MLS Expansion
MLS is looking to expand to 16 teams by 2010. We narrow the field down to three deserving cities with an old school knockout tournament.

I would like to read it, but it is not online. Can someone share a brief summary? Contact me or leave me a comment if you can help.

SoccerTimes was told off-the-record by an MLS official that the top candidate would be New York City with a soccer-specific stadium built adjacent to Citi Field, the Mets’ new stadium, set to open next to Shea Stadium in Flushing, Queens, in 2009. The league envisions a bitter rivalry between this club and the New York Red Bulls, who are based in New Jersey. League sources admitted, however, getting this done would be hugely complicated and largely dependent on the development of Citi Field.

To be honest, this quote says a lot that is common sense and should be discussed in individual posts, but let’s cover the basics for now.

A Red Bulls vs. NYC FC derby (or as I like to call it MetroClasico) would be insane. Not just for area soccer lovers, but also for the league. Being a top media center in the East Coast matters. Right now the league’s top draw, Beckham, plays many of his games at 11PM EST. Casual soccer fans are not going to stay up late to watch these games. Do you not think MLS knows this?

Fred Wilpon’s name keeps on being trotted out by Don Garber, MLS commissioner, and other league officials as a potential NYC FC owner. The fact that Wilpon, the Mets, and Shea Stadium are repeatedly mentioned means that this is for real. There would be no reason for Wilpon allow the MLS to continue using his name if he was not committed to bringing soccer to New York. This is not some panhandler on the E train, Wilpon does already own a Major League franchise.

Shea is an obvious location for a soccer-specific or multi-purpose stadium, but I hope that the league keeps its options open. A soccer team in New York City can survive in numerous places in Brooklyn and Queens, like Coney Island. Obviously, Manhattan is out and Staten Island and Long Island are less than desirable.

The real obstacle in bringing an MLS expansion team to NYC is the stadium issue. It is the reason that keeps coming up as to why the MLS will never come here. It is also the reason why we have to organize. We have an interested party (Wilpon) that has already built New York sports stadiums (Citi Field, KeySpan Park) and a mayor that is not adverse to funding their construction (Bloomberg). They just need the public support to show that New Yorkers really want to make soccer in the city a reality.  Sounds like a New Year’s resolution to me.

I’ll post some reaction/commentary to this news tomorrow. Enjoy your Christmas!

Thanks to Mets 1989 for the link.

Here are the results:
Seattle…………………. 3-2 (15th MLS franchise)
St. Louis………………. 4-1 (co-front runner for 16th MLS franchise)
Philadelphia…………. 6-1 (co-front runner for 16th MLS franchise)
New York…………….. 8-1
Las Vegas…………….. 10-1
Phoenix……………….. 20-1
Miami………………….. 35-1
Portland………………. 40-1
Cleveland…………….. 60-1
Vancouver…………… 70-1
Milwaukee ………….. 75-1
Atlanta………………… 100-1
San Diego…………….. 100-1

Yes, the information is a few months old. Yes, it is purely for entertainment. Yes, nothing is guaranteed. With all of that said, when the Sun made Seattle the odds-on favorite the rumors were that Portland was going to be the next MLS franchise in the West. Now we know that Seattle came out of nowhere and will start playing in 2009.

Don Garber, Major League Soccer Commissioner, has already said in his State of the League that Philly or St. Louis will be the next franchise. The Sun’s odds reflects this fact.

As long as we have Wilpon interested in being an owner of a New York FC, we have a shot. The Sun article even mentions this:

Fred Wilpon, an owner of the Mets, is exploring the venture. Might this be the second coming of the Cosmos, and might it be a New York football team that actually plays its home games in the Big Apple?

We are here because a New York FC is an attainable fantasy. Look at the odds. These odds were made with neither plans to construct a stadium nor with an ownership group. No other city on the list can say that.  We still do not have anything concrete, but we are New York City. That means something.

