Miami Barca out of the race

[Ryan1984]

http://web.mlsnet.com/news/mls_news.jsp?ymd=20090303&content_id=221343&vkey=pr_mls&fext=.jsp

[Roogsy]

Don't let the door hit you on the way out!

[Nodoubtguy]

so who's actually left now???

Portland, St Louis, Ottawa, Vancouver????

[Sab0tage]

I think this opens for the door for Ottawa even more. I'm looking at Ottawa and Portland, if both can get their stadium sorted out. I think Vancouver still has a chance, and maybe even Montreal after the 2011 expansion.

[Roogsy]

Oh man...Ottawa now actually has a chance! LOL!

[Sab0tage]

Oh man...Ottawa now actually has a chance! LOL! I'm excited for them if they make it. A close, potential rival and another Canadian club. Should be interesting to see what MLS does.

[Tintin]

Montreal will be in soon enough. It's a given. 2011 at the latest.

[Sab0tage]

Montreal will be in soon enough. It's a given. 2011 at the latest. If Saputo pays the expansion fees.

[Nodoubtguy]

If Saputo pays the expansion fees.

i see them dropping from $40M.....if Barca doesn't want to pay that, how can they expect Saputo to?? I think Barca backing out will wake up MLS and maybe go with a $30M fee

[NF-FC]

Sha na na na, sha na na na, hey hey hey, good bye!

This is the best news I've heard in a while (since Atlanta dropped out)

[Dunkers]

Vancouver will get in before Ottawa

They arleady have plans to revamp BC place, much like the way the sounders are doing it with Qwest field, they have an established market, as the whitecaps are among the top attended teams in the USL. ANd the bid is being proposed by someone already in the soccer community (Whitecaps management)

Ottawa on the other hand, cant decide where to play, does not have a proven market, and is being run by Eugene Melnik, the biggest fraudster since Conrad Black...

Portalnd and Van get in, and Houston or Dallad move from the west to the east.

[keem-o-sabi]

Thank goodness Miami is gone. I think MLS may be more relieved. This last group in the USL is going under too and they spent a lot to try and bring players in and with 2 failed MLS attempts in FLA already this is not good.

I always had mixed emotions, I thought why couldn't Barca be interested in say St. Louis or some other city, anywhere other than Miami. Now we don't have to worry about Miami any longer.

I think they should let all 4 groups in, saying you two are ready for 2011 and you two are ready for 2013 or something like that. I'd say Vancouver as they have a team already and their facility (well BC Place, not their much vaunted waterfront stadium) and St. Louis as they have the deal with the govt to get the stadium up.

Portland has the team, but if all the USL 1 teams are gone, I can't imagine they'd want to pay the money to be the only group on the west coast any longer.

Ottawa seems to be great. They remind me a lot of the Checketts group in Salt Lake. Believe me, none of us thought RSL belonged. SImilarities between RSL and Ottawa are pretty similar.

I would love to be able to go see a couple MLS matches out in the Northwest in the next couple years. We don't need big cities like Miami that can't support the league. With 20k tickets sold in Seattle, Philly doing well with their ticket deposits, and possibly a rethink of the Montreal situation, the league could be much stronger shortly. It seems that the newer teams are doing much better than the older teams (sans DCU) in terms of marketing properly.

[drewski]

i see them dropping from $40M.....if Barca doesn't want to pay that, how can they expect Saputo to?? I think Barca backing out will wake up MLS and maybe go with a $30M fee

because a Montreal MLS team has a better chance of succeeding and making that money back then Miami (ho already lost one MLS team) does?

I hope Ottawa gets it, not only cause a close rival would be sweet but there's a chance i might be moving there and it woudl mean more chances to catch TFC

[NF-FC]

WQMg_xckD3g

[Sab0tage]

Vancouver will get in before Ottawa

They arleady have plans to revamp BC place, much like the way the sounders are doing it with Qwest field, they have an established market, as the whitecaps are among the top attended teams in the USL. ANd the bid is being proposed by someone already in the soccer community (Whitecaps management)

Ottawa on the other hand, cant decide where to play, does not have a proven market, and is being run by Eugene Melnik, the biggest fraudster since Conrad Black...

Portalnd and Van get in, and Houston or Dallad move from the west to the east. Ottawa does know where to play, they are just waiting for a decision from the city regarding the stadium.

Ottawa, Portland and Vancouver are all having stadium issues, but all are willing to pay the fees. The one hopeful that actually has an SSS in place won't pay the current fees. I hope they lower the fees, because if they do Montreal is certain to be awarded a team.

[ensco]

Looks like there are only two criteria:

1) Can you fog a mirror?
2) Do you have $40 million cash in hand?

