Garber Sees Montréal As The 19th MLS Team

**Redcoe15** · 11-16-2009, 07:42 PM

MLS commissioner Don Garber sees Montreal as the 19th team in the league

While the Montreal Impact may not have realized its dream of joining Major League Soccer in 2011, MLS commissioner Don Garber still sees the Canadian team as the league's next franchise.

"Today we believe that we're going to be a 20-team league," Garber said Monday in his annual state of the address. "We know we're going to have 18 teams in 2011 (with the addition of Vancouver and Portland).

"We've had productive conversations with Montreal to be our 19th team. We have not put a timetable as to when that team would join the league if we're able to reach agreement with them."

Garber said on a wide-ranging hour-long conference call that there were no active discussions going on for the 20th team.

Montreal, which plays in the United Soccer Leagues, withdrew its bid for a 2011 franchise at the last minute a year ago after learning the MLS was demanding a US$40 million expansion fee. That was a fourfold increase from what Toronto FC paid to get in. The franchise fee was later dropped to $35 million.

Philadelphia is set to join the league next season, followed by the Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers in 2011.

Guaranteed to piss mighty off in a "mighty" way!

**billyfly** · 11-16-2009, 07:45 PM

My fear would be they join and make the playoffs and win MLS silverware before us.

**flatpicker** · 11-16-2009, 07:45 PM

^ that would be a nightmare.

**TFCRegina** · 11-16-2009, 07:57 PM

Originally Posted by Redcoe15

Guaranteed to piss mighty off in a "mighty" way!

Only De Ro could do worse.

I_AM_CANADIAN · 11-16-2009, 08:32 PM

^ LOL.

Only question is as to when. It would be dumb for the league not to want Montreal in.

**boban** · 11-16-2009, 08:37 PM

Originally Posted by flatpicker

^ that would be a nightmare.

In all seriousness, it would probably be the best thing.

**TorCanSoc** · 11-16-2009, 08:49 PM

SO they're just going top play pick-up games until this happens? I don't see a new league forming in what is amounting to a few months.

**billyfly** · 11-16-2009, 09:08 PM

Originally Posted by boban

In all seriousness, it would probably be the best thing.

I know what you mean but nnnoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

I've suffered enough.

**CoachGT** · 11-16-2009, 09:15 PM

19 = Montreal
20 = St. Louis

**mighty_torontofc_2008** · 11-16-2009, 09:22 PM

Originally Posted by Redcoe15

Guaranteed to piss mighty off in a "mighty" way!

yes to a certain extent it does..but one can always hope that Saputo loses heart or MLS has a change of mind on Montreal..fingers crossed.

**mighty_torontofc_2008** · 11-16-2009, 09:24 PM

Originally Posted by TFCRegina

Only De Ro could do worse.

DeRo doesnt piss me off...just disappoints...but hes does good for the cummunity and the nets program so that says a lot for his character..

**Redcoe15** · 11-16-2009, 10:39 PM

Originally Posted by mighty_torontofc_2008

yes to a certain extent it does..but one can always hope that Saputo loses heart or MLS has a change of mind on Montreal..fingers crossed.

Keep dreaming!

**Redcoe15** · 11-16-2009, 10:40 PM

Originally Posted by mighty_torontofc_2008

DeRo doesnt piss me off...just disappoints

Well that puts you in a very teensy weensy group.

**CretanBull** · 11-16-2009, 10:52 PM

Originally Posted by Redcoe15

Well that puts you in a very teensy weensy group.

...of about 1

**CretanBull** · 11-16-2009, 10:53 PM

Originally Posted by CoachGT

19 = Montreal
20 = St. Louis

That makes the most sense, hopefully the league sees it that way too.

**Cashcleaner** · 11-17-2009, 12:41 AM

The league obviously wants Montreal in MLS as soon as possible, but the whole bidding weirdness last time around with Saputo makes the whole premise a bit of a crap-shoot. Who really knows what's going on in Joey Saputo's mind? By all accounts, Montreal is one of the safest bets the league can place, but with that in mind, it doesn't seem like nobody at the Impact is in any real hurry to get into MLS.

Montreal to MLS makes sense in so many ways. The club already has a rock-solid fanbase, the city itself has a growing market for summer sports, and the sport would practically market itself given the potential rivalry between them and Toronto.

In so many ways, the ball is most definitely in Saputo's court.

**Ossington Mental Youth** · 11-17-2009, 01:18 AM

the only concern for saputo is whether its a bigger gamble to stay in the USL (or its break away league), MLS is definitely a safer bet with less perks tho

**Oldtimer** · 11-17-2009, 07:39 AM

Originally Posted by CoachGT

19 = Montreal
20 = St. Louis

That's what makes the most sense from a fanbase perspective. St. Louis is still missing a key investor, though and may never get in for that reason.

