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===Vancouver===
===Vancouver===
One of three Canadian cities in the running for MLS expansion, [[Vancouver]]'s bid has been led by NBA star [[Steve Nash]] with the support of the existing [[United Soccer League]] side the [[Vancouver Whitecaps (USL)|Vancouver Whitecaps]]. The city's bid for a franchise would be boosted by the proposed construction of the [[Whitecaps Waterfront Stadium]], with an initial capacity of 20,000 and the potential for further expansion.<ref>{{cite news | title=Vancouver mayor in New York to shore up bid for Major League Soccer team | url=http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5iVKCbzKwrtAEhrivF_UbvK8liqzw | work=[[Google]] | location=[[Vancouver]] | publisher=[[The Canadian Press]] | date=2008-10-07}}</ref>
One of three Canadian cities in the running for MLS expansion, [[Vancouver]]'s bid has been led by NBA star [[Steve Nash]] with the support of the existing [[United Soccer League]] side the [[Vancouver Whitecaps (USL)|Vancouver Whitecaps]]. The city's bid for a franchise would be boosted by the proposed construction of the [[Whitecaps Waterfront Stadium]], with an initial capacity of 20,000 and the potential for further expansion.<ref>{{cite news | title=Vancouver mayor in New York to shore up bid for Major League Soccer team | url=http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5iVKCbzKwrtAEhrivF_UbvK8liqzw | work=[[Google]] | location=[[Vancouver]] | publisher=[[The Canadian Press]] | date=2008-10-07}}</ref>

Don Garber, who was previously involved in expansion with the [[National Football League]] called the bid presentation by Vancouver representatives Greg Kerfoot and Jeff Mallett, "one of the best I've ever seen."<ref>{{cite news | title=MLS expansion fee won't scare away Whitecaps | url=http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=a0af2cc5-5873-45db-a550-724e0daac136 | publisher=[[Vancouver Sun]] | date=2008-10-25}}</ref>


==Seven Finalists for 2011 Expansion==
==Seven Finalists for 2011 Expansion==

Revision as of 22:31, 25 November 2008

Since Major League Soccer, the top level of soccer in the United States, was created in 1993 with ten initial teams, it has expanded several times into new markets across the United States and in 2006 into Canada for the first time. MLS has announced a further rise to 18 teams by 2011.

History

Foundation

Major League Soccer was first established in 1993. It was a requirement of FIFA that the United States set up a professional first division in order to gain the rights to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup.[1] The United States had not had a successful professional outdoor soccer league since the collapse of the North American Soccer League in 1985.

After being founded in 1968, the NASL successful beginning in the mid-1970s – particularly the New York Cosmos, who fielded a number of world-famous stars including Pele. As the sport grew in popularity, the number of teams rapidly grew reaching their peak in the early 1980s when there were twenty four teams - nineteen in the United States and five in Canada.

Since the NASL had collapsed in 1985, professional outdoor soccer teams had largely disappeared except in Canada where the Canadian Soccer League until that league also folded in 1992. There was some success with professional soccer in the United States in the mid-1980s at least indoor soccer. After the collapse of the NASL, the original Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) absorbed four NASL teams. However, it too folded by the early 1990s.

There were a number of reasons for the failure of NASL, but one explanation was the lack of brand loyalty and poor placement of teams. It was common for franchises to move around from city to city, and change names, which made it difficult to build a sustainable fan base. While teams placed in major urban centres such as New York had succeeded in drawing a large popular following, many other clubs in smaller cities struggled to attract crowds.

Initial teams (1996)

This experience led MLS to be extremely cautious in establishing new franchises, having identified the rapid overexpansion as being a major element in the collapse/failure of the NASL. It was decided to create twelve new teams, to be placed in carefully selected cities where there was believed to be a strong market for soccer.