Where does this leave us? Bringing a NYC FC to the five boroughs was never going to be easy, but it looks like we have a little more competition.  There are no guarantees and there will be two expansion openings for Major League Soccer’s 2010 season.

Miami does not have an ownership group yet, so let’s hope that Santa Wilpon gives us a present soon.

Hope is alive and what does not kill us, makes us stronger.

I’m in a foul mood this morning.  Maybe it is because I just spend two hours fixing permalinks.  Or it could be that I have been sick for a week. To be honest, it is because I don’t want a team in Florida.

I read a Miami Herald article last night that just got to me.  It started with the news that Miami might be approving $100 million to build a soccer-specific stadium to lure Major League Soccer back to the Sunshine State and how great this was for the soccer-loving Latinos.  So far I do not have an issue with any of this.  I would be excited too if New York City was building a stadium.

What kills me about Miami, and Florida in general, is that they have failed to support the MLS before.  And the Miami Herald article ends pretty much saying thatthis will not end well:

The challenge would be convincing the area’s knowledgeable soccer aficionados to support a local team as ardently as they support teams in their home countries. Truth is, a large percentage of soccer fans in South Florida would rather spend an afternoon watching a televised European or South American match than watching MLS live. And that is a mentality MLS would have to change.

It is the same challenge the Fusion faced, and then-owner Ken Horowitz had the added obstacle of trying to draw Miami fans to Lockhart Stadium in north Fort Lauderdale after his Orange Bowl deal fell through. In their final season (2001), they drew an average crowd of 11,177 and coach Ray Hudson had created an exciting brand of soccer.

Miami FC, the United Soccer Leagues team in town, has also had trouble drawing crowds and is exploring ways to increase visibility in the area, including building a multifield training facility that could be used by visiting international teams.

Could MLS work at the Orange Bowl site? Nobody knows for sure. But it sure would be fun to try again.

“Try again”?  Is not the definition of insanity doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results? 

I do not begrudge a city with the resources and fanbase to support professional soccer.  Philadelphia, St. Louis, Portland, Vancouver and even Montreal have supporters that love soccer.  Miami has failed before and the Miami Herald writer is basically saying it will fail again.

Do you think that previous Floridian franchises, Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny, did not try to market thier teams to EPL fans and other soccer supporters?  Even now the local USL team is struggling.  Why should the MLS do something different?  Should not Florida fans want American soccer?

People will say this time will be different, but look at the 2007 average attendance of Florida sport teams:

Tampa Bay Devil Rays… MLB: 29 out of 30 teams
Florida Marlins… MLB: 30 out of 30 teams
Miami Heat… NBA: 5 out of 30 teams
Orlando Magic… NBA: 18 out of 30 teams
Tampa Bay Lightning… NHL: 3 out of 30 teams
Florida Panthers… NHL: 18 out of 30 teams
Miami Dolphins… NFL: 9 out of 32 teams
Tampa Bay Bucs… NFL: 22 out of 32 teams
Jacksonville Jags…. NFL: 23 out of 32 teams

Out of the nine teams, only the Tamp Bay Lightning, Miami Heat and Miami Dolphins could be considered a finanical success.  Let’s take a closer look at the Heat.  They have been successful for the last few years and have done well in the box office with repeated Top 10’s in attendance.  But look at recent seasons that have not been as successful:
  
2002-03     25-57    22 out of 30 teams
2003-04     42-40    24 out of 30 teams

Tampa Bay Lightning’s attendance also showed similar drops during losing seasons.  Some will say that many cities will only support a winning team, but how does Miami explain the Dolphins who are always Top 10 in NFL attendance, even this year when they just won they first game of the season.  This is because Miami is football-first when it comes to sports.  There is no diversity among the fanbase unless a team in another sport is winning.

The fact is that any new MLS franchise is going to bomb their first few years until they build up their talent base.  We already know that a team like this will not be supported in Miami.  What if a Miami team is never successful?  How many times does the MLS have to leave Florida to figure out that it will not work?

