I don't know, seems kinda early to announce any city other than Miami, who seems to be too demanding IMO, who said they want an answer in Jan. I'm sorry but no MLS franchise should be bigger then the league. If Barca can't wait for an answer when all are ready then they can move on, we don't need them. If they go with StL Thur, then they might jump the gun potentialy over looking bigger and better franchises like Portland and Vancouver, who might need another month to get things together. If they announce StL, then I hope they say no to Barca/Miami, and go with a potentialy better market elsewhere. Sorry guys, It's not Miami that gets me it's Barca, and now Pachuca wants in later to send players back to Pahuca's main team. I feel like we're being used.
I don't buy the league waiting and waiting for Portland or Vancouver to get their things in order before they announce the two teams. They had months to plan their bids, plan stadiums, and get funding approved, and everyone knew the deadline to submit bids. If they weren't up to par on Oct. 15, MLS should not wait for them. Deliberating and looking things over carefully to a certain extent is fine, but these cities and their ownership groups knew the timeframe involved, and really, if you've got a city like St. Louis, that has had everything in place from day one, why should they have to wait for other cities to get their things together before they get their team, or for one of those places to take their spot? If MLS does in fact announce the two teams this weekend, I don't think they'll be passing other, potentially better, markets over. If Portland and Vancouver have a problem with that, then they should have got their funding and stadium situations settled and approved before they even submitted their bids, or shortly thereafter.
What would make MLS not be willing to wait 6-8 weeks if it means knowing what all your options are. I mean, where's the fire? Imagine this process is a marathon: St. Louis, known as a solid runner, just finished a race yesterday getting nosed out in a photo finish but after a short rest Lou is after it again. Instead of starting at the line with the pack, Louis ran from his hotel and continues running, crossing the start just as the gun is fired carrying his pace with him, jumping into the lead. Miami is pissed! Seeing StL blow by the pack right as the gun is fired, Miami bolts out off the line, fricken sprinting out of the gates at full speed like he's never run a marathon before. He didn't fly in from Europe to stare at someone's backside! Vancouver and Portland, (knowing each other well from having trained together in the past) glance at each other, puzzled about what just happened. Both shrug their shoulders and simultaneously leave the line at a conservative but steady pace. Funny story - Vancouver, whose luggage was lost at the airport, had to scramble to get some shoes and a track suit before the race, borrowing some stuff from another runner who was unfortunately about two sizes bigger. Despite their generous fit, the clothes and new running shoes look good and Van doesn't notice any discomfort. Portland slightly handsome, looks strangely like an ivy league track star from the 50s. Cotton tank top, short shorts and socks up past his calves . . . and glasses, those old school 50s glasses! Understated and underequipped but confident and smiling, Port leaps off the line, lurching with a lanky stride but keeping a steady pace shoulder to shoulder with Vancouver. This continues for the first several miles, St. Louis in the lead, Miami sprinting and Portland and Vancouver just barely distancing themselves from some of the hobbiest runners like Ottawa and Montreal. Atlanta, another of the ‘recreational’ runners has lagged behind from the beginning. His heart just hasn’t been in it for the past several weeks since his training partner back home suddenly gave up the sport unexpectedly. Atlanta missed his moral support during the final critical days of training and his lack of confidence and fitness is showing today. Suddenly Montreal turns an ankle and falls to the ground! "Mais Non! Ma cheville!" he decries, protesting and pointing to some debris on the course. But is he faking? Officials usher him off the course - hastily. Up ahead, Miami starts to catch up with Louis, but Lou doesn’t notice. Louis has been running at a steady pace and has not looked back once. “Just run your race Lou . . . this time it’s yours” he says to himself reflecting on his near victory last time, determined to give his last to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Suddenly St. Louis smells the stench of cheap cologne fill his nostrils. It’s Miami! “Oh no, not again” he says to himself. “Oooh yesss” says