http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/othersports/112490_portside14.shtml http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/othersports/112490_portside14.shtml
Maybe in the future, but for this upcoming round of expansion no way. They don't have anything ready.
agree... lets expand in places where there are more interest of doing something in the right way (aka OKC)
mls may be a good fit for portland. but portland is not a good fit for mls, at least at this time get what i'm sayin?
If you wanted to see MLS in Portland, that was the worst news you could have heard. Basically, Seattle thinks you can't hack baseball, and maybe you should 'aim lower.' If there's anything that would motivate Portland, that would be it.
I think Seattle and Portland should have clubs there because from what I've heard they are big rivals cities. It would create a great atmosphere when they play each other.
Take it from a Portland resident, this is not the time for a MLS franchise. No investor on the horizon, no stadium worthy. Anyone can write a newspaper article--doesn't mean he knows what he's talking about.
The two knocks on Portland are investors and stadium issues (for both baseball and MLS). Fan support is not nor really ever has been an issue. I think if someone took the plunge and decided to try and get it to work out, then MLS would do well in Portland. The problem is, no one with enough money to make it work has any desire to try. Portland btw was second in the A-League drawing 6241 per game. http://www.uslsoccer.com/stats/aattendance.htm
Back in the 1990's the USMNT played several games in Portland and drew crowds in the 25,000 range. Is the stadium they used for those games still available, and if so, could it serve as a temporary home for an MLS expansion team?
That's PGE park, the Timber's home, which has two major drawbacks: it's shared with a baseball team, and it has artificial grass. Bascially whenever anyone talks about MLS in Portland, they always mean in PGE park.
Would it be feasible to put in new turf? What other drawbacks? Is the park or surface an issue with the Timbers? And what is the condition of the park? I think they would be a good fit after maybe OKC/Tulsa, Cleveland, Houston, Philly, Rochester, Seattle.... Correct be if I'm wrong, but isn't it in general a wealthy area, decent soccer base, and decent foreigner population.
You know, the idea of expansion to Portland is not that outlandish. PGE Park is a baseball stadium that they would have to convert for soccer, and it does have turf which are drawbacks. But anyone that watched the game yesterday with Chicago and NJ could tell you, in the rain a field turf like surface which they have in Portland is almost a bonus... and it rains alot in Portland. Also, despite the drawbacks in the stadiums configuration, it is very nice and modern, with a 35 million plus upgrade a few years ago and has a seating capacity right in the range of what is ideal for MLS. If they could find a local invester, they would shoot to the top of the list. Also, I wonder if their is anything to be said for the WWC semi's being given to that stadium. It could be a sign of things to come, or it cuold be nothing.
When I lived there and went to NASL games it had a third drawback. Some ubstructed view seats. I imagine it still does? It was a great atmosphere there, however, and the fans were very knowledgeble. A lot of ex pats from Europe too, at that time. I imagine it's a lot more diverse there now, as far as the crowd.
PGE Park is more a football stadium converted for baseball rather than the other way around... except for the location of the luxury suites in the most recent renovation. BTW, the park has less obstructed view seats since a 1982 renovation, but half the posts still exist... as if that were a problem. The burning question in Portland: will the AAA & A-League setup survive the next break? Ownership hasn't advertised squat lately, meaning that they at least give the apperance that they're praying for MLB to award the Expos to Portland in order to have the territorial buyout erase their debt. They're hardly spending money on the operation otherwise. That, at least, implies that baseball COULD be on its way out by either the PCL pulling the franchise or MLB making a temporary stay in PGE while a bigger ballpark is built. The WWC semifinal award may well be partly Nike (I heard about that more than once on Saturday in Salt Lake City), they definitely have influence. Thing is, Portland fills those seats for the big events. (Which reminds me, after watching that Saturday game on FieldTurf, I'm more convinced that even the current artificial surfaces are NOT sufficient for long-term consideration by MLS) I'm torn, really. Having been to Columbus (and about to go to LA), I recognize that a new park is a damn good idea- the distance from the stands to the "pitch" in Portland is relatively less than optimal. However, this is the stadium where Pele played his last "real" game ('77 Soccer Bowl), the stadium where the NASL Timbers had such a raucous introduction, the stadium that still may have had the best representation ever for the MNT... that is soccer history in a country that doesn't have enough of it.