Those chosen were largely done so on a fresh basis rather than cities that had hosted teams in the NASL era. It was intended to expand further, as circumstances permitted. A key aim was to create several popular and profitable franchises as the backbone of MLS, before moving into other markets. The MLS had initially planned on a twelve team league, but this was cut back to ten when potential backers couldn't be found.[2]

The initial ten teams created were the Columbus Crew, D.C. United, the New England Revolution, the NY/NJ MetroStars, the Tampa Bay Mutiny, the Colorado Rapids, the Dallas Burn, the Kansas City Wiz, the Los Angeles Galaxy and the San Jose Clash.

While New York and Los Angeles were awarded franchises, the next five largest American cities (Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, San Diego and Detroit) were all without a team.[3]

Using American Football stadiums, the new league kicked off in April 1996.

First Expansion (1998)

Main article: Chicago Fire (soccer)
Main article: Miami Fusion

In 1998 the league expanded for the first time rising from ten teams to twelve. The two expansion teams were based in Chicago and Miami. The new teams were the Chicago Fire and Miami Fusion.

Problems (1998-2001)

After a promising start, attendances were falling and all clubs were losing money. In addition the teams were owned by a small number of owners - hindering further expansion. These problems led MLS Commissioner Doug Logan to be replaced by Don Garber who had experience in the NFL.

One of the methods of tackling these problems was an emphasis the construction of soccer-specific stadiums for existing and potential future members. This was for many years seen as a de facto requirement for any potential expansion franchise.[4] In 1998, not one MLS team played in a SSS while by 2008 the majority did so with several other new stadiums in the pipeline.

Withdrawal from Florida (2002)

In January 2002, the league announced the end of its two Floridian teams: Miami Fusion and the Tampa Bay Mutiny.[5] This was for financial reasons. Both teams were withdrawn from the league and folded. No new expansion franchises were granted that year – so the number of teams fell to ten once more.[6]

The surprise performance of the United States Men's National Soccer Team at the 2002 World Cup, where they reached the quarter final[7], sparked a recovery in the league’s fortunes, and attendances once again began to rise. The MLS began looking to expand once more with a number of cities now interested in hosting new teams. The demand for an expansion team grew, which eventually allowed MLS to command an expansion fee of $40 million.

Second Los Angeles Franchise (2004)

Main article: Chivas USA

The league added two new teams in 2004. Los Angeles became the first city to host two MLS teams when Chivas USA was founded. They were linked to the Mexican club Club Deportivo Guadalajara and hoped to build a following amongst the Hispanic community. They share the Home Depot Stadium with their neighbors the LA Galaxy. This created MLS’s first Local derby game.

Salt Lake City (2004)

Main article: Real Salt Lake

Real Salt Lake were created in 2004, owned by Dave Checketts. They played out of Rice-Eccles Field initially before moving to the Rio Tinto Stadium in October 2008.

Houston Dynamo (2005)

Main article: Houston Dynamo

In 2005, the San Jose Earthquakes were put on hiatus because of a failure to secure a soccer specific stadium. The players and the coach were moved to Houston, Texas where they became the Houston Dynamo playing out of the Robertson Stadium.

This was the first time a franchise had been relocated in MLS though it had been common in its predecessor the NASL, and the league insisted they had plans to return to San Jose. After a two year hiatus, the San Jose Earthquakes were reformed in 2007[8] and resumed play in the MLS the following season.

Expansion to Canada (2006)

Main article: Toronto FC

In 2005, the league announced the creation of a Canadian franchise to be based in Toronto.[9] This was confirmed on May 11, 2006 when the new team name Toronto FC and logo were announced.[10] The club played their first season in MLS in 2007, finishing at the bottom of the table.

The introduction of the MLS into Canada took MLS into a separate country for the first time mirroring the set-up in Major League Baseball and the NBA, which involve teams from both nations. MLS had announced their intentions to move into the Canadian market and there had been strong support from the Canadian Soccer Association, which believed it would be good for the Canadian game after previous attempts at trying to create a separate Canadian professional league had failed.

