I agree totally except for the upcoming cases of Houston, Seattle, & Philadelphia. Don't get me wrong, if a SSS is able to be constructed, then good, but if not and all the other peices are in place, then i say go because: 1. The facilities themselves - while big, all three cities will have stadiums that have just recently been built and all had soccer support in the back of their minds. A Revs situation (certain parts not open) for these situations would be fine here and provide more MLS venues for large venue games like playoffs or international friendlies. 2. History and/or Support - all have had soccer league teams, minor league and women support, and/or support of world cup or international games to an extent 3. Foreign markets - The same possibilites of the korean influence on the Galaxy or japanese with Ichiro in Seattle in the MLB. Seattle with japanese/korean soccer players, Houton with mexican/central american, (Philly with Europeans?). Not only would this attract fans, but these markets may also attract the players themselves. 4. TV markets - MLS needs these three markets IMO for TV and US growth. All three are large media and metro centers that draw many people for TV, something ESPN and Fox would be happy I'm sure i'm leaving out something but other than these, SSS must be a qualification and all MLS teams will need them eventually. Any other points? Any other stadiums/markets like these? or Only SSS's?
One thing, who are the owners? Seahawks stadium = Paul Allen (correct?) Reliant Stadium = ? the Philadelphia stadium = ?
One thing, who are the owners? Seahawks stadium = Paul Allen (correct?) Reliant Stadium = (land is owned by the city, leased to the Sports Authority, construction costs funded by Harris county issued bonds, and I believe is owned by Bob McNair the Philadelphia stadium = Jeff Lurie (owns the Eagles, but I think Phily owns the stadium similar to Houston and many other NFL and MLB stadium)
So basically, if the stadiums are owned by the cities, the primary tenant(s) of each stadium have rights and responsibility on the schedule, usage, and running of each? Or am i off on another tangent?