Miami in a breathy voice as he catches up with Lou. As Miami passes Louis, sweat sprays from his sprinting limbs, drenching Louis with cologne soaked perspiration. Unable to process the perfume/oxygen tail wind efficiently and thinking it unwise to try to keep pace with Miami, St. Louis hangs back a bit, making sure he keeps his second position. “He’s not going to last at that pace, he can’t! Can he?” Louis thinks to himself. He can’t. Miami starts to feel tired. Legs burning, sweat dripping down his unusually hairy chest. He wanted to finish the race in style but now he is starting to regret his decision to wear a neon track suit and jewelry to the race. “This cannot be! I must win this race. I must do something.” Miami says Seeing that he is a long distance in the lead, Miami spies a race official on the side of the course and runs up to him. “You must stop the race here. I am the winner. Please bring my medal to me!” he demands. He turns to the crowd on the sideline. “Everybody . . . I have won the race! Thank you for coming to see my victory! If you like what you see, you must come watch me race in Europe sometime! It is beautiful.” “I, I’m sorry sir but this isn’t the finish, it’s . .” “Please accept this gold necklace as a token of my appreciation for ending this race.” Miami pleads to the official, holding out a saturated gold necklace. “I’m sorry sir but I can’t” “You will end this race now or I will kill your dog!” Says Miami, frustrated “But I don’t have a . . .” Realizing this man will not help him and seeing the pack gaining on him, Miami jogs on, in search of another, less scrupulous official. Meanwhile Portland and Vancouver are just pacing, running neck and neck, one leading then falling behind, but both gaining on Miami and St. Louis. At this point they’re all at about the 18 mile mark of this roughly 26 mile race. Will Miami find an official willing to accept his pleas or offers of sweaty jewelry to end the race and declare him the winner? Will St. Louis push through the fatigue of running two marathons in two days and finally realize his lifelong goal to win? Will Portland and Vancouver’s pacing strategy allow them to catch up to the leaders and battle it out to the finish? Will Vancouver’s oversized shoes finally cause painful debilitating blisters or will Portland’s outdated equipment prove just too little to compete at this level? There are eight miles to go. MLS just wants to see how the race finishes.
While the story is entertaining, your characterization of Miami is unappreciated. It's only loosely accurate, or perhaps it's just one-dimensional.
That's a pretty good story to represent the expansion picture. However, it is not a race. MLS is looking to make decisions here. St. Louis, Miami and Ottawa have been what-you-see-is-what-you-get, ready to go bids since day one. For argument's sake, let's say this is an actual race like you so whimsically proposed. 7 contestants have officially registered, have their little numbers pinned to their shirts, and are waiting at the starting line. Montréal has decided they didn't approve of the entry fee, so they left. St. Louis, Miami and Ottawa have come to the race ready to run, with everything they need to be successful. Meanwhile, Portland and Vancouver have come without any shoes or clothes, hoping to secure those necessities while racing. They are not going to win that way...
i never heard anything about this here on these boards so...... Spanish soccer power FC Barcelona has signed CAA Sports to represent it in the U.S. in several areas. here is the site i got it from... http://miamiblaugrana.org/
Rule changes? You mean b/c they are so eager to get started they have asked MLS to go a year early? Where does it say in the MLS rules book you can't do that? And why do you care if it is seems aggressive or not?
Because MLS shouldn't cave-in or be dictated what to do, just because Barca is "one of the biggest clubs in europe" and they are euro-snobs which everyone has to be scared of, because they want MLS in 2010 and they WANT IT NOW..BARCA WANTS IT NOW. NO IF'S OR BUT'S THEY WANT IT NOW and with that kind of mentality they will gain a lot of enemies
One dimensional? No. See some Miami posts for one dimensional. Cheating? No. Just way too aggressive for a euro in America. It's just that I for one feel they can wait or they can go home. If at the end they're the best then fine, let them in. I just feel that if we ever want our league to be one of the big ones, we need to have our own owners not coming into the league wanting to develope talent to "feed" another league. Thinking by mearly putting Henry or Puyol in front of us like bait, that we will fall in line or something. Again, it's not Miami, it's Barca.