In Europe the governing body UEFA has had a tendency to block any potential new leagues across national borders, but there were no serious objections to the move into Canada from the North American Federation CONCACAF.

In 2008, a Canadian Championship was set-up as the highest form of soccer in Canada and to determine Canada’s qualifier for the CONCACAF Champions League. One of the founders was Toronto FC. However, it is intended to be complimentary to MLS rather than in competition with it.

Seattle Franchise

Main article: Seattle Sounders FC

Seattle was awarded a franchise in 2007 in spite of the fact that the city did not have a Soccer-specific stadium or any plans to construct one.[11] Instead they announced their intentions to play matches at Qwest Field.[12] Following a vote by supporters, the team chose the name Seattle Sounders FC, because of its heritage in Seattle soccer.[13]

Philadelphia Franchise

Main article: Philadelphia MLS 2010

On February 28, 2008, MLS announced that the sixteenth franchise would be awarded to Philadelphia.[14] There had been a strong campaign to bring a team to the city with intense lobbying by supporters groups such as the Sons of Ben.

Philadelphia had remained one of the largest Metropolitan areas in the US without an MLS franchise. The club has not been named yet but are popularly known by the name Zolos.[15] The new team announced their intention to construct a 20,000 seat stadium in Chester, Pennsylvania.

Future

MLS has announced its intentions to expand to eighteen teams by 2011. Seattle was awarded the expansion for 2009 and Philadelphia for 2010. Competition for the other two spots intensified in July 2008 when MLS drew up a list of nine candidate cities for the two remaining franchises to be awarded for the 2011 season.

There are no current plans to expand outside of the United States and Canada.

Atlanta

Atlanta was identified by MLS as one of the cities it was interested in expanding into by saying "tremendous potential market that would expand the league's footprint into the Southeast". Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank was interested in bringing a team to Georgia.[16] Blank's management and investment company, AMB Group, officially announced that Blank had submitted his expansion franchise application to the league on October 14, 2008.[17]

Las Vegas

In May 2007, it was reported that businessman Mark Noorzai had put put together a bid for a Las Vegas team[18], and the campaign was given a boost when it was named on MLS's shortlist for expansion in November 2007. In September 2008 there were reports that the group behind the Vegas bid were attempting to to buy into the Columbus Crew, possibly as the first step in a plan to relocate them to Las Vegas in lieu of bidding on an expansion franchise.[19][20]

Miami

Miami has recently crept back into the expansion picture as FC Barcelona and Marcelo Claure, President of Club Bolívar are in discussions with Florida International University about the possibility of bringing a Major League Soccer expansion franchise to the FIU Stadium. The stadium finished initial renovations, giving it a capacity of 20,000 and a FIFA-grade pitch, in 2008, and will further expand its seating to 45,000 in 2015.[21]

Barcelona, home of players such as Lionel Messi and Thierry Henry, would be involved in the management of the team and would provide at least one well-known player to kickoff the inaugural season. The team name would be some combination of Barcelona or Barça and Miami. Marcelo Claure, the Bolivian founder of Miami-based Brightstar, said he is confident this team would draw better than the Fusion did (the Miami Fusion F.C. drew 11,400 its final season) because FIU Stadium is closer to the core of the city's soccer fans and MLS is a stronger league than it was 10 years ago. As Claure said, "Back then, most owners paid $5 million for a team, and now it's $40 million, so that shows you how the league has matured." Claure has asked for a special concession to begin play in 2010 rather than 2011, which is when the next round of expansion was scheduled.[22]

Miami launched their web site in late October 2008, and have plans for a sophisticated web presence as well as a contest to name the team.[23]

Any future Miami franchise likely will not inherit the history of the defunct Miami Fusion franchise. Claure stated in an interview with MiamiSoccerFan, the homepage of the Miami Ultras supporters group for USL First Division team Miami FC, that there are "legal and marketing concerns" about resurrecting the Fusion name.[24]

