I posted an article below from the Akron Beacon Journal. I hope it's true! Wolstien's business partner says he is close to aquiring land in Summitt county for a stadium. The article is in the expansion thread. Read, comment, enjoy the soccer goodness.
Here's the article-- picked up by the Associated Press (and in this case, run in the San Jose Mercury News): Cleveland hoping to lure Major League Soccer despite developer's death
Thanks for the link, Bill. Couldn't find the Plain Dealer's website through my normal search efforts. But still, the content and the message is still the same. Best of luck to Cleveland and that city's efforts to gain a resurgence with this bid. I hope they get an expansion team, as do a lot of other MLS fans.
In fact, everybody missed this bit from the Beacon-Journal's obit way back on May 18: Right up until his death, Wolstein was angling for a successful sports franchise. Having signed a letter of intent to bring a Major League Soccer expansion team to Cleveland next year, he was looking for a site in Summit or Cuyahoga counties for a stadium and trying to persuade various communities to pitch in financially. Wolstein's death may not end his quest. Summit County Development Director Joseph Migliorini, said Wolstein's associates contacted him Monday to inform him of Wolstein's passing and say they would continue to pursue the plan. ``This was a dream that he had,'' Migliorini said. So a day after Wolstein dies McGill is on the phone telling Summit COunty the deal is still on. Sounds to me like he's serious.
Bill, I must mention I enjoyed your last post on the Frankie Five Angels thread. Yes, I must get out to the German Family Society in Brimfield some soccer day and take it all in. Rather than mention "MLS" at any point, better to bone up on the Bundesliga (Remember PBS' Soccer Made In Germany ?) Those guys are still gonna have a time getting public funding. It would take quite a stretch to combine their idea for stadium with the University of Akron's need for replacing the crumbling Rubber Bowl... But that's about the only way I see it ever having a chance before the taxpayers in Summit. Migliorini & Co. have nothing with which to threaten us (such as loss of an existing pro franchise if it's not built) and very little with which to entice the unenlightened masses (could MLS alone win over the Barberton Speedway faithful? Yea, right Bubba). The Zips would be penny-wiser to build on-campus. It would take something big ($$$) to entice them north of town. Not saying it couldn't happen. Crazier things have (see Richfield Coliseum), with some, if not lasting, success. It would take a super-salesman... a Professor Harold Hill... and an expansion-hungry Mayor Shinn-type politician (such as Akron's current mayor, who's as blustery as the movie's Paul Ford) to get this going and snowball the tank-town rubes & yokals.
UA has been talking for years about a new on-campus stadium. This might be the best way for the MLS bid to go, because it could open another source of funding, the state's capital improvement budget. The state has contributed to sports facilities on campuses before, CSU and WSU come to mind. But there's one problem with this scenario. Akron ain't Cleveland. I'm not saying that the team has to be in the city of Cleveland proper, but if it's not in Cuyahoga county, or northern Summit county, it will be perceived as minor league. Regardless, I'm not holding my breath. I still can't see Summit county, or any local municipality kicking in to build this thing. Besides, I already have a MLS team. It may be 135 miles away, but that's alright by me.
Now that's an idea I can get behind. Build the SSS next to the Blue Streak and call the team the Coasters.
Here I believe is the fundamental problem. Cleveland has the lowest growth rate of the top 20 markets from 1990-2000. Any turn around? Will Cleveland be a top 20 market in 10-20 years? With a team already in Columbus would the competition be good for the league (I don't know)? Without a SSS and especially now without Wolstein, I think it's time to move this back to the general expansion forum. I'm no expert on Cleveland and open to being convince otherwise. 2000 1990 change percent New York, Northern New Jersey, Long Island, NY, NJ, CT, PA 21,199,865 19,549,649 1,650,216 8.40% Los Angeles, Riverside, Orange County, CA 16,373,645 14,531,529 1,842,116 12.70% Chicago, Gary, Kenosha, IL, IN, WI 9,157,540 8,239,820 917,720 11.10% Washington, Baltimore, DC, MD, VA, WV 7,608,070 6,727,050 881,020 13.10% San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, CA 7,039,362 6,253,311 786,051 12.60% Philadelphia, Wilmington, Atlantic City, PA, NJ, DE, MD 6,188,463 5,892,937 295,526 5.00% Boston, Worcester, Lawrence, MA, NH, ME, CT 5,819,100 5,455,403 363,697 6.70% Detroit, Ann Arbor, Flint, MI 5,456,428 5,187,171 269,257 5.20% Dallas, Fort Worth, TX 5,221,801 4,037,282 1,184,519 29.30% Houston, Galveston, Brazoria, TX 4,669,571 3,731,131 938,440 25.20% Atlanta, GA MSA 4,112,198 2,959,950 1,152,248 38.90% Miami, Fort Lauderdale, FL 3,876,380 3,192,582 683,798 21.40% Seattle, Tacoma, Bremerton, WA 3,554,760 2,970,328 584,432 19.70% Phoenix, Mesa, AZ MSA 3,251,876 2,238,480 1,013,396 45.30% Minneapolis, St. Paul, MN, WI MSA 2,968,806 2,538,834 429,972 16.90% Cleveland, Akron, OH 2,945,831 2,859,644 86,187 3.00% San Diego, CA MSA 2,813,833 2,498,016 315,817 12.60% St. Louis, MO, IL MSA 2,603,607 2,492,525 111,082 4.50% Denver, Boulder, Greeley, CO 2,581,506 1,980,140 601,366 30.40%
You may claim to be no expert on Cleveland, swedcrip, but your numbers are telling. NE Ohio was a major blue-collar industrial & manufacturing empire (ships/rubber/steel/clay) before everything literally and figuratively went south, and I don't ever see it coming back. Columbus is the only major Ohio city making leaps & bounds progress. MLS should know this, unless they know something the rest of us don't about Cleveland... or Akron (no smile icon available for choking on held-back laughter).