It wouldn't surprise me if nobody meets both criteria

[drewski]

Vancouver will get in before Ottawa

They arleady have plans to revamp BC place, much like the way the sounders are doing it with Qwest field, they have an established market, as the whitecaps are among the top attended teams in the USL. ANd the bid is being proposed by someone already in the soccer community (Whitecaps management)

thought they were getting a waterside stadium?

[Bender]

Happy to hear this, would prefer clubs with their own identity. i did not want MLS to become a "farm league" much like the American Hockey League n such.

[olegunnar]

Miami is a deadzone for sports.

[AL-MO]

Best news I have heard in some time.

[ginkster88]

Vancouver gets in then, with one of Ottawa, St. Louis and Portland.

Of those three, I think the best bid is St. Louis', while the one most free from financial hang-ups is Ottawa.

It will be interesting to see how this all turns out.

[Stryker]

HAHAHA. Awesomeness.
Miami soccer fans were so cocky that they were gonna walse in and run MLS because Barca was backing the team.
Canada will definetely get one of the expansion slots now. :D

[Bender]

Vancouver gets in then, with one of Ottawa, St. Louis and Portland.

Of those three, I think the best bid is St. Louis', while the one most free from financial hang-ups is Ottawa.

It will be interesting to see how this all turns out.

St. Louis is having trouble coming up with the funding... I'm pretty much counting them out as well. So if Portland city council vote not to help out the Timbers you may very well see Vancouver & Ottawa. Was HIGHLY unlikely when all teams were in the running, but now i'd upgrade it to unlikely.

[NF-FC]

St. Louis is having trouble coming up with the funding... I'm pretty much counting them out as well. So if Portland city council vote not to help out the Timbers you may very well see Vancouver & Ottawa. Was HIGHLY unlikely when all teams were in the running, but now i'd upgrade it to unlikely.

apparently the have "new investors", which they having been claiming every other month for the last two years.

[Sab0tage]

Vancouver and Ottawa for 2011, and Montreal for 2012. :D

[ginkster88]

thought they were getting a waterside stadium?

That would be the perfect scenario, but right now is just a big bag of hurt...

The Whitecaps own the land on which the waterfront stadium is proposed to be built, but the city won't give them permission to actually build it.

They are moving into what will be a beautifully renovated BC Place following the Olympics, and then hoping for the waterfront stadium to materialize sooner rather than later.

[Toronto Ruffrider]

thought they were getting a waterside stadium?

The Whitecaps waterfront stadium has been delayed over and over again thanks to NIMBYs. Funding isn't even an issue in Vancouver, as the stadium would be entirely funded by the private sector. Only in that city would a sure thing be bogged down for no good reason.

[Bender]

apparently the have "new investors", which they having been claiming every other month for the last two years.

They claim that, but they haven't shown it very well. I'm calling a bluff, its simply to either A) Attract even more investors or B) Buy themselves some time to attract more investors.

If they can't pony up the 40m, then see ya later.

[ThunderTundra]

I hope Vancouver and Portland get it this time around. and St. Louis and Montreal for the next round.

The rivalries out west are great and the towns are all fairly close so it would allow for some great support on the road.

Portland fans have been protesting in the streets for a team since Seattle got in

Two canadian teams will crush the talent pool into oblivion and Ottawa needs to get some things together before they have MLS

[CretanBull]

i see them dropping from $40M.....if Barca doesn't want to pay that, how can they expect Saputo to?? I think Barca backing out will wake up MLS and maybe go with a $30M fee

To save face, they'll keep the fee at $40 million but allow teams to use part of their own expansion fee to renovate or upgrade their stadiums etc.

[sidvan]

To save face, they'll keep the fee at $40 million but allow teams to use part of their own expansion fee to renovate or upgrade their stadiums etc.
Didn't Saputo propose to do exactly that? CAD$ though

[Super Cereal]

News makes me unbelievably happy.

COME ON OTTAWA! I would be the happiest man ever if Ottawa wins!

[Bender]

I hope Vancouver and Portland get it this time around. and St. Louis and Montreal for the next round.

The rivalries out west are great and the towns are all fairly close so it would allow for some great support on the road.

Portland fans have been protesting in the streets for a team since Seattle got in

Two canadian teams will crush the talent pool into oblivion and Ottawa needs to get some things together before they have MLS

Well I think an agreement could be reached whereas Canadian and American players would both count as domestic. At that point we may as well.

[Carts]

With all the bids that have be rejected, and the bad economic climate I hope the league doesn't hand out two expansion franchises, just because they stated two spots were open...