Montreal

Montreal was one of the favorites for expansion after the teams were announced but dropped out of the running as said by commissioner Don Garber in his 2008 State of the League address[25]. The Montreal Impact of the United Soccer League one of the most profitable and successful teams outside of MLS who opened the 14,000 capacity Saputo Stadium in 2008. Both owner Joey Saputo and George Gillett, co-owner of Liverpool FC of the English Premier League, have expressed interest in the Impact joining the MLS. There are plans to expand the Saputo Stadium to 20,000 should the city be awarded an expansion franchise.[26]

New York

New York Mets owner Fred Wilpon is looking to bring a team in to the borough of Queens. According to reports, the team would play in a newly constructed stadium near Citi Field.[citation needed]

Ottawa

Ottawa has increasingly campaigned for an expansion franchise.[27] The campaign is being driven by Eugene Melnyk, the owner of the Ottawa Senators, who has announced plans to build a 30,000 seat stadium in the Canadian capital.[28] The city was one of the nine identified by the MLS as a candidate for the 2011 expansion, and MLS has indicated a desire to expand further in Canada though Ottawa is likely to have to compete with Vancouver and Montreal for future Canadian expansion places.[29]

Portland

Portland, Oregon has also been announced as a candidate for expansion. On July 31, 2008, Merritt Paulson announced that he would apply for an MLS franchise for Portland as a MLS continuation of the Portland Timbers.[30] Paulson further outlined his plan by launching a website on September 3rd.[31] The MLS Timbers would play in a renovated PGE Park sharing with the Portland State University football team.

St. Louis

In November 2007, St. Louis was identified by Commissioner Don Garber as one of the most likely spots for expansion alongside Philadelphia, which was subsequently awarded a franchise. St. Louis has historically been an epicentre of American soccer as early as the late nineteenth century.[32] There are plans to build a new stadium in Collinsville, Illinois.

In November 2008, two-time National League MVP Albert Pujols of the St. Louis Cardinals announced that he is working with St. Louis Soccer United to bring a team to the city.[33]

Vancouver

One of three Canadian cities in the running for MLS expansion, Vancouver's bid has been led by NBA star Steve Nash with the support of the existing United Soccer League side the Vancouver Whitecaps. The city's bid for a franchise would be boosted by the proposed construction of the Whitecaps Waterfront Stadium, with an initial capacity of 20,000 and the potential for further expansion.[34]

Don Garber, who was previously involved in expansion with the National Football League called the bid presentation by Vancouver representatives Greg Kerfoot and Jeff Mallett, "one of the best I've ever seen."[35]

Seven Finalists for 2011 Expansion

On October 15, 2008, the league announced a list of seven cities that had formally submitted franchise applications. The cities officially in the running for the next two MLS franchises are: Atlanta, Miami, Montreal, Ottawa, Portland, St. Louis, and Vancouver. An announcement regarding the success of these applications will be made by early 2009.[36]

It was announced on Friday, November 21st by MLS commissioner Don Garber that the city of Montreal had withdrawn its candidacy for the 2011 bid for expansion.

Table of Candidates

Candidates for 2011 MLS Expansion
City/market Would-be owner(ship group) Current assets of candidate's ownership group (where applicable)
Atlanta
 GA 		Arthur Blank The Home Depot (co-founder/former chairman & CEO), Atlanta Falcons (NFL) (owner), Georgia Force (AFL) (owner)
Miami
 FL 		FC Barcelona & R. Marcelo Claure Brightstar Corporation (Claure is Chairman, CEO and President)
Ottawa
 ON 		Eugene Melnyk Biovail Corporation (co-founder/former chairman & CEO), Ottawa Senators (NHL) (owner/governor/chairman), Mississauga St. Michael's Majors (OHL) (owner)
Portland
 OR 		The Paulson Family (led by Merritt Paulson) Portland Beavers (PCL) (owner), Portland Timbers (USL-1) (owner)
St. Louis
 MO 		St. Louis Soccer United (led by Jeff Cooper) St. Louis (WPS) (owner)
Vancouver
 BC 		Greg Kerfoot, Steve Nash, and Jeff Mallett Kerfoot: Vancouver Whitecaps (USL-1) (owner)
Nash: Phoenix Suns (NBA) (player)
Mallett: Yahoo! (former president/COO), San Francisco Giants (NL) (partial owner)

