MLS Considers Ottawa Team

[greatwhitenorf]

If Melnyk is providing his v-e-r-r-r-y deep pockets and high local levels of credibility to ensure the survival of the team for at least five years, there's a decent chance an Ottawa team could work. Rivalries with Toronto and Montreal would certainly spark interest. A grass pitch would work to attract some higher-profile Canadian players.

The Saputo stadium, even BMO Field, are perfect examples of how suitable stadia can be built quickly and at relatively low cost. Melnyk might be competitively-minded enough to not want to let Jeff Hunt and Co. have clear sailing in a relatively good marketplace with a revivied CFL team.

A pre-emptive move by Melnyk and MLS might prove shrewd long-term strategic thinking since the CFL owners will have much shorter pockets and an audience or media unlikely to have much patience with a struggling operation, especially one with stadium issues causing uncertainity. Luring away a small percentage of sponsors or corporate support might be enough to tip the scales against the CFL.

Don't overlook the possibility of gov't money joining the process in building the stadium. Ottawa is, after all, a rather international place. I can picture a gang of cute U-11 all-stars from Nepean showing up on the doorsteps of the embassies selling season ticket subscriptions like they were Girl Guide cookies.

I've got family in Gatineau, across the river, and everyone follows soccer. The kids all play it. With Melnyk on board, I'd bet a lot more people than some think would buy into an Ottawa franchise. Just look what happened the minute deep-pocketed, experienced ownership bought the first Canadian franchise.

[AL-MO]

This is rather ridiculous at this point. Why would anyone consider Ottawa for anything outside of hockey?

[ExiledRed]

Too much Dogma.

'It is written that Ottawa could not support a CFL team with it's native white guys, therfore its immigrant communities will not support a soccer team, so speaks the all-knowing voice of Joe Canuck.'

'It is known and recorded that despite having a large population living near and around it, Ottawa is smaller than Toronto, and therefore could not support a MLS team, Joe Canuck has decreed, and so shall it be spoken'

'Joe Canuck has deemed Ottawa to be a 'hockey town' and it is law that 'hockey towns' cannot support soccer teams.

It shall be accepted by all who hold faith in Joe Canuck, that all of the mistruths and assumptions that were once applied to Toronto, prior to it gaining an MLS team, were inaccurate, but when reapplied to Ottawa, they become truth.

[greatwhitenorf]

Al-Mo: Was that too much information for you in my last post, the one just above your last entry? While some of it is admittedly speculation or extrapolation, it pretty much should answer your question.

[mighty_torontofc_2008]

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Itll never happen, MLS is first and foremost made to build american soccer, they would never put canadian cities that have terrible track records ahead of american ones. I dont blame them. If Calgary/Edmonton and Ottawa are so psyched on it, let them join the USL. I would however like to see Mont and Van join as they do ahve good fan bases, huge money backing and massive potential for Derbies.

Ottawa does not have a terrible track record in soccer...just dim sports that don't count like the canadian failure league and triple a baseball. like no one care for mediocre sports like that...MLS would survive in ottawa, and would get off the ground long before the idiotic run whitecaps would.