If there isn't 2 teams worthy of expansion (not saying there is or isn't) than they shouldn't award two teams...

If a bid falls short of criteria, and is not 100% strong and stable, than it shouldn't get a team...

Even if they award expension to 0-teams, that's better than bringing in a sinking ships...

If there's only 1-bid that looks to be 100% solid, give 1-franchise...

Hopefully, 2 strong bids, that are good for the health of the league are there - and 2 teams are awarded. But if bids/ownership/teams are not up to par - than don't, for the good of the league, give them a franchise...

Carts...

[Shakes McQueen]

You know what I want? I want Garber to fucking announce who is getting teams already.

I'm so tired of speculating about this. It's been months and months.

- Scott

[CretanBull]

Didn't Saputo propose to do exactly that? CAD$ though

Something similar yeah. I think given the financial situation a model like that makes more sense than ever, and the MLS can't ignore the giant turn out at the Big O. The league knows that Toronto is money in the bank for them, I can't how they could see that turn out in Montreal and not be tempted to add another Toronto/Seatle success type story to the league.

[canadian_bhoy]

Barcelona: I'm sorry, we're withdrawing our bid. It's not you - It's me.

MLS: You're giving me the "it's not you, it's me" routine? I invented "it's not you, it's me". Nobody tells me it's them not me, if it's anybody it's me.

Barcelona: All right, MLS, it's you.

MLS: You're DAMN right it's me!

[CretanBull]

They aren't going to over-populate the league with Canadian teams, especially ones so closely together but can you imagine the fun we'd have if both Ottawa and Montreal were added to the league? Close road trips & lots of hate to go around!

[NF-FC]

Portland+Vancouver= Great Success!

[Super Cereal]

You know what I want? I want Garber to fucking announce who is getting teams already.

I'm so tired of speculating about this. It's been months and months.

- Scott

Agreed.

The thing that sucks. Ottawa City Council is even slower than MLS, and they don't plan to vote on which bid they want (Melnyk's SSS. Hunt's Landsdowne renovation) until mid-April. MLS announces the two winning franchise teams in mid-March I believe.

What are the chances MLS awards a team to Ottawa without having a stadium deal set in stone? Somewhat slim methinks. :(

[Lucky Strike]

So long and thanks for all the fish. I'm so glad Miami won't be part of MLS, I really don't want any junior team in MLS. Chivas can get away with it and brand itself as a sister team but Barça is so big, there's no chance Miami would ever be considered anything but vastly inferior.

[nascarguy]

i see them dropping from $40M.....if Barca doesn't want to pay that, how can they expect Saputo to?? I think Barca backing out will wake up MLS and maybe go with a $30M fee
if you think that go right a head and start dreaming of a tfc vsmtl mls game me I think that mls sould tell mtl you can have a team but only if limpact owners can not have anything to do with the team or pay 60m

so yeah mlt woul d have a usl and a mls team

[rocker]

this is sweet! screw Miami. My two least favourite bids, Atlanta and Miami, are out. They were both the shittiest sports markets of the big cities in America. Miami has like near league-bottom attendance in just about every pro sport.

I too believe Vancouver gets in before Ottawa. I know people talk about the "stadium situation" but I don't see how a renovated BC Place is any worse than Qwest Field. ya, Whitecraps won't own BC Place, but they'll get their SSS built soon enough... Seattle has no plans at all for an SSS.

I haven't heard much from St.Louis lately, ever since Garber dissed the ownership group for the millionth time.

My bet now is on Vancouver and Portland... awesome threeway rivalry in the northwest.

It's just too bad Vancouver can't get some last second agreement with the port authority and the city to build their SSS. that would be a slam dunk if they could get it.

[nascarguy]

no 2 westside teams no way .. It will be one east & one west

thing are going very bad in spain. i was looking to go to there for road trips

[Toronto Ruffrider]

I too believe Vancouver gets in before Ottawa. I know people talk about the "stadium situation" but I don't see how a renovated BC Place is any worse than Qwest Field. ya, Whitecraps won't own BC Place, but they'll get their SSS built soon enough... Seattle has no plans at all for an SSS.


That pretty much sums up the difference between Seattle and Vancouver. The Whitecaps won't have a new stadium for several years at least, so they need to get a decent lease at BC Place. The difference between stadium ownership and a bad lease agreement is night and day, as is evidenced by the common ownership group of the Sounders and Qwest Field in Seattle, and the Pink Cows' lease at Giants Stadium in New Jersey.

[Toronto Ruffrider]

no 2 westside teams no way .. It will be one east & one west

thing are going very bad in spain. i was looking to go to there for road trips

If there isn't a single decent bid from an eastern city, then what's to stop MLS from going with two west-coast teams? The Ottawa and St. Louis bids are not ironclad right now.

