DOA. When the Mas brothers became the majority owners, they decided they didn't like the land and changed to the Freedom Park location.
The FAA controls the property. A few years ago there was a plan to put a Schlitterbahn water park on the site, but I think that was mainly on the northern half where the baseball stadium is. I do think the soccer stadium was going to get torn down as part of the plan, though. I'm not entirely sure, but I think the Combine left Lockhart for Broward Regional Park (the cricket oval) when Ken Horowitz's contract to manage Lockhart ran out (I want to say 2011). The first two or three Combines I shot were at Lockhart (I want to say 2008-2010), and the stadium was signed for the local school district and used for football games. Looking at the weeds, I'm guessed that's no longer the case.
Ken Horowitz who got out of MLS in 2001 had a contract with Lockhart until 2011? Wow that's ten years of rent down the drain. Must have been a tax write off....
He didn't get out of MLS in 2001. He was a non-operating investor until some time much later. He ran out of cash. When the negotiations were going on over how to get rid of league owned teams and keep the league going, Horowitz offered to keep the Fusion going and cover the team losses if he was exempted from league cash calls. His share of the losses of the three league owned teams as well as league overhead was what was really burning his cash flow. The other three turned him down. While the Fusion were shuttered, Horowitz still was a league investor. The last version of the league LLC agreement that I saw posted no longer listed him, so he either got bought out directly - or his share got absorbed in deference to league cash calls.
It's already been shot down by FCC fans but, I truly believe they could sell out Paul Brown for a match or two this year (Maybe Columbus, although I know they'd probably prefer to have THAT game at Nippert).
https://www.newsobserver.com/news/business/article228029674.html New proposed location for NCFC stadium in downtown Raleigh. Malik has brought on board the largest developer in Raleigh, who has acquired 40 acres on the south end of downtown (which was the rumored proposed site for Amazon HQ2 in the Triangle). This location is not only more feasible as a stadium location, it’s larger (40acres versus 13), and being right off I-440, much more accessible. Also, unlike the original proposed downtown site, this one would not involve taking state land or tearing down state government office buildings currently in use. This is an upgrade for the Raleigh bid IMO.
How's the money for NCFC's bid? Malik is rich, but I don't believe his net worth has the pre-requisite B at the start of "illionaire".
Has he? Kane has been involved for over a year, but not - as far as I have heard - as part of the ownership group. No clue. I suspect he needs additional capital. For years I always said that I would expect Charlotte to get a team if any North Carolina metro area got one, barring some change. Malik is a change. He's also done all the behind the scenes stuff that puts Raleigh on the map. Getting a pro seat on the USSF board is really his ace in the hole as far as making MLS owners see him as someone they'd like to have in the club (or possibly the very opposite). I don't think that and the other things (creating a youth to pro club organization by merging all the main local club players under the NCFC banner) necessarily gives Raleigh an edge, but it's definitely something that definitely takes away the risk of another Precourt type situation. Malik is doing business with NCFC the way MLS teams do business. He's walking the walk organizationally. Without a shovel-ready stadium, it won't matter. As to your point, I don't know the answer. I don't know if anyone like Forbes or Bloomberg has put a valuation on either Malik or Medfusion. Jim Goodman is the chair of the bid group, but I don't think he's currently part of the NCFC ownership group. I could see a case where the Goodmans and some other local sports oriented folks (like the Moylans or Goodnights) could be ready to come on board as part of an MLS deal. But that's pure conjecture.
And without a multi-billionaire, getting a shovel-ready stadium just makes NCFC another post-Whitman, pre-Burkle Sacramento. I'm definitely not saying Malik is another Precourt, or he hasn't done the behinds the scenes work to perfection, just saying MLS seems to want a stadium and billionaire owners before giving expansions to cities not named NYC.
They didn’t actually get an expansion until they had an owner and a stadium, tho. Not much MLS could do once the Mas brothers came in and changed the stadium location.
Except that stadium situation is not even guaranteed yet, although it is most of the way there to my understanding and, they have no temporary venue in place either. They are trying to muscle the Lockhart site as a temp but I feel like they would do better trying to work with FXE and get things done for both sides by helping FXE get their USL side a permanent home, that could serve as Inter's temporary home and, possibly lead to a future Tacoma Defiance-like II team for Inter Miami.