You can take a virtual tour of the renovated stadium here. It's a nice baseball stadium. That's the best way I can put that. It is a nice stadium but its design and its general atmosphere is best suited for baseball. We'll see how they adapt for a high-profile soccer event like the WWC and then we can probably give a more accurate opinion of the stadium's adaptability for soccer.
i went to the wwc i went to the wwc games all three nights it was here in portland. they put in new turf just for the six games. the field looked awesome. there was also over 20,000 fans one of the nights and on october 5th there was over 27,000 fans. they put in some bench seating. pge park was rocking. the crowd was awesome. no knocks on the timbers but i would rather a mls team anyday over an a-league team. also i noticed somebody mentioned that seatlle & portland are big rivals. i would have to agree i saw the game between the sounders & the timbers and it was a blast. FIND AN INVESTOR AND BRING A MLS TEAM TO PORTLAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Re: i went to the wwc (from the previously mentioned article) The biggest obstacle, as usual, is ownership. Nike's Phil Knight puts his money into major improvements at the University of Oregon's Autzen Stadium and in supporting the Ducks, and Allen, who already has privately financed the Rose Garden, has his hands full with the Seahawks and Seahawks Stadium. i find this particular paragraph interesting, especially given how much nike has spent sponsoring soccer (man united, freddy adu, wc). why drop so much money for a sport and yet ignore the opportunity to place it in your own town? phil knight should step up and at least put some offer for ownership, besides it would less than what is spent for other sports.
Re: Re: i went to the wwc Every non-MLS investment mentioned above is pretty much guranteed a return. Meanwhile, MLS still hasn't shown to be profitable, and an expansion team will lose a good deal of money, possibly for years, and certainly in the short term. My guess is that while folks and Knight and Allen have the cash like Hunt and Anshutz, they don't have the love for the sport or the willingness to lose money now for a payoff that may or may not come. Compared to the MLS, Freddy, ManU and the World Cup are safe investments.
hello, Portland is nike, that is where their world headquarters are. if anybody should invest in a Ptown MLS team it is Phil Knight.
Nike does not, will not, and cannot sponsor leagues or teams. It will pay to be the supplier and put its logo all over something, but it won't be an I/O or anything. Yeah, I'd expect Nike to outfit any Portland team, but I wouldn't expect them to do much else.
Re: Re: Re: i went to the wwc How do you define "good deal of money" here? If we just go by the Crew since 1999(when they got their own home) or the Galaxy this season, how much money did those clubs lose? We've all seen articles posted on here claiming both clubs are not that far off from profitability, thanks in large part to the stadium deals they have. If an investor comes in and can either get PGE stadium or get a favorable lease (can't imagine that would be that difficult for a good businessman), how can somebody with no real knowledge of the business side of MLS say that it's a bad investment? I think I trust Uncle Phil or the new money man in Colorado (cannot remember his name) are smart business minds who have determined that MLS is a good investment. The payoff, with a good lease or stadium, is just a few years off realistically (and what business man can't wait five years or less to make money on an investment?). The stadium looked very good for the WWC semi-finals last Sunday. Not sure how it looks live in person, but on TV it looked great with the crowd. If somebody is willing to invest, I think Portland is a great spot for this league.
Portland would be a GREAT fit for the MLS (IF the MLS were doing better), especially if they put the Timbers back in Green & Gold and give 'em another AX to grind! There's nothing wrong with PGE Park...it's a little jewel compared to the charming dump Civic Stadium used to be, and the beer garden at field level is an absolute blast...and despite the rest of this country's perception of the Rose City (especially from those who've never lived there) it does NOT rain a lot...it rains a little bit on a lot of days, mostly during winter and part of spring...the fans have proved themselves during soccer season anyway (remember the Timbers/Stars playoff game in August, 1975? Civic was packed to the rafters in a downpour w/33,500 fans). I wouldn't call PDX a "perfect" fit but it's a damn good start, and the MLS could do a lot worse (and they will if they're considering past failures like Philly and Houston)... And forget Seattle...the Mariners and Seahawks have spoiled them rotten...they've become too much of a big-league snob to support the Sounders anymore.
I know of a couple of people who went to Portland for the WWC semi's. A team in Portland would draw people from the entire state. I for one would drive the two hours to go to a game. And I know I would not be the only one from Eugene. This area is starving for another pro team someday I hope it is the MLS.