Garber gives expansion update

As I've said all along, Minneapolis/St. Paul is absolutely puzzling. There hasn't even been a small rumble from the Thunder, and no real stadium possibilities outside of NSC expansion. Not to mention an ownership group. And yet they are higher up on the list than even Tulsa?

 

I make OKC a lock...

They have the two biggies--an investor's group and a stadium. Plus, they didn't hurt themselves with their exhibition. Pretty good crowd for 42 degrees. So who's number two? Is there a number two? Cleveland seems the closest but two teams in Ohio? Houston has a (less than perfect) stadium but is there an investment group? There's a lot more questions than answers with most of these cities. Should be intersting to see what they come up with.

 

How serious can this Cleveland talk be? Stadium? Investor? History of supporting soccer? I'm not bagging on Cleveland, just wondering how strong their case actually can be.

 

I'm guessing they have an ownership group lined up.

$10 mill by the way seems pretty cheap, but you have to figure your share in league $$ losses is going to run you a lot more than that.

 

I'll let others speculate on the carry-over support from indoor soccer to MLS. But I'm thinking they have a built-in rivalry with Columbus, and if there's ownership and a stadium lined up, this could put it closer to the top of the list than other candidates are.

 

I'd love MN to land a team. But I do not think they have ownership "lined" up, nor do I think they have any lines on a stadium.

About the only thing I've heard that makes remote sense is the possible buildout of a Vikings stadium near the NSC that would double as a home for the MLS team. And that mention was last made months and months and months ago.

Hope they prove us all wrong, but I just don't see it.

 

Cleveland!?

I really worry about Cleveland, honestly. I lived there from birth until I went away to college at age 18. I still lived there during the summers and other holidays, but after graduating, I moved up here to Chicago.

The reason I worry is that the Cleveland fans are a bit fair-weather at times. They have unconditional support for the Browns, always will, but you can see the drop off in attendance with the Indians and Cavs when the teams don't play up to snuff.

I know there is also a huge youth soccer contingent, much bigger than Columbus. Heck, I played in the travel and premier leagues up through high school, I know all about it. I just don't see it carrying over to MLS, which is why they went to Columbus in the first place. There is just too much involvement in other pro sports and entirely too much emphasis on little league baseball in the summer. People don't pay much attention to soccer that time of year.

If they get an investor and stadium, they'll get a team. It looks like the ball is rolling on both, but I don't see there being the attendance MLS must be looking for. Have there been any exhibitions played there? That might help tell what the fan base would be like. However, if the Crew plays the exhibition, it COULD just be Crew fans, so that wouldn't tell too much.

 

As a transplant to the Cleveland area, that last posts criticism of Cleveland fans as fairweather has me seething.

What person in Cleveland and in their right mind is going to overpay in an economically depressed town when the owners themselves are obviously not commited to putting any type of quality on the field/court.

Also, the Indians have one player who has played here longer than 4 years. Most of the players are guys you really have never heard of, AA and AAA call-ups, who are with the team cause they are inexpensive. There is no identification with the team's players.

Cleveland simpy asks for an effort from their team's owners. With Gund and why am I blanking on the Indians owner's name, there is none. My main concern with an MLS team in Cleveland would be the weather. You'd have to start the seasonwith as month of away games.

But do not accuse Cleveland ofbeing fairweather. Blame them for having common sense.

 

WHAT?

I'll blame Cleveland fans for being whatever the heck I want! I AM A CLEVELAND FAN! Have been my whole life!! Probably would be living in Cleveland right now if I didn't get a better job, in a better city!!

Let me tell you Mr. Transplant, from experience, Cleveland fans are great, some of the greatest. But I laugh at your comments without having spent your entire life in that city. When our teams are playing well, the fans come out and cheer louder, harder, and better than any other city out there. But when the team is bad, the fans are miserable.

I have been an Indians fan my entire life, even when they were absolutely miserable in the 80s. I don't know many Clevelanders that can say that. And NOW, after supporting the team for 6 or 7 years, people think they have the right to cheer for my team? Which they neglected for the better part of 30 years? Give me a break!

No my friend, you're dead wrong. Cleveland fans are as fair-weathered as they come. As far as your comments on the economy...WHAT? Try coming to a bigger market like Chicago, New York, LA, Washington D.C., try it for one week. Prices are SO MUCH HIGHER here, and the fans still come out in mass numbers. The Chicago Bulls are terrible, not as bad as the Cavs, BUT THEY ARE FOURTH IN THE NBA IN ATTENDANCE! In fact, last season they finished 8th in attendance and it was the FIRST TIME SINCE JORDAN LEFT that the Bulls had fallen out of the top 3!!

