Minnesota United bolsters potential MLS bid with Twins, T-Wolves backing http://www.si.com/soccer/planet-fut...n-mls-vikings-timberwolves-twins-derby-county
I've always liked the idea of Minnesota. My beef was the idea of them playing in an NFL stadium. With that ownership group though it sounds like an SSS may be on the cards and if that's the case I'm all for it.
Absolutely agree--the last thing we need is another cavernous, fake turf, 2nd-rate-citizen feeling in a stadium. Back to the SSS, please, and full speed ahead.
Yeah I don't think there'd be anybody that would support the Vikings bid over United's. Maybe if the United group (and that's one wealthy group) builds a SSS, possibly play one or two early season games at the new Vikings stadium the way the Impact usually does at Olympic Stadium when it's still very cold out.
This creates a conundrum for MLS though: The Vikings already have the stadium being built, and Minn U do not. Wilf needs an answer very soon so that he can make sure his new stadium conforms to MLS's needs. But if MLS decides in haste and chooses Minn United, and for some reason down the road they cannot get the go-ahead from the city to built their SSS... hoo boy.
Im sure MLS would love to be in Minnesota. Tons of corporate cash there. Always thought it had the potential to be another Seatlle. Very similar demographics.
I have to be honest with you. While yes, an SSS would be terrific and would be great, I really do question Minnesota United's commitment to actually MOVING UP to MLS. It really does seem to me that they can either do with or without MLS from their standpoint, and honestly I really don't want those types of owners in the league. I want owners who not only care about their club, but also care about the MLS mission and what it is trying to accomplish. They need to care about all clubs helping each other out to raise soccer as a whole. They need to care about SUM, and how it needs to continue to stay relevant in regards to broadcasting. They need to care about single entity, and how while it's not the most amazing system, it has allowed the system to be stable and continue the growth trend its on. I'm really not getting any of that from Minnesota United, while I think the Vikings owners understand and are on board with this. Yet at the same time, having United playing in an SSS I think would be fantastic for that market. It's really frustrating to see owners in Minnesota that are like "meh...whatevs" versus owners in Sacramento who are raring and ready to take the MLS journey. We'll see, I guess.
You better believe that the Twins and Twolves owners want to be in MLS with all of it's single entity glory. They don't jump on board to be part of a uncertain D2 league.
LOL....they care about and support MLS. Let's see if Manc Citeh can lure poser Manhattan fans for more than a season or so.
Even if there aren't hoards of Manhattanites showing up, couldn't NYCFC get a fairly solid fan base from 2 or 3 other boroughs that aren't so "poser-ish?"
I'm the opposite of you. I don't think the Wilfs have ever 'gotten it' with regards to MLS. If they had, they would have designed the stadium with soccer-friendly dimensions from the beginning - rather than hastily revising their design to properly hold a soccer field after being called out on it. Plus, I get the sense they've always used MLS as a pawn to help them get a stadium passed. If you look at what McGuire has done since his ownership takeover, the club brand, the quality of the players/payroll, the attendance, and the gameday experience have all improved greatly with him in charge. Venue is a big question mark, but if it weren't for that I wholeheartedly think his group would hit it out of the park in MLS.
I hope so....NYC proper is an interesting, diverse, and picky/demanding place. I really hope this experiment works, but I am still as blanl about this as I was when it was first announced.
Fair enough. And, fwiw, the NYCFC news (and MLS's decisions/plans/experiments for such club) was never about you (or me), and certainly this thread really has not all that much to do with anyone's thoughts on NYCFC.
Hhmm... you know what, you just gave me an idea. Maybe MLS FO should send some type of questionnaire to all future prospective owners. Something like: ============================================================================== We at MLS are very proud of our league and likewise want prospective franchise owners to care not only for their own club, but also for MLS as a whole. We would like to ask you a few questions so that we may better understand your motives for wanting to join our league. Please indicate your preferences by placing a check-mark next to the appropriate answer, and mail this form back to us. * Do you care about the MLS mission and what it is trying to accomplish?............ YES___ NO___ * Do you care about all clubs helping each other out to raise soccer as a whole?.... YES___ NO___ * Do you care about SUM?........................................................................….......….. YES___ NO___ * Do you care about single entity in MLS? ………...........................................…....... YES___ NO___ Thank you for your time, Bark Ammott VIP, MLS =============================================================================
My impression from the article is that the Wilfs might find themselves the disfavored bid here, and a lot of that has to do with their stadium construction timeline. It sounds like they basically need an answer now -- or at least within the next couple months. Otherwise they won't bother to configure the new stadium for MLS use. But with MNU around, I think it would be very hard for MLS to give the team to the Wilfs simply because they're in a rush. At a minimum MLS will want to give MNU a chance to get their cards in order, because if they do, that'll be the much more attractive bid from MLS's perspective. It'd have grassroots support, an established history, their own stadium, and a real connection to the MN soccer community. You can't say that about the Wilfs MLS bid at all. Maybe MLS will make a decision by December. But it wouldn't surprise me if they had to take longer, and the Wilfs basically dropped out of the running because stadium construction had to proceed, and without an MLS commitment, they wouldn't bother with the MLS curtains and whatnot.
That's some high level snark in response to concerns about Minnesota United's actual motives. I'd rather not have delusional "We're-too-good-for-MLS" Cosmos-style owners in the league that aren't getting why MLS has been so successful as of late. But hey....trivializing the issue works too!
Maybe that's the case. If it is, I'd rather MLS go with Sacramento. They lined up owners right now. Have a stadium plan right now. Have media support right now. Have political support right now. And have a stadium plan with financing right now. Minnesota United still doesn't know what they really want to do....where as the Sacramento Republic do. I think it's the safe bet at this point.
I think they should go with SRFC too, but that wasn't the point of my post. If MN's MLS bid suffers any deficiency right now it is the fact that they have competing bids, neither of which are actually ideal. You've got the Wilfs, with a suspect commitment to soccer, and little grassroots MN soccer support, wanting to put an MLS team in an NFL stadium. Which is all negative. But they've got the stadium and are ready to go. Which is positive. Or you've got MNU, which as the support and respect of the MN soccer community, but isn't in any rush to join MLS. Indeed, they're really only interested in MLS because they think that if the Wilfs get an MLS team, they'll be doomed. So it's basically MLS or die for them. So they're bidding under at least some duress. Question is, if MLS won't commit to the Wilfs soon enough to make the new Viking Stadium more soccer friendly, then what happens with the MNU bid? With the new investors, they'll still likely plan to come to MLS, but it won't have the same sort of urgency. Indeed, in some ways that's really what the choice is for MLS: put an MLS team in MN now (go with the Wilfs) or wait a while (go with MNU).
MLS is in no hurry to place a club in Miami, Sacramento, Vegas or Minneapolis. They have said from the beginning they wanted 24 teams by 2020. For them it's more important to make sure everything is done correctly before they precede in awarding a franchise. IMO, the only people in a hurry are Big Soccer posters.