Yeah, it would be interesting to see the data they used for each of those cities. You are right, it is just one narrow measure, but a measure nonetheless that we can add to the other measures in order to draw more informed conclusions. Here are most of the categories of information we have collectively determined, imho: - USL attendance stats - existence of supporters groups - past history with the game - population size - population demographics - media reach - corporate base and sponsorship potential - financial clout of ownership group - synergistic relationships of ownership group (other sports, other entertainment, etc) - civic and political will to fund stadiums - existing stadium and sports infrastructure - Paul
The map really brings out the fact that there is ZERO MLS footprint in the South. And I like your idea for Atlanta in particular. I think most Southern fans, especially in Alabama, follow Atlanta sports teams. A team in GA with a few games a year in Birmingham would be a cool idea.
While Portland "is as big as, or bigger" than many of the metro areas and/or cities you cited, Denver isn't one of them. * The Denver-Aurora, CO Metro Area (2,464,866... #21) has a larger population than the Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA Metro Area (2,175,113... #23). * The City of Denver (556,835... #25) has a larger population than the City of Portland (533,492... #30). * Denver (#18) is a larger Nielsen Designated Market Area than Portland (#23). * The Denver-Aurora, CO Metro Area is home to more Fortune 500 headquarters (10) than the Portland-Vancouver-Beaverton, OR-WA Metro Area (2), as well as more Fortune 1000 headquarters (14 compared to 5).
Tampa and Miami failed MLS team in the past. Orlando metro 2.7 million, 10th tV market. Orlando support NBA, MILS, AFL, it is not a saturated marked. Large european population. Two facilities for MLS, the soon to be renovated Citrus Bowl (remember it hosted world cup games) and the new Bright house stadium.
I'd like to see more teams in the southwest, because of its proximity to Mexico, in particular Phoenix and Las Vegas. The large latino fan bases plus the rivalries that could be cultivated with teams across the border with lots of away fan support, seems like something MLS could take greater advantage of. The southeast could use at least one team, probably Atlanta, because of its cosmopolitan nature and the media presence. Maybe add Miami, but only if they get a stadium built in the right place, because I don't think you can rely on retirees for your fan base. The northwest needs Portland and Vancouver to go with Seattle, and that would produce a very healthy three-way rivalry and make lots of $$$$ for the league. I'd also like to see Baltimore get a team, because for those who want to see more away support at games, there'd be no better scenario than to have DC-Baltimore-Philadelphia-New York-New York (2nd franchise)-New England all lined up on one heavily-used traffic corridor. Practically every other week would have a rivalry game and command headlines, and you'd have attendances up the wazoo. And then finally, I want Montreal in the league only because a French-speaking fan base adds another delicious wrinkle to the MLS palette. And okay, throw in St. Louis. They've been suffering long enough. But for some reason I think the commissioner has some uneasiness about the Colinsville location. That's kind of way out there, you know? Look how good it's done for Dallas, and yet at least Frisco can claim to be one of the fastest-growing cities in the entire country.
There may be many things wrong with Collinsville, but it isn't distance... You can easily see the buildings of downtown St Louis from there and it is 13 miles by road from downtown and less than 10 as the crow flies... if it were on the Mo side of the river and the same distance from downtown, people would be saying it was perfect...
Yes. Compare that with 31 miles between Dallas and Frisco. And according to Google Maps, it could take up to 90 minutes to drive from Dallas to Frisco in traffic. Collinsville and Frisco don't compare in those terms. The negative of Collinsville is not the distance. It is the psychological issue of the state line and the river, similar to what we were seeing with the potential "Philly" stadium in south New Jersey. However, it looks like Collinsville is a go, and the league isn't worried about it. It was the investment group that had them worried. - Paul
man, mls really needs to fill that void in the lower left corner of the map. so when can we expect a team in alaska and hawaii?