Again, don't get me wrong here...I'm one of the biggest Cleveland fans alive...BUT COMMON SENSE?? Throwing beer bottles onto the field at the refs, opponents and even your own players!? Are you kidding? How about the ice and snow balls that they threw at the Broncos in the late 80s? How about the Indians fans throwing 9-volt batteries and rocks at Albert Belle on his return to Jacobs Field? I'm sure if the Phillies were coming to town, Jim Thome would get taunted like it was his job and maybe even get objects thrown at him too. Don't even start to tell me that Cleveland fans have common sense.

OH!! And as for AA and AAA "call-ups", because they are inexpensive, right? THESE GUYS ARE SOLID F*ING BALLPLAYERS PAL! In a couple of years, this team is going to be a force again, as long as they don't trade them all away. Karim Garcia, CC, Baez, Phillips, McDonald... ALSO, we have one of the most respected farm systems in the majors and EVERYONE who knows ANYTHING about baseball will tell you that these kids can play. No, we aren't going to the playoffs this year unless there is a minor miracle, but this was bound to happen when you have aging players with big contracts, you have to start over. This team looks alot like the Tribe back in the early 90s, but with better prospects in the pitching staff. We aren't the god damn yankees with an infinite budget, therefore, you have to rebuild. The real fans are still on board...they know what it takes. They're out there for more than wins, they're out there because they love their team.

Maybe you weren't around for this, but the marketing campaign in the late 80s was "The Tribe, Indians, This is MY Team!" The real fans believe it and still do...go ahead and get off the bandwagon...MY team doesn't want you!
You have infuriated me to the point where I drudged up old memories and don't even want an MLS team in my hometown. Thank you very much.

 

Settle down boys. Let's not start WWIII. I too am a Cleveland fan. But I don't see Cleveland supporting MLS. The sports market here is saturated. Talk of an investor and new stadium is just talk. Until someone with credibility can corroborate and name names, I'm not buying.

 

Sorry, but Cleveland fans are the biggest front-runners east of the Sierras. With one exception: The Browns.

Evidence 1: The Barons

Evidence 2: The Cavs

Evidence 3: Pre-trendoid Indians

Evidence 4: Post-trendoid Indians

'Nuff said.

 

Cleveland sucks.

---sayeth this Steeler fan.

Sachin

 

Could someone please identify for me where a 2005 Cleveland MLS franchise would play. As I understand it, the rumored SSS site is currently an operating shopping mall. Unless Haliburton is part of the construction deal, I doubt that there could be a SSS ready in Cleveland within 2 years.

While you're at it, please identify for me the SSSs currently (or shortly to be) under construction in MSP and Toronto. I'd love to see them.

Hell, I'd even settle for architectural drawings of those stadiums. Good luck finding any.

 

I've seen the MSP stadium, it's one of those "Secret Stadiums" they started construction on in the Arrowhead parking lot, but had to stop construction when they found out we knew about it. It's actually in Rosemount, in the Rosemount East High School parking lot. They are laying the turf know, you just can't see the stadium because it's camoflaged.

 

Sweet. So they're using that next, next generation of articificial grass, StealthTurf, eh?

Reminds me of the tizzy we got into when the Fire were about to build one 'o them spiffy "modular stadiums." Remember those? They were gonna revolutionize the league. All you needed was a plot of land (preferably on property owned by a racetrack) and $15 million. Just add water and .. poof! A stadium!!

 

I don't know crap about any of this ...

... but Houston? For soccer?

Seattle/Portland seems logical, but maybe they're waiting to move San Jose up there. Crickets are poor fans. Paul Allen - please answer the phone.

No North Carolina possibility??? Odd - or maybe too much competition from college soccer.

Give the Rhinos the slot they deserve!

Those are my ill-informed throughts. Flame away.

 

Kinda like the built in rivalry between the Mutiny and the Fusion? Remember, MLS put the two Florida teams in DIFFERENT conferences Mutiny in Central, Fusion is East. What a braindead decision. Look for the Crew to be moved to the West, and Cleveland to join the East. MLS logic at work. Cheers......

 

No need to flame.

Houston is known as a very strong soccer market. In fact, it always has some of the highest TV ratings for soccer, including for MLS games on espn2, despite not having a team.

North Carolina has (1) no investor and (2) no stadium. That pretty much decides it.

 

And IMO no viable market.

Minnman, have you noticed how many posters here live in the Triangle, and how few in the Triad? If I had the sense that the Triad had alot of soccer fans, maybe it would be a good market. But I don't see it.