Breaking MLS news

[OMMF]

Friday, November 9, 2007 12:44 PM

Seattle gets Major League Soccer franchise

Sources confirmed on Friday that the long-rumored announcement of an expansion franchise for the city will come early next week.

For the latest news, see story.

[lilgump]

Well jeeze, who needs the sonics if you have the MLS.

[OMMF]

Well jeeze, who needs the sonics if you have the MLS.

Exactly!

[STL FANATIC]

Can someone more familar with the MLS plans tell me what this does for St. Louis?

We still have a shot the next year, right?

[Breakwood]

Can someone more familar with the MLS plans tell me what this does for St. Louis?

We still have a shot the next year, right?

Well since San Jose will be added for next season. Seattle would be the 15th team, making a St. Louis team a very possible 16th team. It would make sense to add two teams to have an even schedule. So the addition of Seattle doesn't necessarily hurt St. Lous' chances.

[pcgd]

Why would they go to play in a football stadium when there is a soccer only stadium plan already approved in another city?

[STL FANATIC]

Why would they go to play in a football stadium when there is a soccer only stadium plan already approved in another city?

I wonder myself. But I won't really complain if St. Louis gets picked for that 16th team.

If not, I'll lose a lot of my desire to see the MLS succeed. Not sure how you can pass up a city that's been so vital to the sport when it's got a stadium plan already to go.

Like I said, though, I'll wait to see if we get that 16th team.

[OMMF]

Why would they go to play in a football stadium when there is a soccer only stadium plan already approved in another city?

I wonder myself. But I won't really complain if St. Louis gets picked for that 16th team.

If not, I'll lose a lot of my desire to see the MLS succeed. Not sure how you can pass up a city that's been so vital to the sport when it's got a stadium plan already to go.

Like I said, though, I'll wait to see if we get that 16th team.

I think it has to do with a few factors.

1. Qwest Field was built with soccer in mind
   
2. Seattle is in the top 10 for youth participation in soccer
   
3. Soccer history is deep in Seattle
   
4. Recent success (albeit, not at the gates) of the Sounders
   
5. Filling in a gap in the corner of the MLS map
   

This in no way reflects on St Louis but I can see why they would pick Seattle.

[agentrygraphics]

Starbucks FC....here we come!

[Breakwood]

Why would they go to play in a football stadium when there is a soccer only stadium plan already approved in another city?

Is there someone/a group ready to pay the 30 million dollar fee that it requires to get a franchise?

[Brian in Boston]

Why would they go to play in a football stadium when there is a soccer only stadium plan already approved in another city?

I think it has to do with a few factors.

1. Qwest Field was built with soccer in mind
   
2. Seattle is in the top 10 for youth participation in soccer
   
3. Soccer history is deep in Seattle
   
4. Recent success (albeit, not at the gates) of the Sounders
   
5. Filling in a gap in the corner of the MLS map.

As well as the fact that billionaire Paul Allen and movie marketing mogul Joe Roth are part of the ownership group.

The suits at Major League Soccer headquarters were intrigued when Sounders owner Adrian Hanauer was able to convince Roth to get involved with Seattle's expansion bid. After all, they were giddy with anticipation over the prospect of an honest-to-goodness Hollywood insider sharing expert tips that would help them pitch their product to an American audience raised on all that Tinseltown had to offer. Once Hanauer and Roth announced that the deep-pocketed Allen had joined their efforts, it was a fait accompli that MLS was on its way to Seattle.

Think about it: If MLS went crazy over the business acumen that Dave Checketts supposedly brought to the table in Salt Lake City, how do you think the league feels about welcoming Paul Allen to America's pro soccer fraternity? Bottom line? You don't nix a multi-billionaire of Allen's cache participating in your league over a trifle such as his team not playing in a soccer-specific stadium.

[BB61]

Why would they go to play in a football stadium when there is a soccer only stadium plan already approved in another city?

I wonder myself. But I won't really complain if St. Louis gets picked for that 16th team.

If not, I'll lose a lot of my desire to see the MLS succeed. Not sure how you can pass up a city that's been so vital to the sport when it's got a stadium plan already to go.

Like I said, though, I'll wait to see if we get that 16th team.

Philadelphia is the front runner for that 16th team. If we don't, my "give-a-damn" for the MLS will be non-existant.

[nwtrailtrekker]

lord why?? why lord why?? why not an NHL team??? why a MLS team???

all i know..they better be named the sounders. and they better have that orca logo.

