In the St. Louis Post Dispatch this morning, there is evidence that St. Louis is actually bidding for an MLS team: "A group of investors is looking at acquiring an expansion team that would begin play in 2008 in the St. Louis area, possibly in the Metro East. The main issue is securing a location and putting together financing to build a soccer-specific stadium. A final decision on a stadium site could come in the next few weeks. "We're looking at our options for putting an expansion team in St. Louis," said Michael Huyghue of Florida, who is part of the group pursing a team. "We've met with Major League Soccer, had a feasibility study and made other inroads. At this point, we're very serious about it, but it's still in the planning stage and we're not ready to make an official announcement." Huyghue, a former general manager of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars, is the present of a sports entertainment company, Axcess Sports, and is also an entertainment agent who represents among others, Snoop Dogg." link: St. Louis Post Dispatch Sports Garber has been talking about expansion in St. Louis, but there hasn't been any talk about it here in St. Louis until this article! I have hope now that it may happen!
It's interesting to again see potential MLS operators looking for an SSS site on the "wrong" side of the river/state border. i.e. Kansas City = Kansas; not Missouri Philadelphia = New Jersey; not Pennsylvania St. Louis = Illinois; not Missouri
Harrison, NJ, not NYC. Commerce City, not Denver. Frisco, not Dallas. Bridgeview, not Chicago. It's a question of where there's available, inexpensive land & attractive deals to build these stadiums. There simply isn't the room or inclination to build in the middle of downtown areas. Ask the Jets (West Side, Manhattan) how that deal panned out.
This is totally in line with how I read Don Garber's comment on St. Louis. Everything's there but the stadium. Sounds like the investor group is looking to bolster a case for some public funding.
Kings is done... in two leagues. How 'bout St. Louis Clydesdales, instead? There isn't anything in America a clydesdale is associated with besides Budweiser, plus it's a big, strong, graceful animal, so it fits the traditional US sports-team mascot theme AND it has ties to the area. Plus, if AB is willing to throw some mad cash at the team for said name, even better. From the article: Did the article really say he's the "present" and not president? Nice editing! Huyghue has just gotta get Snoop to be an investor. That would be way entertaining to imagine Snoop, St. Phil and Lamar hanging out at an investors meeting. Plus, it would give MLS the much bally-hooed street cred.
Budweiser St. Louis v. Red Bull New York, I can live with that. Coppertone San Diego, anyone? Microsoft Seattle FC?
Waitaminute? You mean the Deuce doesn't have any street cred? No way dude!! Seriously, this is nothing but good for the league, St. Louis has had a very long history of being one of the major hubs of soccer in the US. I hope they get a team.
Huyghue said his group has "a site in mind, but it would have to be the focus of private-public funding and that step has to happen before we're approved by the league. I think all of those things can happen, but I don't want to get ahead of myself and say they'll happen perfunctorily." The article omitted Huyghue's early years as an English teacher, when he tutored, among others, Mike Tyson.
Plus, ya gotta figure that if Snoop is involved, as far as the stadium goes it's grass all the way...none of that hocus-pocus fieldturf, fa shizzle.
Props! With Tina growing up in East St. Louis,IL the reference is perfect. The amazing thing is that in the print version of the Post-Dispatch, this article appears at the top of the front page of the sports section, above the picture of Albert Pujols homering on his fourth consecutive at bat. Big news when you displace the Cardinals. This doesn't happen perfunctorily.
Actually, Kansas City is in both Kansas and Missouri. It's just that the major stadums and arenas are on the Missouri side.
Commerce City is basically Denver. The site is only 8 miles or so from downtown Denver and is a stones throw (a mile or less) from the City of Denver. This isn't another case of a team being located in a sprawling metropolis. We're the Colorado Rapids anyway. Back on topic, I'd love to see a St. Louis MLS Club.
St. Louis is a great place to put a team. It is a short drive from Kansas City, and Chicago. It will be great to finally have a road trip from KC that doesn't take the bare minimum of 7 hours on the road one way. St. Louis is a great soccer town. You could have a pretty good team if you just took St. Louis natives or Saint Louis University alumni. ---Pickens(Chi)----- Rhine(Dal)- Ralston(NE)-Klein(RSL)-Jewsbury(KC) Brad Davis(KC) Twellman(NE)-McBride(Fullham)-Noonan(NE) Others Will John (KC) Ok so they are a little light on the defensive side of things, but that is an attacking team with a solid midfeild.
"You must spread reputation before giving it to GoSounders again." I think St. Louis would be cool. Street cred... how 'bout the St. Lunatics. St Louis would give KC their first real arch rival.
Haaaaaaaaaallelujah Haaaaaaaaaallelujah Hallelujah, Hallelujah Halleeeeeelujaaaaah (That's the Hallelujah Chorus, the way I heard it in my head when I read the article this morning.)
In that case, they should be the St. Louis Warlocks. One name that I was just talking about with my brother is the Dreadnoughts. I saw that name in Lakeland at a soccer tournament about 4 years ago, and its stuck. Its probably too long for a pro sport team, but it's still sweet. I would support the Dreadnoughts regardless of their geographical proximity to me.