I think any reasonable Miami fan can understand the concerns others have with the foreign team ownership. However, it is something that I, and I would guess nearly all Miami fans, are willing to let slide if it means we get MLS soccer back. Also, Marcelo Claure is our local man in the front office, and he's got at least 50% of the control. FCB people will be coaching this team, deciding who they sign, making the on-field decisions, but Claure, at least to start, will be the once signing the checks. Knowing that this team will have it's own identity, and that Claure is involved, is reassuring to Miami fans. Also MLS and our potential owners have no doubt learned from the mistakes made by the Fusion organization, and also Chivas USA, and are going to get it right this time.
That last part intrigues me, although I'm sure my translator widget mangled this a bit: Correct me if I'm wrong, but does this mean that they would try to get Ronaldo(not the Man U one of course) or Zidane down the line? If so that's great, of course in addition to Henry They're a little late in reporting on the season ticket deposit site though. Also there was another weird thing I noticed, and this could be something that got lost in translation before. About a month or two ago, people starting mentioning that Barça was seeking a "tax exemption" and hoped to make 9 million in profits with the Miami team. Well when I ran this article through my translator program, every time you would expect to see "bid" or "team" come up, "tax exemption" did. For instance: Original: "La franquicia de Miami se creó cuando..." Translated: "The tax exemption of Miami was created when..." Obviously that doesn't make any sense.
I'm no native spanish speaker, but franquicia means both "exemption" and "franchise". The later meaning is obviously meant here.
How is the team going to have it's own identity? Basically it will be FC Barca Miami. a third reserve team for Barcelona except they will play in MLS
Marcelo Claure has said on several occasions that this team will not be named anything like FC Barça Miami. There will be a online contest to name the new team if it is awarded. That's part one. Secondly, the team could never become a "reserve team" to FCB because of the contract rules of MLS. MLS owns all contracts, so the league would have to approve any transfers in either direction. FCB will probably send one big name guy(Henry) over, but after that player movement between the two clubs would be unlikely, unless the move greatly benefited the league, either from a player coming here or a rather large transfer fee. MLS will never allow Barça to treat the Miami team as a reserve team, and I doubt Claure would either.
I wish they would put the voting up already. And is the miamisoccer site thinking the team colors will be Blue/Light Blue and Orange? And that the nickname will be Ultras? What does ultras mean?
Yeah I know same here.... i've heard from a radio host that we could possibly get the news in 2 to 3 weeks or i've also heard that this friday the news will be announce on the team. So i'm pretty sure when the team will be announced the website will have the name the team voting up and running... just curious? what team name are you willing to pick for the team on the vote?
The Ultras is a just a supporters group, thats thier original colors from being the supporters group of the Miami FC USL club. When the new colors of the Miami MLS team come out, im sure the ultras will change thier colors. But please join our supporters group, its called Legion of the South - Legion Del Sur, it on facebook for now when the team is announced and our group is bigger we'll have a website like the Ultras...
Thanks for the reply! Depends on what names they have to choose from. Some names I like are: FC Miami/Miami FC, but only if Miami FC USL merges with Miami MLS. FC United Miami/United FC Miami, but only if Miami FC USL merges with Miami MLS. AC Miami would be okay with me. With either AC Miami or ACM on the crest. They could sale merchandise with Atletico Miami and Miami Athletics. Miami SC.
I'm hoping for Orange & Green or Orange & Aqua, but those colors would be okay. I would be okay with Orange & Black too. I would join, but I dont use facebook. I like the name of the group though, both versions.
I'm glad to see another supporters club pop up. The more the merrier. You can join the Ultras at http://www.miamisoccerfan.com/Soccer/Join.html . You can also chat with the Miami Ultras on Facebook and see what we are all about.