/rant mode off

Thanks for listening… it felt good to get that off my chest.

Miami now has to be considered as a possible franchise even though two previous Floridian teams have failed. There have been preliminary talks for the state to allocate around $100 million to build a soccer-specific stadium next to a new Marlin stadium.

While scary for a NYC FC because it will be hard for the league to turn down a free SSS, I am calling bullshit on this news story. The reporter said that soccer officials agree that the Little Havana neighborhood would allow the league to “closely connect to our core soccer audience.” I’m half-Cuban and know that futbol-loving Cubans are about as common as Fidel Castro not wearing fatigues.

Another stadium that looks like it will happen is in Kansas City. “But Kubah, KC already has a team.” Yes, but there have always been rumors that if they did not get a stadium the Wizards might relocate. I guess this alternative is out for a NYC FC. WVHooligan has the story.

WVHooligan also has a Philly story. It appears that the state money was not approved before the legislature went home for the holidays. No money equals no stadium which equals no MLS. It looks like bad news for the Sons of Ben, but supporters in St. Louis have to like their chances about a 2009 opening season.

So where does that leave NYC FC? Let’s go to the map:

That’s a lot of red dots. The league is currently 8 Western teams and 7 Eastern teams. Either Philly or St. Louis would make it an 8-8 split. When the league expands to 18 teams, it looks like it will have to be one new team for each division. The Western front runners look to be Portland, Vancouver, and maybe Las Vegas(?). The Eastern teams look to be Philly/St Louis, NYC, and Miami(?).

From the this week’s news, St. Louis looks like it is going to be the 16th team. As for 2010, Philly is going to be hard to beat if they get a stadium and a NYC FC ownership situation has not even been announced.

An option that will allow for a NYC and Philly/St Louis to make the next cut is moving KC to the Western Division. There are two drawbacks to a KC realignment for the league . A KC-St. Louis rivalry would appear to be desirable and the new Seattle franchise has topped 10K in season ticket sales. You don’t think the MLS sees that and wonders what their USL-1 rivals, Portland and Vancouver, can draw?

Obviously this situation is very fluid and I will update the Group of Death as news filters in.

For those that do not know, Hank is the son of Yankee owner George Steinbrenner. Hank and his brother Hal have recently taken over the baseball operations of the Yankees, since the Boss is reportedly in bad health. “Hankenstein” (I love that nickname) is the brother in charge of the ball club and Hal is the one overseeing the new stadium construction.

The Steinbrenners were already one of the potential owners that I insinuated at the end of yesterday’s Wilpon post. The Newsday article shows that Hank loves soccer even before baseball. Not only did Hank play soccer in college, but he also coached a boys team and was a member of the United States Soccer Federation.

This might explain why Hank did not step up earlier to lead the Yankees because the word among Yankee fans was that he had other interests. I’ll post about other potential NYC FC owners soon, but it is great to see that such a prominent sports owner shares a love for soccer. I would have not expected it.

All the more reason to go out and talk to your friends and family about a NYC FC. You just do not know who might be interested in learning about soccer in New York. Too many just know the failure that Red Bulls marketing has been in NYC. We cannot stay a closed community. We have to bring others to the fold. Go out now and start recruiting!

But is Wilpon the right man at the right time?

A MLS owner in New York needs four things: the financial resources to buy and operate a football club, a Big Apple network to secure a stadium for soccer, experience in running and marketing a professional sports team, and the passion to bring soccer to NYC.

Money-wise, Wilpon has the ability to buy a team. A $30-40 million franchise fee would not appear to stop a Wilpon-led ownership group. He did pay over $150 to pay out former Mets co-owner Nelson Doubleday.

A lot of Mets fan have call Wilpon cheap, but I think that’s compared to the Yankees’ George Steinbrenner. Big Stein is definitely not the norm for sports owner. The Mets have the 3rd largest payroll in baseball and are paying some of the new stadium costs.

