We lost all of our entries, but here's the preview. on expansion: "We need to be bigger than a ten-team league. Expansion is not going to happen next year; we are looking at it for 2004." BUT, and it's a really big BUT, the rest of the information provided by Commissioner Garber allows me to think he's not blowing smoke. MLS is not experiencing minimal losses. They will be profitable inside 5 years. With that in mind, I have no reason to be cynical about his statement. Skeptical, always. Cynical, no.
MLS needs to expand quickly! The MLS needs to add two team by 2004 and 4 more teams by 2006. MLS is currently in some large markets: New York-New Jersey, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Washington and Dallas. MLS is currently in some medium markets: Columbus, Denver, San Jose and Kansas City. There are no small markets teams. Markets under 1.5 million which would encompass cities like Rochester, Oklahoma City and Tulsa. MLS needs to expand into two small markets: Oklahoma City and Rochester. MLS also needs to expand into Houston, Seattle, Philadelphia and Minneapolis-St. Paul.
if there is to be any reality to this, they would have to announce teams for the 2004 season by (the very latest) the middle of next season. thats one year from now. so, things would have to pick up very fast fro any likilhood of expansion happening.
The ACTUAL statement was... Here's what he said, with [comments] in brackets Fans and Stadiums are key to our next subject - - Expansion We need to expand our footprint - and we will - but it must be at the right time under the right circumstances. As I’ve stated before, we will expand when we have the right market, with solid local ownership and an appropriate facility, and not before. We continue to seek investors willing to commit to the sport for the long-term, along with a public or private vision for a soccer-specific stadium. [knew that, but thanks] This weekend, we have a contingent of interested investors joining us from Tulsa, Oklahoma and Cleveland, Ohio. In the past months, we have visited several new potential new MLS markets, including Toronto, Detroit, and San Antonio. [news. yup, real news. how about them apples? Toronto? Amazing. Cleveland, Detroit...and San Antonio. No Rochester, Seattle, or Portland talk. By the time the league gets to 16, there could be 3 Texas teams.] We will not be expanding the League in 2003. [duh] We are hopeful to expand in 2004, though we have no specific dates in place. [there it is. I knew it would be in there.] The grand prize for the soundbite contest goes to...Don Garber! Thanks for playing Don! See you Dallas next week! footnote: just having fun. Expansion will come, right now I'm more interested in stadia in Dallas and NY. Once that's done, expansion is easy.
Expansion is got to come! MLS has only ten teams, you better expand to at least 20 teams by 2008 if MLS wants tv revenue. In addition to placing teams in two small markets, Rochester, Oklahoma City or Tulsa, you are definitely going to have to place teams in these strategic areas: Pacific Northwest: Seattle, Portland or Vancouver. Great Lakes: Minnesota (St. Paul/Minneapolis), Cleveland or Detroit. Gulf Coast: Houston or a small market like Shreveport or Mobile. Northeast Atlantic: Philadelphia Southeast: Atlanta and a smaller market like Greensboro, Winston Salem, Columbia or Charleston.
My expansion quote: When Don Garber announced in early January that MLS was "reducing the number of teams by two, for now".
The MLS will not survive as a 10-team league, but it does need to carefully choose where it will expand to next. If 2004 is a real expansion year that means the new teams would have to move into existing stadiums not SSSs. That is what makes San Diego a perfect candidate. With the Padres leaving Qualcomm stadium, a soccer team here would have full access to the stadium until the Chargers begin play in August. Most markets like San Diego will never build a SSS without a team to occupy it. And most cities will not put public dollars into a stadium for a league that may not be around in 5 years.
Is the contest already over... my plagiarized entry is: IF YOU BUILD IT, WE WILL COME... (unless you put in fake grass or don't give us parking revenues or make us share the space with a bunch of high schoolers or if your owner's an a$$ or if St. Phil doesn't like you...) ... yes, it's from a baseball movie but baseball's supposed to be dying anyway so they won't need to use it... how bout an ad campaign-- use that guy who claimed the 70K fans at Giants Stadium...