I'm not following. Eugene Melnyk has halted his efforts indefinately to get a MLS franchise as a result of city council going with the Lansdowne Live proposal. Where does this magical drug problem fit in?
So you're telling me that there can be the new Lansdowne Stadium with a CFL team and a NASL club anchored there AND Melnyk's proposed MLS soccer playpen way out in Kanata?
Before we go any further, I just want to clear up any confusion. Were you saying Ottawa never had a chance at an MLS team or it did have a chance but not anymore due to city council's decision? The answer you give will actually help move things along rather nicely.
Ottawa would have had a good chance to land an MLS team out in Kanata if Melnyk's stadium finances were set up, either out of his own back pocket or through city council. He chose the city council route, they chose the Hunt CFL group, and since then, hardly anything from Melnyk's camp.
Yeah, alright, so we're on the same page. I thought you were implying that Ottawa never had a chance, which is what I took issue with. However, after reading your older posts again, and seeing what you say now, I see that is not the case. Anyhow, I do have to agree that Ottawa in MLS may never happen as Melnyk will probably not finance a soccer arena by himself. However, I disagree with the notion that MLS will never expand into Canada again. Yes, more American investors should appear in the future and places like NYC, Atlanta and Miami are all places MLS want to be. However, I do think Canadian expansion will occur sometime down the road. I imagine Edmonton could potentially be one if the NASL team ingrains itself into the community (getting 5000+ to games on average). I think MLS would welcome a team from Alberta to cover more Canadian ground.
Not even close. MLS is not concerned with filling in geographical gaps in Canada. I too got enamored with the thought of my team (Carolina) moving up to MLS, but after more thought, I could see NASL growing into a substantial Division 2 league. I'd like to see a competitive and stable NASL league with 12 teams and attendance averages in the 8-12k range. A league that teams want to be in rather than teams constantly trying to plead their case to leave for MLS and leaving behind the league that made them who they are. I guess what I'm trying to say is that if Edmonton averaged 5,000 attendance then that shouldn't mean a move to MLS, but rather excitement for their NASL product.
To be fair, there are not a lot of metro areas in Canada that are big enough to be looked at as realistic MLS target markets (and they've already got the three you'd really want). No one knows for certain where the ceiling on MLS expansion is, but it's a lot closer now than it was in 2004. The longer things go, the less likely any given city is to be a future MLS expansion team. And that window is likely to get narrower over time. As with any American city, the formula ownership + stadium solution + market + plan still holds. But anyone - in the US or Canada - who wants to get on board probably needs to get organized sooner rather than later.
In my opinion, for what its worth, MLS is done in Canada. There are no cities really worth exploring anymore because the big TV/population markets are filled. It would be nice to see an Alberta team or Ottawa but these are rather small markets. MLS is done very well and investors have noticed. You're going to see the expansion fee be continually increased and the remaining Canadian markets will be priced out. Future Canadian markets should look to NASL or even USL Pro and try to compete in the Canadian Championship.
Nah MLS has long gone past the days where if you had the cash you were in, like with Chivas USA. Which is actually quite surprising considering that was under a decade ago but I digress. The point is that MLS has the three Canadian markets that actually matter now (and even then only Toronto has ever successfully hung onto it's major franchises). Places like Edmonton, Calgary and Ottawa have missed the boat, if they'd got in a few years ago then we might possibly have seen more than three Canadian teams but it's not going to happen now when places like San Diego, Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Antonio, Austin, Detroit, Atlanta, Miami, Nashville, Minneapolis, St. Louis, Baltimore, Orlando, Tampa Bay, Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Raleigh-Durham etc don't have teams and could all theoretically support a team given the right circumstances. If MLS goes to 24, there's not a chance in hell of another Canadian city. If it goes to 32 then there's still only a slim chance of another Canadian city when I just managed to name 17 cities off the top of my head that could host a team ahead of the remaining Canadian cities. I'd love to see Calgary and Quebec City join Ottawa and Edmonton in NASL, hell maybe even Winnipeg too, although I doubt there's lots of sports dollars going around that city now that the Jets are back. However they're not going to make it into MLS unless something goes really wrong for the league.
Chivas USA was more than just a "we need a team and you have money" scenario. It was also an (ill-fated, as it turned out) attempt to finally attract the long-sought after Hispanic fan. The funny part is, Chivas USA hasn't been successful at that, but supposedly some 40% of MLS fans are Hispanic now, a high-water mark. So whether Chivas USA did that or games on Telefutura did that or whatever did that, something happened in the last 8 years. But Canada certainly isn't blessed with a ton of high-population areas from which to choose, and MLS has the three you'd want if you could only have three. I wouldn't expect a lot more.
So when does Ottawa expect to start preparing for 2014? Is the stadium on track to be completed by the start of the 2014 season?
And the city just gave approval for the stadium/rink at Lansdowne! http://nasl.com/index.php?id=3&newsid=3412
New pics of Ottawa's Stadium progress : http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/planning-and-development/transforming-ottawa/stadium
Seats are going in the North Stands : http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/planning-and-development/transforming-ottawa/stadium
More Updates today : The new roof on the north stands is almost complete. Footings are being dug for a new pedestrian bridge on the east end of the stadium that will span from the main concourse to the berm. At the south stands, work is underway to form and build the base for the seating bowl at the front of the stands. Work continues to assemble the Veil that wraps around the stands. Work continues inside the stands to install all the drywall, electrical and plumbing. At the service level, office spaces have been built and some of the walls have been painted. http://ottawa.ca/en/city-hall/planning-and-development/transforming-ottawa/stadium