Most people assume the league will go to at least 32, but obviously nothing official has been said. If by some chance they don't expand further, I think the relocation game will start, so Vegas has a shot still.
Wes Edens pulled back because of the cost of construction in the current market environment. His initial investment would be around $1B and that became prohibitive. I’m not sure how much of an appetite there would be for public money in Las Vegas. Right now the A’s are trying to get $400M to build a ballpark where the Tropicana is located and state legislators are balking at it. And I don’t think Edens wants to go 100% private at that cost. So he backed off his bid. That’s the rumor here anyway.
If something could be worked out where the team played at Allegiant Stadium I think there would be a much greater possibility of Las Vegas expansion.
What confuses me there shouldn’t be any excuse for space. Vegas is sprawl central there are so many places you could throw in a stadium close to downtown
If a team were to play in Vegas, would it be subjected to a new facility or would they play in the existing Raiders 61,000 seat Allegiant indoor Stadium?
The issue with Vegas is that they either need to play at Allegiant Stadium or they need to build their own SSS that is either domed or has a retractable roof. The second option is just plain stupid expensive. The first option only really works if the Davis Family is convinced to be part of the ownership group. Otherwise right now, Vegas is on the outside looking in.
Not sure the Davis family has the financial chops to be able to afford an MLS team (their only asset IS the Raiders). And you wouldn’t want that dysfunctional boob running your team anyway.
After years of following the Raiders during their many years in Oakland and the East Bay Area, they never once showed the slightest bit of interest or ever wanted to invest in a soccer team from what i recall. I don't think Al Davis ever cared for the sport and I never knew Mark existed until Al died. I’m trying to think if Soccer Silicon Valley made an approach to them or not when the original to Quakes team moved to Houston but as I recall, the only interested parties were the current and former owner John Fisher and Lew Wolff.
He also owns the Aces of the WNBA. Him being a part of the ownership group would alleviate the need to build a seperate domed/retractable roof SSS.
So…the Raiders and Mark Davis do not own Allegiant Stadium. The Las Vegas Stadium authority does. I feel like this entire thread is just kids who don’t understand that a $500M - $1B investment for an expansion team means you have to have a perspective owner willing to pay. A lot of people are just like, The MLS SHOULD put a team in Honolulu. They should do a lot of things. If you guys do know a billionaire who is willing to foot the bill for an expansion team anywhere in this country…you too can get your city on the map! How exciting!
Or Garber & Co. will allow one of his owners who already has an existing an team relocate there. I can easily see that scenario happening.
Ding, ding, ding! This is why the league's teams are building/have built significant infrastructure (stadiums, training grounds/team facilities, Academies.....). It builds roots in the community, and makes it more difficult for a team to be moved. Also raises the value of the team as a whole. I highly doubt MLS wants to go through another Precourt situation. MLS doesn't have to expand. They can be selective going forward. That said, if and when they expand again the next two teams are going to cost their owner(s) a serious amount of money. The one wrench in this will be IF the CSA/Concacaf doesn't renew the three Canadian MLS teams sanctioning whenever that comes up. Hopefully Concacaf will be under better leadership at that point though.
Also read MLS is more interested in placing teams in cities where their is less completion from NFL, NHL, NBA and MLB teams, Vegas may be becoming on of those places.
Don’t be so sure. If you read the Quakes boards we are all skeptical of owner John Fisher who is already moving his A’s there. The Quakes stadium can easily be dismantled and his Coleman Highline at the same location can also be expanded. Most of us fans wouldn’t put anything past him.
Yeah of all the stadiums the league has built, the Quakes was certainly the laziest/cheapest since original Crew stadium. The Earthquakes are not safe, at least until a committed local owner buys them.
I also used to think building a stadium was the answer to everything and would keep teams safe and in place but I’m not so sure anymore. Anthony Precourt wanted to move the Crew to Austin and he had a 16- or 17-year-old stadium in place. When Fisher moves his Oakland A's to Las Vegas, the Quakes stadium will be 12-13 years old. Therefore, having a stadium in place is not a guarantee that a franchise won’t relocate. I don't live in Columbus so I can't judge them but I do live and work in San Jose-Silicon Valley and know exactly how things work. The Quakes stadium is in the heart of Fisher's big real estate project that he has already made millions off of. I'm sure the park has appreciated somewhat since it was first built but he can make a lot more money by tearing it down and going forth, expanding his office building project. With the high cost of real estate in the valley, it would also be more lucrative in the long run.
How so? He doesn’t own Allegiant Stadium. This goes to what I was saying, he’s poor for an NFL owner and doesn’t have any real assets beyond daddy’s football team.
I'll counter that with Atlanta, Minnesota, Los Angeles, Miami and Cincinnati. But the timing for a Vegas expansion is not good.
Meanwhile Sacramento only has the kings and are supposedly posturing for the Phoenix coyotes . No sicker tho
Rumor has it that the only reason Mark's daddy, Al Davis (a former coach) owned the Raiders was because he cooked the books during the olden days of the AFL where he was commissioner before the NFL merger otherwise he will never been the principal owner in that franchise.