It's going to be Vancouver and Portland. What Now?

I don't think its over yet.Melynk could see if any current teams are for sale or bid for a team for 2014.

 

Let's not throw in the towel quite yet. After all, there is still St. Louis hanging about. I don't think professional sports leagues are very good at turning away people with pocketsful of cash.

If they let Melnyk and StL. in, that is another 4 or 5 million per existing team. Plus more leverage to get better TV deals from Canada and the US.

I don't really think this changes anything - I was always expecting the first wave of expansion to be Vancouver (or Montreal, before they dropped out) and an American city. Vancouver has all the elements, from money, to a succesful soccer background to a playable stadium. It makes sense.

 

Well, Garber JUST said that the remaining, unsuccesful bidders are absoulutely considered for the 19th and 20th teams in 2012. Given that there are only 2 unsuccesful bidders, that is agood sign. But then it is Garber's MO to keep evryone involved.

 

I assume Melnyk and Leeder will be explaining to Council that they are building for 2012. If they get the greenlight (and the cash and the land), then it will be up to MLS to come through ... They MUST have some form of gentleman's agreement with the MLS, because they would not be expending this level of energy without some form of guarantee. Now, if Montreal re-enters the bidding, then the whole thing is up in the air.

 

Even if the city picked Lansdowne and a CFL stadium. The Hunt group has already said they want into soccer, my guess would be USL-1. It would then be up to Ottawa to show support at USL-1 to make it interesting to jump into MLS later like Seattle-Vancouver-(portland?) did...

I figure that no matter what, you will have soccer in Ottawa om 2011, either MLS or USL-1.

I think that in the future, MLS may actually require you play in USL to prove your soccer market.

 

I think MLS have to give some hope to Ottawa for 2012, or the battle with the CFL for a stadium will be a short one. Why would council grant even conditional approval to build a SSS without that?

I'm still hoping that MLS may grant a conditional franchise for 2012 to the two unsuccessful teams, in order to give them the time to remove obstacles such as the lack of a stadium. At least that would level the field with the CFL.

 

It's nice to dream, but you actually have a better shot at landing the 2nd franchise than getting a hypothetical new unnanounced expansion in 2012 with St.Louis and Ottawa.

MLS has already stated that after this round the would analyze how the expansion clubs would do before proceeding further. My guess is nothing will happen after 2011 until possibly 2013 at beast, or 2014 or later...

The last thing MLS wants to do is to expand too quickly. And by 2011 they will have added 4 teams, which many feel is too many too fast.

 

Melnyk's press release commenting on the Vancouver announcement:

http://www.bringtheworldtoottawa.ca/home.php
http://www.bringtheworldtoottawa.ca/pdf/090318.pdf

He is still working with the council and is committed to MLS in Ottawa

 

I heard Cyril Leeder on the Team 1200 today around 4:30ish. He was speaking like there was no doubt in his mind that Ottawa will get a team. He also stated he/they didn't expect to be one of the teams for 2011. They stated from the begining that they would prefer a team for 2012/13 time frame. "I recognize that we are one of the latecomers and we're talking about 2011, but if it is 2012, who cares? I think it is going to happen; it is only a matter of time."

They have talked with MLS and was assured that they were still part of the plan. They just have to have a building.

Now this is were they caught me off gaurd.
He was stating that with the way MLS is planning their growth, it would not be hard to see 4 to 5 team in Canada in the future. Now he did not give a date but still.....wow.

Keep the heads up boys!

 

The announcement of 2 more teams for 2012 is great news. If city council decides to build a stadium in Kanata conditional on SSE being awarded a franchise, then I don't think it would take long for Garber to announce Ottawa as team #19.

 

So let's make sure it happens! I have registered to speak to Council at the meeting on April 20, and MLS fans need to dominate that meeting to make sure soccer wins in terms of community support.

 

In the news.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/Sports/2011+expansion+franchise+unlikely+Ottawa/1403944/story.html

 

I wonder if we could get T-shirts made with the 'Bring the World to Ottawa' logo? I'm sure SSE wold give permission to use their logo. That would look good at the council meeting.

 

I wonder if Melnyk can get that $5 Million discount, and if so, can apply the money to the Stadium? If instead of it being $27 Million plus land for the city, it was $20 million, plus the land, that would be a little bit better.

 

MLS chipping in $5M to help buy the good people of Ottawa a Soccer Specific Stadium? Sounds like good press!

 

If they ever make a t-shirt like that, send my ass one.

I may be all the way down in Texas (and therefore can't do much as far as being there) but I firmly support the Ottawa bid and hope it works out for '12.

 

Thanks for the support! Maybe we could have a supporters meeting down your way sometime. I'd vote for the Flying Saucer in Ft Worth as the location!

 

Actually, it's in Arlington (which is closer to Ft. Worth than Dallas and around the same distance as Dallas to Frisco...)
^^^
EDIT 1: You were talking about the bar, weren't ya OttawaMLSFan? I thought you were referring to our massive-assive stadium that looks like a flying saucer. Yes, that is in Ft. Worth and it sounds like a plan to me, just get your team (and a case of Carlsberg) down here!

If Jerry Jones were to buy FCD and setup new tarping for the 60,000+ seats that will have to be hidden (an awful lot) then I could see that fun coming soon. Until then, you'll have to settle for PHP (which is a spectacular facility that Downtown Frisco is building itself around) and a tollway...

Stay cool, Ottawa fans. Saputo is too much of an idiot to ruin Melnyk's plans, so I have some faith for you guys (no offense to Montreal fans, y'all just need a better owner who cares to put [all of] his money where his mouth [and team] is...)
^^^
EDIT 2: If Ottawa gets in, I'll finally have an Eastern Conf. club to support. Never liked anyone else there, and for some damned reason, I just really like Ottawa and can't stand the fact that it gets sold short because of its population and media market. Crap, what ever happened to the little engine that could? Hell, he made it over the hill and down the other frickin' side...

 

Check out the lat paragraph of Dobson's Blog:

http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/blogs/2009/03/18/dobson_nobrainer/

The league does things on it own timetable, and if Ottawa beats Portland in the race to get it all done, even if it means May or June, the league will wait until then if they have to. Either way Ottawa gets in at some point if Melnyk wins the stadium battle.

 

Interesting piece. I doubt that Portland will take long enough to wrap up their issues to allow Ottawa in for 2011, although their council vote was less than emphatic, so it might still waver. However I still think that if we win the stadium battle, we could get a team for 2012 announced in the May timeframe. Melnyk has to be able to convince the council that the probability of getting a franchise is very high if the stadium is approved, otherwise they will think they are wasting their time approving a stadium with no guaranteed tenant, over a competing plan that already has an approved franchise.