thats not exactly good news.... if seattle gets a team without having a stadium(not counting Quest) then this just shows how our stadium getting approved doesnt mean too much when battling against philly.... although we beat them to the punch, who knows what was said to each city.... maybe they are guaranteed as soon as its approved..... i was really pushing for philly and us!
My most recent guess is Seattle and St. Louis in '09, Philly and mystery team X in 2010. I'll stick with that.
Well, if this is true (and I have serious, serious doubts), then the announcement will be Seattle and Saint Louis for 2009 probably in a couple of weeks as that was Cooper's timetable too. Philly, then, would just have to wait. Perhaps this means that some things have broken down behind the scenes in Philly. I always saw Seattle as the backup plan to Philly. Anyway, this really does tick me off and make me question the future of MLS. After Toronto, it seemed a new model was established for getting an MLS team. Now, Toronto looks to be one of the most successful franchises in MLS. So, Saint Louis pretty much followed that model and given Toronto's success, Saint Louis should get a team. However, Seattle is significantly breaking with that model by using Qwest and converting a USL team. Best case scenario with Qwest, 20,000 a match, and the stadium sits 2/3 empty. Also, giving San Jose a team without final SSS plans broke the Toronto model although at least their SSS plans seem to be on track. I think at the root of the SJ and Seattle deals is TV dollars, and that is a shame. You cannot build a sport for TV (see XFL). You must build a sport, build a loyal following, have the loyal following demand TV coverage, and let TV follow (NASCAR style). Admitting Seattle and SJ seems to be based on a model built on TV contracts, Toronto and Saint Louis seem to be admitted based on the model of building the sport. I really thought MLS had turned the page with Toronto and that SJ was just an exception because of the franchise that already existed there. I thought they had moved to a grassroots style of expansion (local owners, SSS and surrounding developments & youth fields, strong youth leagues) - you know an SSS surrounded by things that make money ... I guess not.
I'm not saying that anyone can disprove this blog, but it doesn't identify its source of information, and the blog itself is not an established source of news. I'll believe it when Garber announces it. I have fears that Seattle will be among the next franchises, which it should not without a SSS. I agree that San Jose can be granted an exception card on this issue, but no one else should be. I'm still hoping that it's St. Louis & Philly for 2009, and Seattle after they have a viable plan for a SSS. We'll just have to be patient. I knew this was going to be a difficult period of time; there was bound to be far too much speculation.
There's a minor mention of this in Timmerman's SLU sports blog at the P-D: http://www.stltoday.com/blogs/sports-billiken-beat/2007/09/soccer-stuff/ "... and if Ives’ sources are correct, Seattle would be team 15. That means the league would want to add a 16th team for 2009 and unless Philadelphia pulls a miracle in the next few months to get its act together (and I’m told they still haven’t hired an architect to design a stadium, nor have financing), the only expansion option for 2009 would be St. Louis."
You mean aside from the breaking stories on club sales (Chicago Fire), coaching hires (Bob Bradley and Juan Osorio), transfers (Freddy Adu, Danny Szetela) and trades (LA-RSL, Toronto-NYRB) this year. I guess other than that, it really isn't an established news source. I was hoping for Philly in 2009 but it's not looking good.
Seattle Times: MLS report of Seattle team in 2009 "premature" http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/soccer/2003909155_mls28.html "Sounders general manager Bart Wiley echoed Hanauer's comment on Thursday: "The bottom line is, there have been discussions, but nothing definitive has come from it. Obviously that [bringing an MLS team to Seattle] is something that people are pursuing, but that's about it right now."