**Mark in Ottawa** · 11-17-2009, 08:21 AM

Originally Posted by Oldtimer

That's what makes the most sense from a fanbase perspective. St. Louis is still missing a key investor, though and may never get in for that reason.

Wasn't David Beckham promised the opportunity to become an investor/owner of an MLS franchise sometime down the road?

**stugautz** · 11-17-2009, 08:38 AM

Honestly, either put a franchise in Montreal or don't. Enough with this constant teasing!

**vweyonlah** · 11-17-2009, 08:43 AM

Best News Eevveeerrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!

**Oldtimer** · 11-17-2009, 09:04 AM

Originally Posted by Mark in Ottawa

Wasn't David Beckham promised the opportunity to become an investor/owner of an MLS franchise sometime down the road?

With Beckham, New York, Miami, and Montreal have been mentioned as possibilities. St. Louis gets no love.

**ensco** · 11-17-2009, 11:00 AM

Montreal and Miami have to be next. It's not even close.

If St Louis or NY2 or Atlanta also make sense, then move Columbus there.

**Redcoe15** · 11-17-2009, 03:01 PM

Originally Posted by ensco

Montreal and Miami have to be next. It's not even close.

If St Louis or NY2 or Atlanta also make sense, then move Columbus there.

Miami is a lousy sports maket. Their teams qraw poorly. And its soccer base is overrated, as shown by losing its original MLS team the Fusion. When FC Barcelona bailed on its end of the recent expansion bid, no one in the area stepped forward to rescue it. MLS needs to avoid South Florida like the plague.

**billyfly** · 11-17-2009, 03:32 PM

^ Yeah. And move the Jacksonville Jaguars to Toronto as well. And I'll take some of the Marlins for the Jays too.

**ensco** · 11-17-2009, 03:34 PM

Originally Posted by Redcoe15

Miami is a lousy sports maket. Their teams qraw poorly. And its soccer base is overrated, as shown by losing its original MLS team the Fusion. When FC Barcelona bailed on its end of the recent expansion bid, no one in the area stepped forward to rescue it. MLS needs to avoid South Florida like the plague.

I'll stop soon, but I have to say I'm annoyed by this.

Let's just say you have insufficient knowledge of South Florida, specifically as it relates to the depth of interest in soccer, the issues with the Fusion, the issues with the attempts to get a SSS down there, or the issues with the Barcelona bid.

**TFCRegina** · 11-17-2009, 03:38 PM

Originally Posted by ensco

I'll stop soon, but I have to say I'm annoyed by this.

Let's just say you have insufficient knowledge of South Florida, specifically as it relates to the depth of interest in soccer, the issues with the Fusion, the issues with the attempts to get a SSS down there, or the issues with the Barcelona bid.

A lot of the problems have to do with poor management, and MLS' rules. Fact is, the market is quite sophisticated and a lot of the soccer base watches Euro league as opposed to domestic league. They don't want to watch a boring product on field.

Hopefully the CBA is negotiated to make everyone better off...

**jloome** · 11-17-2009, 03:49 PM

Originally Posted by CretanBull

...of about 1

Nope, he frequently disappoints me, too, so make that two. We need him, he's a great talent, but he's a ballhog who overestimates his own ability and he cost us points this year (albeit not as many as he won us.)

Said it before, say it again: until he moved to central midfield in 2005, he'd been a bench player (but solid contributor) for four years in MLS for exactly the same reasons that he occasionally costs us. Unless we can play him in central mid, that issue will continue.

**jloome** · 11-17-2009, 03:53 PM

Originally Posted by ensco

I'll stop soon, but I have to say I'm annoyed by this.

Let's just say you have insufficient knowledge of South Florida, specifically as it relates to the depth of interest in soccer, the issues with the Fusion, the issues with the attempts to get a SSS down there, or the issues with the Barcelona bid.

Miami is a potentially enormous soccer market. Everyone who followed the Fusion stadium debacle -- and is aware how many disappointed Fusion fans still made it out to support them -- would find the assessment of it as a bad market truly comical.

Like Seattle, and like Toronto, Miami is incredibly homogenous. There are all types of cultures, all types of fans. You could probably still run pro jai alai there (hell, maybe they still do). Just becuase Cubans and Venezuelans like baseball more than football, that's no reason to assume the rest of Florida, which has HUGE youth and adult soccer followings, would follow their lead.

But it's like Toronto. Without an accessible SSS and good management support, the proper culture can't thrive. Same in St. Louis.

**MartinUtd** · 11-17-2009, 04:48 PM

Maybe Beckham will buy the Crew

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