They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot. It looks like it's that parking lot that they now want to build on, not the surrounding farmland:
This will not happen, not if Garber doesn't want to lose any credibility he has left. Don't forget, he announced to the world that the Montreal bid was not retained... What credibility would he have if he suddenly changed his mind and bumped off another group that had been there since the beginning. Either MLS is the major league of soccer in North America or it is another bad american attempt at the world's game. If they suddenly change their mind on Montreal, it is the latter.
I don't think it makes sense either. If Montreal are so confident of gate receipts they could pay the asking expansion fee like everybody else.
It's Called Soccer, a new Internet radio program that can be heard on Thischannel.com Saturdays at noon eastern, had a 20 min roundtable discussion on the Ottawa bid this past week. You can watch it on demand here:http://24thminute.blogspot.com/2009/02/ottawa-roundtable-on-icf.html The rest of the show covers MLS and TFC topics with a dash of Europe thrown in.
MOD NOTE: Enjoy your subforum boys! Once you get a few posts going, let me know if there are any you want "stickied." If it's reasonable, I'll do it.
What can I say. I enjoy sports. I just spent a pleasant evening watching a revitilised Ottawa Senators shut out the Nashville Predators, while e-mailing a number of Ottawa councilors. I sent a letter to the Ottawa Citizen(should publish tomorrow) and copied it to the Ottawa council and they have been e-mailing me for more information all day.
Just playing around with the temples to see what it could look like. Any other suggestions on other sponsors’, I went with Rim because they seem to be the only high-tech still going strong in the area.
Nice ideas!! RIM would be a good idea for sponsor, and there are certainly not as many possibles as there were a few years ago. Maybe Plasco Energy (Rod Bryden's new company), but since they work with garbage it might be too tempting for the headline writers, if the expansion team sucked for a few seasons.
An American group wants to bring the CFL to Rochester or Detroit. Expansion to the States could work if it is down right this time. I mean, the CFL originally wanted to go to teams close to the border, but completely abandoned that by putting teams in Las Vegas, Houston and Baltimore. if they stick to the original plan this time, it's not as far fetched as people make it out to be. Try something with a more AC Milan type of look.
That's a pretty cool idea for a kit. The colors are good. I'd like a the kits to feature lot of white with red and maybe a bit of black. Basically our national colours. Gold is fine too. Those colours have always represented our city's sports teams well.
Someone posted a link to this article in the Miami thread on the MLS news and analysis board, and I thought I'd share it here: http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=goal_leo_cullen_barca&prov=goal&type=lgns Front-runners, eh?
Not sure about favourites but I would bet that the two teams are going to come from a group of 3 (Vancouver, Portland and Ottawa). St. Louis' ownership group (whoever they all were) were having their financial strength "questioned" prior to the world's financial system melting down......I can't imagine their finances have strengthened in the intervening months. Miami is a city that has failed in MLS before and I always got the impression that the league was looking there reluctantly but were tempted by the lure of having Barcelona involved.......now that they seem to be questioning the whole thing, I think the league goes back to thinking of Miami as just another city....but one where the league did not work before. That leaves the other 3.....all have keen, willing and able ownership......just, comes down to who has the best stadium situation/solution......funny how it is going to come down to stadium and (if my read is correct) the city that looked after the stadium issue first (St. Louis) is not likely to be in the mix!
If that is the case, then MLS should add either Vancouver or Portland (to create a rivalry with Seattle) and Ottawa (to create a rivalry with Toronto). Unfortunately for Vancouver, i would be surprised to see MLS go with 2 Canadian teams (even though no one is questionning that Vancouver would do well in MLS).
I realize that you are biased toward Canada, just as I am biased toward St. Louis. But please do your homework. Yes, St. Louis' ownership group was being questioned before the meltdown. Since then they added 3 additional financial partners - one of which was investing in excess of $500 M. They then added Puljos - not that that has any real importance. At the draft, Garber said he would like St. Louis to get even more money (not that they didn't have enough). Two weeks ago, Garber met with the St. Louis group to add yet another partner. So, "their finances have strengthened in the intervening months." I'm not saying St. Louis is in or that Ottawa is out. No one knows what will happen. I'm still expecting MLS to announce teams in Little Rock and Saskatoon. But please, if you are going to compare bids, at least know what you are talking about.
Before you quote me as being biased towards Canada (I guess based on my location you feel that) read some of my previous posts where, in great detail, I have outlined why I do not want MLS to expand further into Canada. If that takes too much time, take a look at that wish/think poll thread.....if anything, I am biased against further expansion into Canada. What I express here (and I think it is clear ) is simply my own thoughts on how I read the situations not fact, not quotes, just my own, very, humble opinion. The last public statement from the league (that I am aware of) is that they would like the finances strengthened further, no? There have been no such statements about Portland/Vancouver/Ottawa (different concerns but not ownership finances). Since I am not, and do not claim to be, an insider, I can only go by the public statements that I see and, therefore, that is why my post described itself as "my read " and the statement that the expansion would come from one of the 3 teams I listed as "a bet". Since all I am talking about is my opinion based on what I have read in public media....I think I do know what I am talking about. I must say, I post on 3 or 4 boards on a variety of subjects.....this is the only board where the moderators actively jump on people for expressing their opinions if they don't happen to agree with the moderators.....thinking of shrinking my list of boards to 2 or 3!
Here: (From Feb 11) http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=goal_garber_barcelonamiami_mls&prov=goal&type=lgns
breaking that quote down does not change my opinion/interpretation that, in the league's eyes (not mine...cause I know nothing) they are not yet there in terms of finances/partners......."they have made progress" note it does not say "we are satisfied"......"I had some meetings.....with a potential partner..." does not say "they have brought in a new partner and he/they have the dough to satisfy us" (this is like seeing a potential site for a stadium in __________(insert city name)"....it is only potential....
True, but it is a long way from your "I can't imagine their finances have strengthened in the intervening months." Also, lets see if this goes anywhere - too early to tell at this point.
You one of those people that are still clamoring for a Canadian league? If you want that, further MLS and USL expansion will be the only way to go.