It looks as though Indianapolis might lose their Colts from the NFL. Obviously they couldn't play in the RCA dome, but Indy would be a prime candidate for a team. It has a dream location between Columbus and Chicago. It would be great to have fans from other teams go to away matches like other places in the world. Rivalries build fan bases and make things interesting. MLS, with the exception of DC, NY and New England, is so spread out that local rivalries are hardly developed. I never hear talk of an MLS team coming to Indy. Any clue why?
Are there any stadiums that would suit MLS in Indy? They played the open cup final there in 97 and sold out a small stadium. But as far as consistently supporting teams, I don't know how well they'd do. Indianapolis is behind way too many cities to be considered for expansion, but if there is an interested group and a potential place to play, that can change. My opinion is that Indy would be a good place for the A-League, not sure about MLS. Besides, it looks like my San Diego Chargers are on the inside track for getting relocated (). Indy has until 2006 on their lease.
The Blast aren't exactly what you'd call a "major league" organization, however. The intro to the website - to be found at http://www.indianablast.com , features a techno beat driving beneath a guy on a radio recalling an air raid drill. Of course, the punchline is that the Blast logo follows the whole static interlude - the logo being one of the lamest in the history of soccer. Their tagline is "Indiana's Only Professional Soccer Team." While their stadium position seems to be decent, it's actually called...well, check it out here - http://www.indianablast.com/kuntz.html . Now, I'm extremely glad that the A-League has a presence in Indy and Indiana, and it's great that this club is making a go of it. But should the Colts leave (by no means a given, but clearly a possibility), that would leave the city with no Major teams outside of the wonderful Pacers. They play AAA ball at Victory Field - "Recognized as the "Best Minor League Ballpark in America" by such prominent publications as Baseball America and Sports Illustrated" - ( http://www.indyindians.com/victory_field/profile.html ), but that would seem to leave a bit of the gap in the sporting scene there. Again, serious discussions of these sites is really only meaningful when an I/O or SSS is at least a possibility. But among the purely speculative locales, I'd put a Colt-less Indy up on that board.
My sister-in-law did her sports marketing internship with the Blast. She didn't seem to think that Indy was a good MLS prospect, for what it's worth.