A New York City FC owner will need to find a home for his team. The Mets are moving into their new stadium, Citi Field, in 2009. That might leave Shea as a viable location. Wilpon will have to negotiate with the City to keep it open, since New York is the landlord.

But what about a new soccer-specific stadium or a multi-purpose stadium featuring soccer? Garber has already mentioned that a multi-purpose stadium next to Citi Field has already been discussed with Wilpon. Wilpon has already show the ability to use his connections to get this done when others have failed.

Let’s not forget that Wilpon also built KeySpan Park in Coney Island for the Mets Single-A affiliate, the Brooklyn Cyclones. With this proven record of constructing stadiums, I would not bet against a soccer pitch coming to Queens if he does end up buying an MLS franchise.

Sports ownership is limited to a small group of individuals, so having someone like the experienced Wilpon would be a coup for the MLS. He has run a successful franchise in New York City and has shown the desire to improve it.

He spent $150 million to pay out Doubleday and paved the way to Citi Field. Doubleday was a notoriously cheap owner and wanted to renovate Shea Stadium instead. Wilpon has changed the Mets from a generic team to one that is marketed to NYC’s diverse population. Has anyone else been to Korean Night at Shea?

Wilpon’s one flaw as a FC owner is that his knowledge and love for soccer is questionable. He has dedicated his sports ventures towards baseball and has been a huge fan of the sport since he was a kid in Brooklyn.

While his passion for soccer is iffy, we do know that Wilpon is not afraid to market towards the Latino market. The Mets have embrace their Latin stars and have even had a “Los Mets” night. The assumption is that these Met fans will become Mets FC supporters.

The Mets have also started to market towards Brooklyn and Manhattan. While New York City remains Yankee Country, Wilpon at least has tried to attract new Met fans outside of Queens. Compare this to the non-existing marketing to New Yorker by the Red Bulls in recent years.

His SNY cable television station also has to appeal to the MLS. It is a perfect medium to report on and promote soccer in New York. MSG currently shows the Red Bull games locally, but the coverage appears to be more filler content than a cornerstone of the channel.

So to summarize, here’s the check list and how Wilpon does:
Finances - YES
Network - YES
Experience - YES
Soccer Fan - NO? (but he is a sports fan)

Wilpon is an almost ideal candidate for a New York FC owner, if not him, who? I’ll post about that soon.

THE NICK- Is New York City just jonesing for a team to support? Obviously the Red Bulls are outside of the border, and outside of the borders of the thoughts of many New Yorkers. IF a team can play within the city, do you think they can galvanize the cities soccer fans and pull off another Toronto (16k season tix sold)

IVES- This is something that I just don’t think enough people outside the New YorkNew Jersey area realize. People against a second New York team point to Red Bulls attendance and insist that the support isn’t there for another team. That is WRONG. The MetroStars intentionally ignored New York as a market for years, choosing to focus mainly on New Jersey, and the result is a New York City soccer fanbase that never took to the MetroStars (with some exceptions of course). WHEN the New York City team is established in 2010 or 2011 you are going to see packed stadiums and some serious buzz. You will also see a rivalry like no other between FC New York (or whatever Fred Wilpon calls the team) and the Red Bulls.

I love how Ives admits that the Red Bulls have “intentionally ignored” soccer fans in the Big Apple. I have posted before on the Big Soccer forums that one of the reasons that I don’t follow Red Bull New York is that I never see advertising in the City for the team. To be honest, I did see ONE spanish television interview of Claudia Reynas prior to a RBNY playoff game… that’s it.

Do not blame people for wanting a NYC FC when RBNY ownership has failed to promote their product. If RBNY does not want us, we do not want the Red Bulls. Ives also backs the belief that a Wilpon-owned NYC FC is a matter of “when”, not “if”. I agree that unless something drastic happens, we will be buying NYC FC season tickets in 2010. I am looking forward to NYC FC-RBNY derbies in the near future.

Credit to KingsCountyFC for this post’s picture.