with a grain of salt. The guy told me straight to my face that the Galaxy's backloaded schedule two years ago was drawn up before David Beckham was ever signed. I guess it was just coincidence that the Galaxy had one road game in every MLS market in the last three months of the season prior to his arrival.

So yes, the guy is full of it, but the comments made about lack of Canadian $$ is a legit gripe.

 

I do plan on having a very filling lunch if that's what you meant. God forbid someone point out the flaws in your cities bid and you have no rebuttal, hence the personal attacks. Sorry to shatter your illusions. Talk about getting bent out of shape. All I did was call you captain assumption, because you made a very terrible assumption that I was a Galaxy fan based on the town I lived in, and then tried to throw some joke exhibition game score in my face as some sort of dis to my hood. Silly Canadians and their Napolean complexes. You always get so ultra sensitive when an American has anything negative at all to say about anything Canadian.
Molson sucks. Ahh. By the way, I have had far harsher criticisms of the Miami bid, and I have dismissed Ottawa and Atalanta outright since day 1. In fact, I think Vancouver has a generally good bid. I just think that there are two better bids on the table.

p.s. if I was a janitor at the HDC I'd most likely be a Lakers fan. And God knows that I hate the Lakers.

 

What I have been able to piece together is that the reason there is no 'National Canadain TV deal' is because MLS gave TFC regional rights to all of Canada until 2010. So MLS might not have a 'National Canadain TV deal', but TFC currently has a nation wide regional deal. Thats not Canada's fault, thats MLS's fault for signing such a stupid deal.

Adding Vancouver or Ottawa to the league would allow a true 'National Canadain TV deal' because it would shrink TFC's region to just Toronto. But really who cares. MLS gets $8m off ESPN, and no one watches it. Per team thats next to nothing. If a 'National Canadain TV deal' is such a big deal to MLS, kerfoot could just buy the the Canadain rights for $800k/year and give them away to the home shopping network.

 

I believe that Pablo has said that a decision would be made after the super Bowl and not in March. I believe that the city the shelts is talking about is Miami.

 

If you believe anything that Shelts says I have a bridge in Brooklyn I'd like to sell ya. I'm sure you get your news from MLSrumors as well. And Pablo has been screaming two weeks for at least a month now.