[STL_Ian]

Congrats to Seattle. Sounds like a good move for MLS as a whole.

On the other hand, I do share the same sentiment about St. Louis. If we don't have the 16th team, I stop caring. Not unlike the NFL situation we dealt with in the early 90's, at some level.

[Sodboy13]

why not an NHL team???

Try putting one in Key Arena. Let me know how that works out for you, when you sell out the joint every night and are still dead last in attendance by a wide margin.

[BB61]

why not an NHL team???

Try putting one in Key Arena. Let me know how that works out for you, when you sell out the joint every night and are still dead last in attendance by a wide margin.

Shoot, it worked in New Jersey for 25 years...

[-kj]

Old news, really. Ticks me off, though, but I'm not surprised. All this talk from MLS about not wanting to go into NFL stadiums... and they are bringing a team in that has no plans to play anywhere but an NFL stadium.

And now it pits Philadelphia and St. Louis against each other for the 16th spot, likely to start in 2009. St. Louis has all the pieces in place, including approval for a stadium to be built. I'm not sure where Philadelphia sits with their plans, but for a while they were floundering a bit.

I'm not sure if anything will be announced at MLS Cup, but I'm hoping so, and I'm hoping it's St. Louis.

[STL FANATIC]

Yeah, sucks, because Philly's not a city I wanna have to beat out.

Heck, I really don't have much bad to say about any of the cities.

I just don't know how you can have a major soccer league in the US and not include St. Louis, when St. Louis has done what they can to get one.

[gosioux76]

Old news, really. Ticks me off, though, but I'm not surprised. All this talk from MLS about not wanting to go into NFL stadiums... and they are bringing a team in that has no plans to play anywhere but an NFL stadium.

And now it pits Philadelphia and St. Louis against each other for the 16th spot, likely to start in 2009. St. Louis has all the pieces in place, including approval for a stadium to be built. I'm not sure where Philadelphia sits with their plans, but for a while they were floundering a bit.

I'm not sure if anything will be announced at MLS Cup, but I'm hoping so, and I'm hoping it's St. Louis.

I'm with you on this Mockba.

While I can't disagree with Brian in Boston about the lure of Paul Allen's wealth, this really goes against the message this league has been sending regarding soccer-specific stadiums. And for good reason: Did you see Thursday night's Revolution/Fire game? They still appeared to be blocking off half of the stadium because they can't fill it.

Soccer is as much about the atmosphere as it is about the game. At least the MLS has seemed to correct the horrendous gridiron lines during these last few playoff games, but taking a sport that's lucky to attract 10,000 fans and putting it into a 67,000 seat stadium doesn't sound all that appealing.

Sure, they say they built Qwest Field with soccer in mind. But I assume that means it can accommodate either field type. I can't imagine it does anything to improve the atmosphere, though I hope that's the case.

[patsox]

Old news, really. Ticks me off, though, but I'm not surprised. All this talk from MLS about not wanting to go into NFL stadiums... and they are bringing a team in that has no plans to play anywhere but an NFL stadium.

And now it pits Philadelphia and St. Louis against each other for the 16th spot, likely to start in 2009. St. Louis has all the pieces in place, including approval for a stadium to be built. I'm not sure where Philadelphia sits with their plans, but for a while they were floundering a bit.

I'm not sure if anything will be announced at MLS Cup, but I'm hoping so, and I'm hoping it's St. Louis.

I'm with you on this Mockba.

While I can't disagree with Brian in Boston about the lure of Paul Allen's wealth, this really goes against the message this league has been sending regarding soccer-specific stadiums. And for good reason: Did you see Thursday night's Revolution/Fire game? They still appeared to be blocking off half of the stadium because they can't fill it.

Soccer is as much about the atmosphere as it is about the game. At least the MLS has seemed to correct the horrendous gridiron lines during these last few playoff games, but taking a sport that's lucky to attract 10,000 fans and putting it into a 67,000 seat stadium doesn't sound all that appealing.

Sure, they say they built Qwest Field with soccer in mind. But I assume that means it can accommodate either field type. I can't imagine it does anything to improve the atmosphere, though I hope that's the case.

I agree. There is nothing positive about MLS games being played in football stadiums. First, it's simply embarrassing to look at a Gillette Stadium that looks like there is about 200 people in attendance on TV on one side. Then you see all the other sides of the stadium tarped off. I really wish Bob Kraft would build the Revolution their own stadium, for the pure interest of his team instead of his money.