Bibliography

  • Goldblatt, David. The Ball is Round:A Global History of Football. Penguin Books (2007).
  • Tossell, David. Playing for Uncle Sam: The Brits' Story of the North American Soccer League. Mainstream Publishing (2003).
  • Wangerin, David. Soccer in a Football World:The Story of America's Forgotten Game. WSC Books (2006).

References

  1. ^ http://web.mlsnet.com/about/
  2. ^ Wangerin p.272
  3. ^ Wangerin p.272
  4. ^ http://www.nationalpost.com/rss/story.html?id=794697
  5. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/us_sport/1750024.stm
  6. ^ http://www.sptimes.com/2002/01/09/news_pf/Sports/MLS_folds_Mutiny.shtml
  7. ^ http://german.about.com/library/weekly/aa020614a.htm
  8. ^ http://web.mlsnet.com/news/mls_news.jsp?ymd=20070718&content_id=106314&vkey=pr_mls&fext=.jsp
  9. ^ Name Toronto's MLS team?
  10. ^ http://www.cbc.ca/sports/indepth/mls_toronto/index.html
  11. ^ http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/2007-11-09-3226911324_x.htm
  12. ^ http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/11/10/sports/NA-SPT-SOC-Seattle-MLS-Franchise.php
  13. ^ http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=soccer&id=3334786
  14. ^ http://web.mlsnet.com/news/mls_news.jsp?ymd=20080228&content_id=140965&vkey=pr_mls&fext=.jsp
  15. ^ http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/articles/16620/cover-story
  16. ^ Tucker, Tim (2008-06-20). "Blank interested in bringing pro soccer to town". Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  17. ^ "NFL's Blank bids for MLS franchise". Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. 2008-10-14. Retrieved 2008-10-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  18. ^ Miech, Rob (2007-05-31). "$35 million bet on pro soccer". Las Vegas Sun.
  19. ^ "Vegas Group Look To Invest In Crew". Goal.com. 2008-01-10.
  20. ^ Mitchell, Shawn (2008-09-30). "Las Vegas group talking with Crew, report says". Columbus Dispatch.
  21. ^ Big expectations for FIU football stadium - Miami Herald, September 18, 2008
  22. ^ http://www.miamiherald.com/588/story/727684.html
  23. ^ http://www.MiamiFCB.com
  24. ^ http://www.miamisoccerfan.com/Soccer/Home.html
  25. ^ http://web.mlsnet.com/mls/events/mls_cup/2008/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081121&content_id=205893&vkey=mlscup2008&fext=.jsp
  26. ^ "Gillett, Impact seek MLS team in Montreal". TSN. Toronto.
  27. ^ "Melnyk Launches Ottawa MLS Expansion Bid". TSN. Ottawa: The Canadian Press. 2008-09-16.
  28. ^ "Ottawa launches MLS franchise plan". FIFA. Reuters. 2008-09-17.
  29. ^ Butler, Dylan (2008-09-12). "Ottawa to announce MLS expansion bid". MLS.
  30. ^ http://blog.oregonlive.com/sportsupdates/2008/07/portland_paulson_to_submit_app.html
  31. ^ http://www.mlstoportland.com
  32. ^ Wangerin p.29
  33. ^ Baseball star Pujols backing St. Louis bid for MLS
  34. ^ "Vancouver mayor in New York to shore up bid for Major League Soccer team". Google. Vancouver: The Canadian Press. 2008-10-07.
  35. ^ "MLS expansion fee won't scare away Whitecaps". Vancouver Sun. 2008-10-25.
  36. ^ "Seven submit applications for expansion". MLSnet.com. 2008-10-15. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
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