i'm not hearing anything throughout the twin cities media on the possible expansion to the area. is minnesota still in the race or is it a ploy to gain support for a future team? a lot of noise is surfaceing in other possible cities, (rochester, okc, tulsa) but it seems the bigger markets media has put expansion on the back burner (seattle, houston, minneapolis-st paul, cleveland, etc.) is a major league team only viable in cities that have no other major sports (in this round of expansion). is american professional soccer that weak of a league? i think that might be the current situation, especially if by years end, the two teams are from small markets.
Yeah, the Twin Cities keep getting mentioned as a possible expansion site... ...but here in St. Paul, I hear absolutely NOTHING in the local media that seems to suggest that the Twin Cities are courting an expansion team.
don't you think minneapolis-st paul media coverage would be hipeing things up if they really cared weather or not they're getting a team. i talked to many of my soccer friends and not a one have heard anything about mls possiably expanding there. of all of the population, you would think they would be the first to hear. why isn't anyone talking it up?
The MN Thunder of the A-League will open their season at the Metrodome in Minneapolis on May 4. If the attendence is 15,000 or above, that will impress MLS.
i don't think it matters if the mls is impressed or not. the people of minnesota should be the ones that are impressed. if there not impressed with the possability of having a mls team, then they probably should not bring one to the twin cities. essentially it will take the people to make a difference in what they want, because if they don't care, and a team does come, it won't last long. on the other side of things, i think it does make a strong statement if an a-league team can gather 15,000 people to a game that is really not that important. someone should start the drive for the twin cities, i would, but i live in florida now, and have no clout from here. saying that there might be 15,000 at an a-league game doesn't begin to scrap the surface of what needs to done.
uh, if they draw 15,000 that would suggest the fans are impressed with the thunder. the issue is there is no owner/operator in line. no one therefore is going to "push" the issue. we are NOT a serious candidate until an investor comes along. period. full stop.
If history's any indicator, the MLS would probably like to have a team here, as Minnesota led the league in attendance in both its NASL incarnations, but it's unclear if there's a stealth campaign going on (perhaps to keep the Twin/Vikings from cranking up their PR machines and drowning it out?), or if the MLS is fishing for an investor.
The Minnesota MLS bid seems to be pure fantasy. No investor (publically identified, anyway). No stadium in the works. That pretty much decides it.
Fantasy, no. Very, very unlikely, yes. Pure speculation, but if there was a potential investor willing to put MLS inthe Twin Cities, staying quiet may be a very prudent thing to do. After all, the last time the Thunder had a serious public go at a stadium (when Coleman was Mayor of St. Paul), they were immediately drowned out by the Twin and Vikings. There are council-members and legislators who support a SSS, but it'll never sell unless there's something concrete. Would those people be able to keep a secret? I find it doubtful - there's plenty of anti-soccer pro-baseball people in those circles, too. OK, you're right. It IS a fantasy. But it's a nice one!
Yeah, I'm shocked the always soccer friendly Star Tribune hasn't been all over this... Patrick Reusse and co. are usually right on top of all the soccer news. I'd be willing to bet that there is a lot more going on behind the scenes than any of us know about. And there's probably a very good reason for it. Anyway, welcome to the boards, northern lights. Always nice to see other Minnesotans here.
I thought it was over when they were down 2-0 to Michigan. The failed Milwaukee bid might help Minnesota's chances.
The rumor that just won't die http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/sports/5710861.htm Thunder admit a call from Garber - sounds like if awarded a team, it would be managed by the current front office, and funded by current ownership group.
MLS is willing to play at the facility in Blaine(?). But the Twin Cities suffer the same problem as other prime markets like Seattle, Portland, Houston, Detroit, Philadelphia - namely - no investor has stepped forward. My suspicion is that of MLS's three stated criteria (investor, SSS, suitable market), expansion will depend on the presense of an two of those. The investor is a must, but an investor in a suitable market, or an investor with a suitable stadium will likely be enough.
That's a pretty bad article. Has the appearance of somthing written by someone with very little knowledge of MLS. Thunder-MLS would have to average at least 8,000/game in MLS to survive financially? 8,000? "Cleveland appears to be a front-runner because it is in the advance stages of building a stadium. Houston also has stadium plans." Huh? First I've heard of a Cleveland stadium being in "the advance stages." Stadium plans in Houston? I think this writer is a tad confused. Those stadium plans have a name, Reliant Stadium. So Garber's been metioning the Twin Cities for months now and he only called the Thunder two weeks ago? This solidifies the theory that the Minnesota 2005 "bid" is a myth.
Personally, I see no reason for all this "Under the table Negotiations" BS. I think "Under the Table" pretty much means, "we've got nothing". If you were trying to get a MLS Franchise, why would you try and do this stadium and ownership stuff in the dark. Logic would suggest you'd try to get as much PR and public support for the project as possible (See OKC and Tulsa), not try to hide everything behind some iron curtain. I think the only real cities that have a shot are the one's we've been hearing from all along, enough with this "secret owner/stadium" crap from a-league teams and phony investors.
As I said, in the unlikely event that it were true, it's to keep the 800 pound gorillias (in this case, the Twins and Vikings) from hijacking the stadium process - which happened the last time a SSS went public.
The article may be off on some details, but I think it answers a couple of questions. For something that appeared in one of the major newspapers in the area, I'll take it. So Garber is coming in July? It almost seems like MLS is initiating all of the talk. Perhaps they see 1) a potential investor, 2) a potential site or two for a SSS, and 3) a suitable market (thanks Andy for the "3 golden rules"!). We know that Buzz has expressed interest in bringing MLS here. We know that area mayors have mentioned soccer stadiums. So, since part of Garber's job is to attract new investors, and apparently he has some sort of a lead here in MN, the next logical step is to make the connections and have meetings to see what can be done.