[Beach_Red]

If a bid falls short of criteria, and is not 100% strong and stable, than it shouldn't get a team...



The problem is the criteria. There could be many bids strong enough to field a team (the operating budget with such a low salary cap isn't that much) and build a stadium, but the $40 million fee is the wrong criteria.

It's starting to look like Montreal was right - the top priority should be the stadium and the ability to run a team.

[loconet]

Wohooo. Just read about it on a Spanish newspaper. Couldn't be any happier about this.

[kodiakTFC]

Miami is a deadzone for sports.

agreed.

[RealG-TFC]

Yeeeeaaahh!

[nascarguy]

The problem is the criteria. There could be many bids strong enough to field a team (the operating budget with such a low salary cap isn't that much) and build a stadium, but the $40 million fee is the wrong criteria.

It's starting to look like Montreal was right - the top priority should be the stadium and the ability to run a team.
I say there never right all they had to do was pay 40million and put athere 10,000 seat and they had a mls team.

[Redcoe15]

GOOD! I didn't like Miami's bid for a host of reasons, yet Garber seemed to want them in until he realized he had no choice. He couldn't let those frauds in after he told Joey Saputo to take a hike.

The word from St. Louis is that Jeff Cooper has added more investors to his bid, that already has a stadium deal in place in nearby Collinsville. A decision on renovations to Portland's stadium will be made very shortly, and it looks to be favorable. And Vancouver is ready with their bid and their deep pocketed investors. All three would make very good choices for MLS to add teams to the league.

Ottawa? :prrr:

[devioustrevor]

I don't think the St. Louis bid has a shot any more. Last rumour suggested that the group wanted to pay $9M with the rest of the expansion fee being considered in Stadium Investment. If I recall, Saputo offered $20M and Stadium Investment and Garber essentially laughed at him.

[rocker]

i know there's this belief (myth?) that St. Louis is the soccer capital of the US, so there's a lot of sympathy to them.
But in real numbers, anyone know what the soccer participation rate is like there versus Vancouver and Portland?

Another thing...one thing I didn't like about the St. Louis bid was the stadium way out in the boonies. It's about 23 km away from downtown St. Louis (same distance as downtown Toronto to Mississauga Road in Mississauga, without the same density around), in a different state, and development is pretty sparse around there (lots of empty farmers fields). There's no light rail public transit out that way either.

[Roogsy]

i know there's this belief (myth?) that St. Louis is the soccer capital of the US, so there's a lot of sympathy to them.
But in real numbers, anyone know what the soccer participation rate is like there versus Vancouver and Portland?

Another thing...one thing I didn't like about the St. Louis bid was the stadium way out in the boonies. It's about 23 km away from downtown St. Louis (same distance as downtown Toronto to Mississauga Road in Mississauga, without the same density around), in a different state, and development is pretty sparse around there (lots of empty farmers fields). There's no light rail public transit out that way either.


A...so in other words, a reciple for success! :rolleyes:

Seriously...MLS needs to start thinking beyond the initial infusion of cash and more into whether these franchises are sustainable. When I was in Dallas, I got a glimpse into what "Frisco" is in relation to the actual city of Dallas itself.

No offence to Newmarket residents here, (and/or Jimmy B) but it's like heading up the 404 for an hour. Who'd wanna do that on a regular basis?

[troy1982]

A...so in other words, a reciple for success! :rolleyes:

Seriously...MLS needs to start thinking beyond the initial infusion of cash and more into whether these franchises are sustainable. When I was in Dallas, I got a glimpse into what "Frisco" is in relation to the actual city of Dallas itself.

No offence to Newmarket residents here, (and/or Jimmy B) but it's like heading up the 404 for an hour. Who'd wanna do that on a regular basis?

You may not like the FC Dallas model but it is one that is profitable because it is in the burbs surrounded by soccer fields ( a big portion of there revenues comes from renting out the soccer fields that surronds the stadium which makes FCD along with TFC AND LAG as the only profitable teams in the league).

TFC isn't the only model to profitablity in this league.

[Redcoe15]

I don't think the St. Louis bid has a shot any more. Last rumour suggested that the group wanted to pay $9M with the rest of the expansion fee being considered in Stadium Investment. If I recall, Saputo offered $20M and Stadium Investment and Garber essentially laughed at him.
How's about you tell us where you got that source and then post it here.

[devioustrevor]

How's about you tell us where you got that source and then post it here.

From a link somebody else posted in the Vancouver-Portland in '11 thread (or whatever the thread title is).

24th Minute I think it's called.