I'm talking about Overtown, not Freedom Park. If I remember correctly, MLS didn't officially announce Miami until Overtown was "locked up". I believe the Mas brothers switched to Freedom Park after MLS made the announcement.
I'm also guessing that the MLS BoG were aware that the Mas brothers were interested in joining the group, but also interested in exploring options other than Overtown. Given the Mas brothers track record in Miami, I'm guessing the BoG were glad to see them join and also willing to let them do what they want site-wise.
https://socceresq.com/2019/03/18/in...proposals-to-ft-lauderdale-deemed-incomplete/ Teamwork makes the dream work but I get why folks would rather go it "alone" from a business aspect, less mouths to feed if it pays off. I don't see how this would fail if both parties did a fusion dance.
Just a quick two cents….many of you may already be on top of this…but Miami Freedom Park isn’t done. The referendum that passed in November gave the City the authority to negotiate a lease. That process is ongoing and there are councilmembers that are against signing a lease of any kind with Inter Miami. I’m not certain how much play this opinion has gotten but I feel like the Lockhart proposal is also largely driven by a desire to corner the market. Just as Riccardo Silva doesn’t want to play ball with MLS, I don’t think Mas and Beckham are too keen on FXE Futbol operating an independently owned USL Championship side in Broward County at Lockhart Stadium. No it isn’t in-market MLS competition, but it would be a professional club that would be more convenient for the 3.3 million people who live in Broward and Palm Beach Counties. The post Fusion era at Lockhart Stadium was not marketed very strongly to grab attention of anyone outside of the core soccer community. I feel like the mere presence of Inter Miami in the area would create more trickle down interest in a USL Championship Club than was generated by the modern incarnation of the Strikers. Knowing the habits of people down here it would not be a complete shock if residents of Broward and Palm Beach notice the more convenient option and take their Saturday business there. Maybe I’m wrong…but there is a chance that could happen so why wouldn’t Mas want to squash that? The Lockhart proposal was hastily put together. Prior to that there was a focus on putting the academy at Amelia Earhart Park. This would have pleased Dade County fans and fit more with their model of being Miami’s team and a presence in Miami’s community. I see their Lockhart bid as part territory protection and part insurance policy in the event that their Melreese negotiation goes sideways. Melreese is their fifth choice: Port of Miami, Bicentennial Park, adjacent to Marlins Park, Overtown, and finally Melreese (which was actually considered alongside a Doral location too). Can’t blame them for wanting something to prevent a catastrophe from occurring and setting them off their course for kicking off in a year.
On that article, there is no Major league that has gone to 36 teams (as Malik suggested) and he is basically admitting their place in line. This got me thinking as to whether the club would still want to move downtown if MLS is never achieved, being that he mentions "MLS or not, we have soccer" and states it's unlikely they get in until 36? The land acquisition is great for the club because the other in state bid already has an uptown location to be used for gameday and it allows them to catch up in that race. Edit: How bad does PNC need to be renovated, I thought it was recently renovated. And what is the immediate reaction to the amount of money they're asking for?
Why not? Charlotte has their Minor League Baseball team downtown and they did it knowing that MLB isn't expanding.
Charlotte's MLB drama is a very sticky subject. There was a long-time legal case related to building an uptown stadium for the Knights by a lawyer who felt Charlotte would eventually have hope at an MLB team (relocation or expansion). To his credit, it is commonly believed that the current MiLB stadium will prevent us from getting MLB due to the dimensions of the ballpark and the limitations to expanding it, something that has been defined as hopeless although I feel that closing South Graham St is very possible and would allow us to expand BB&T ballpark while building up that area between BoA Stadium and BB&T as an entertainment district (which is something that Tepper has spoke on doing). The fact that the MLB is now naming Charlotte as a candidate for possible expansion is frustrating to so many in the Metrolina area because it is almost a "told you so" moment for those who did not want to move the Knights uptown. Moving has been beneficial to the club as they have gone from being one of the worst attended teams in the Minors to THE (most years) most attended team in the minors (speaking Volumes to how much an Uptown location would matter to a Charlotte MLS team). That said, because it would seem like a good move for the club regardless but no commitment has been made to building a new stadium without the prospect of going MLS, as has been the case in Louisville and has been implied in Indianapolis (although Indy needs MLS to get approval to my knowledge).