24. Tampa 25. Sacramento 26. Cincinnatti 27. North Carolina 28. San Antonio 29. Detroit 30. ? A city not yet in the 12.
24. Sacramento 25. San Diego 26. Tampa 27. Detroit 28. St Louis I guess it depends on St Louis' vote. If not them, maybe Cinci or Charlotte/Raleigh.
Vote today in St. Louis. If it is a yes, I think they are in. 24. Sac (for Miami) 25. St. Louis 26. Tampa 27. Detroit 28. San Diego 29. Cincy 30. Miami/Raliegh/SA
24. Saint Louis- if vote goes through 25. Tampa Bay- becomes 24 if SL vote goes down 26. San Diego- the last Cali team 27. San Antonio- the last Texas team 28. Nashville- bridges the gap from Atlanta to SL 29. Las Vegas- the stadium is being built 30.Miami/ Wildcard
Today's STL vote will determine who goes and when. I bet the Don announce #24 and 25 at the MLS All Star game.
The Las Vegas stadium will be an NFL stadium. Moreover, it will be an NFL stadium not designed with soccer in mind like Atlanta's. Also, I live in Las Vegas and the residents wouldn't support MLS.
well, just happened. Only bid more dead is Miami 24. Sacramento-duh 25. San Diego 26. Detroit 27. San Antonio 28. Cincy-tough choice: geography bridge vs attendance juggernaut with a few flaws, but ill go attendance juggernaut with a few flaws. 29. Raleigh/NC 30. Nashville
24. TB 25. San Antonio Everyone else waits Saint Louis is done. MLS will have to put another team in the Mid West.
I'm not. It isn't going to be a surprise if Sac gets in. However, I think MLS would rather have SD. All the teams cannot be in California, NYC, Texas and Florida.
We will know in a few days. It was only $60m. If that amount keeps you from obtaining a team, you have no business seeking one.
While I generally agree with this sentiment, investing in an MLS franchise is moving money into a very illiquid state, which can be a valid concern for even someone with a ridiculous net worth.
Because more so than any other lower level team they have been screaming "Built for MLS" for so long they can't comprehend that other markets may be just as ready as Sacramento. The reality is there is only one bid that could literally start playing in MLS tomorrow, and that is Cincinnati. They are the only bid with a viable short term stadium deal already in hand. Everyone else either needs to build, expand, or broker a short term deal in another stadium.
While your statement is true, the $60M was not liquid. it was simply a tax the team would keep rather than paying to the city.
It's that long term stadium plan MLS is looking for, unfortunately for Cincy. Garber has publically said numerous times that Sacramento is the only expansion market that "checks all the boxes" and is "MLS ready". Other markets are catching up, but until they do, Sac is the "most" ready (not that it means much. See Miami)
And yet...MLS is actively pursuing other cities that aren't "MLS Ready" instead of handing a team to Sacramento. MLS also opened up a Bidding process, which if I was Sacramento I would not be happy about. I dunno......I have this feeling that there is something else at work here, and quite possibly not everything is as it seems with Sacramento. It could be as simple as the league's Media partners desiring other markets. If they are as ready as they say and have been told they are...........how come they haven't been granted a team yet? I just feel that Sacramento is trying to follow the "Orlando" blueprint...........except there is one MAJOR issue.......Sacramento is not sitting in a desirable and under served geographic region.......... It worked for Orlando because MLS wanted and needed a team in the South. Let's be honest here, if the St Louis Vote had passed, and IF the Detroit bid gets their stadium site..........does anyone honestly believe that Sacramento would get one of the next two spots? Of course everyone still believes that Miami's spot is going to be given to Sacramento..........MLS wants to be in the Miami market.........MLS will be in the Miami Market with or without Beckham.
I just don't understand this train of thought (not just from you). What is MLS supposed to do differently? Sacramento made their initial MLS push AFTER Minnesota and Miami were well into the process. Sacramento did not lose out to either one of those markets. They positioned themselves as a first alternate to either of those cities should one fall through. This was done with MLS blessing. Garber even threatened Minny with Sacramento: http://www.foxsports.com/north/story/minneapolis-has-its-mls-team-but-not-without-a-stadium-032615 Minny got its crap together. I don't need to tell you about the Miami saga. I can say this. Sacramento was expecting an expansion announcement last spring. They were so confident, they said so in a beginning of the season letter from the owner- "our year for MLS" MLS had Miami dead in the water. Miami met an eleventh hour deadline buying the Overtown property. And the Miami story continues..... All through this, MLS has praised Sacramento and said it was "when, not if" for the next round of expansion. MLS was also vey public about having a formalized process to evaluate all bids for next round (you can thank Minny and Miami's cluster******** for this). MLS has been very clear that the next round of expansion was 2020 (unless a team replaces Miami- that hasn't happened yet). The reason Sacramento (or any other market) hasn't been awarded expansion, is Miami. The league will not move forward until Miami is resolved, one way or another.
But, St. Louis voted down the MLS stadium proposal, Miami's bid has disappeared into thin air and Detroit doesn't have a stadium site approved and funded. As a practical matter, St. Louis', Miami's and Detroit's bids are not on the table right now. Sometimes, you just can't get a date to prom with the hot girl of your dreams and you just have to roll with it.