It’s time for us to have an adult conversation about Major League Soccer and where the winds of expansion will blow next.
Time for an adult conversation re MLS expansion
This one is going to be difficult for some people; the truth will sting a little. But it’s a conversation that needs to happen, so let’s sit down and get this over with.
Barely a week goes by that I don’t get an email asking about this city or that city and chances of an MLS team landing there soon.
San Antonio. Atlanta. Miami. Austin. St. Louis was popular for some time. San Diego is an oldie but a goodie. Las Vegas pops up here and there. The list goes on.
Today, I see where someone is beating the drum for Phoenix. That’s because all those MLS team just came and went, holding part of their preseason training in the Grand Canyon State.
And I always appreciate the enthusiasm and the spirit of these queries. After all, these are mostly from people who follow MLS even though they aren’t in MLS cities. God bless ‘em. I wish there were folks like them. So I always try to let them down easy.
What do I tell them? Read on …
It’s about ownership. And, really, not much else. It’s just ownership.
There are reasons to consider every one of these cities. Some may be slightly better positioned in terms of geography, demographics, civic support or media interest, all of which figure somewhere into the expansion equation.
But none of it matters until someone or some group (preferably local) steps forward and says “We want to own an MLS team, and dagnabbit we’re gonna make it happen!”
This “someone” has to have a few bucks. The group in St. Louis had bright ideas and enthusiasm to spare. But at the end of the day, MLS had concerns about local attorney Jeff Cooper and his ability to keep pace financially. The league was certainly proven correct on this account when things cratered embarrassingly for St. Louis Athletica last year.
In some markets, city officials are being very aggressive about arranging the stage for an MLS expansion outfit. Again, I applaud them for it. But until a Daddy Warbucks shows up with pen in hand, ready to write a few whopper checks, it’s probably not going to happen.
(Besides all that, MLS commish Don Garber has drawn a solid target on the New York market as the 20th franchise, after Montreal comes aboard as No. 19 at this time next year.)
I’m sorry we had to have this conversation. I hope we can still be friends.
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