Cleaning up a little MLS business:
Talking Barcelona, Kansas City and groundbreaking in Houston
You might remember about two months ago I wrote about Barcelona as potential MLS All-Star opposition. Or maybe you don’t. It was during MLS Cup week, and things were hopping in domestic soccer like a confessional after Mardi Gras. So you may have missed it.
The eye-catcher to that piece was that Kansas City’s glistening new stadium (it will glisten, I assure you) was the surprise lead candidate to host the match. But there was a catch. An MLS All-Star game in Kansas City only made financial sense if domestic soccer deciders and promoters could partner the game with other stops for Barca. See, the cost to bring Barcelona for a one-stop pop would approach $2 million.
They might be able to recoup the costs in Kansas City’s smaller grounds – but only by charging $100 a ticket or so. That’s bad PR waiting to happen. And the match might not even sell out at that cost.
Well, just before Christmas (another good time to miss breaking news) officials here and in Spain announced that the Catalan giants would indeed make a sweep through the United States. Pep Guardiola’s fine side is set to face Manchester United outside Washington, D.C., on July 30, AC Milan on Aug. 3 in Miami and Aug. 6 against Mexico’s Club American in Arlington, Texas.
So …
I’d say that a Barcelona appearance against the MLS All-Stars is looking more likely, and Kansas City is gaining steam as the odds-on favorite venue.
Speaking of smaller venues and more opportunities for the stadium porn aficionados among us:
I’m hearing that there is a very good likelihood that a shovel will go in the ground by the end of the month in Houston, where a soccer park is that much closer to becoming a brick-and-mortar reality.
Dynamo officials had originally hoped for a ground-breaking in late 2010 for their new $80 million downtown project. But finalizing the lease agreements between Harris County and the Houston Sports Authority and finalizing bank loans have snagged the project slightly.
Now I’m hearing that ground may be broken by the end of the month. That’s great news for a club that still hopes to have the 22,000-seat facility open for most of the 2012 season. It’s a 16-month project, so a ground breaking in the next two weeks would put them more or less on target.
Otherwise, the Dynamo will be doing what Kansas City must do this year, and what Philly was forced to do last year: play its opening 8-10 matches on the road while awaiting construction completion. And that’s never easy.
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