BREAKING: MLS will announce Charlotte as the 30th team on December 17 in CLT, a source tells @AllisonWSOC9 #MLS2CLT @wsoctv pic.twitter.com/9yv1GJvWOo— Joe Bruno (@JoeBrunoWSOC9) December 5, 2019
Isn't this like the third different date this month that breaking news has said Charlotte would be announced?
Allow me to be the first to kick off the Charlotte hater fest. but seriously, congrats. I’m sure you’ll do acceptable.
Does this lock NCFC out of MLS? Malik carried a lot of water for MLS in the last few years, it'll be a shame if he can't get his team into MLS now.
Garber throwing some cold water on the announcement. Apparently MLS is having issues with the environment in an NFL stadium. “Very, very advanced discussion” with Charlotte and “final negotiations” are coming soon but “no formal approval was granted today.”Stadium environment in a NFL venue is the top question, Garber says. “There is no timetable that I could comment on.”— Jonathan Tannenwald (@thegoalkeeper) December 5, 2019
My Galaxy Brain take: "Ugh, Charlotte is nothing but relocated New Yorkers, and we've already seen that MLS draws poorly in New York".
Isnt' this exactly what we have in Atlanta and Seattle? cough....and New England...cough. I almost forgot about New England being in the same boat. I guess this means they aren't counting on Charlotte being the next Atlanta.
Shouldn’t there be concerns about Chicago being in an NFL stadium that is not owned by the clubs’ owner and could not fill the SSS or the NFL stadium in the past? Why is Charlotte so special?
Atlanta and Seattle's stadiums have a different design than Charlotte's. Charlotte: Atlanta: Seattle: There isn't much that can be done to create an "intimate atmosphere" in Charlotte, while Atlanta has an internal roof that can be deployed, while Seattle's stadium can exist just as happily without anyone in the upper deck.
Oh, yeah...I forgot about the league just approving another team moving to an NFL stadium. One that just averaged 12k a game in 2019 none-the-less.
Because the South was never foreseen as some hot bed for the beautiful game by folks that don't live down here. This pov has changed with the recent success for the sport on the pro level in Region III. Still, there are the folks asking questions.
It's like we haven't already had this discussion before. Chicago in Soldier Field is supposed to be temporary and is an attempt to rebuild interest in the Fire with a city location while they work on getting a new SSS. Charlotte's situation is a permanent location.
It occurs to me that with what's going on at USA Swimming, Tim Hinchey may soon be available to help run Charlotte's MLS team. As a former exec with the Hornets he has a lot of connections in that town...
well Chicago's is temporary in the same way NYCFC is...there is no solid plans currently for a new stadium. That is different than being a temporary solution in the case of say Miami or Nashville. I will add while Nashville's and Miami's plans were solidified when they were awarded official expansion status, they have both come in to question recently. Maybe I missed it but I haven't heard anyone associated to Chicago Fire or MLS state that there is a plan to try to build a stadium for Chicago.
Such suggestions have been conspicuous by their absence. Which is good. In this market, success in MLS makes 61k (smallest permanent NFL stadium) an attainable number. 75k in a metro less than 1/3 of the size is a different story.
One nice thing about Soldier Field is the lower bowl only holds about 13k so a shitty crowd doesn't kill the atmosphere nearly as much as it would at other stadiums. Plus, NSF is mostly meant to be a 5 year venue or so. Mansueto has hired some seriously well-connected real estate lobbyists. The only questions are if, where and when for SSS #2.
If he's smart he'll use the persistent threat of an SSS as leverage for future leases with SF. The Michael Reese Hospital idea is the dumbest thing in the world. I cannot comprehend MLS' desire to cap its audience at 2015 levels in major markets.
Tepper is paying $350M to enter the league. If he can’t figure out how to draw fans, it’s his problem. MLS gets to claim the Carolinas when it comes to TV foot print. How much does local attendance effect league revenue? I’m sure it helps the local investor but is it a problem for MLSHQ?
The whole Michael Reese site development sounds like a pipe dream right now without a major tenant, and I'm not sure a soccer stadium counts as one. There's not really any demand for commercial real estate that far south that wouldn't already be sucked up by the 78, a few blocks north and west.
Doesn't sound like it. Having seen this and spoken to Malik, here's how I square it: MLS wants final stadium plan as part of its formal process, which Raleigh doesn't have now. But Garber also says CLT MLS doesn't necessarily preclude Raleigh, and Garber continues to work with Malik. @NorthCarolinaFC https://t.co/MGcMdpWIuC— Neil Morris (@ByNeilMorris) December 6, 2019 Jeff, I think Garber means "bid" in the context of all the final details including a stadium plan. We have work to do. You saw Mark Abbott at our rally, there is no conspiracy theory here! Of course we put in an application.— Steve Malik (@stephenmalik) December 6, 2019
For 32, probably. For 36? Probably not. Malik's issue is the same one that Sacramento had - he needs a whale with deeper pockets. I don't think Raleigh-Charlotte would be in the ten shortest distances between MLS teams.
It's farther than San Jose-Sacramento, Columbus-Cincinnati, NY-Philly, and Philly-DC. Roughly equal to Austin-Houston. Closer than Seattle-Portland and NY-Boston.