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Which MLS expansion city would you pick?

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With the seven candidates for MLS expansion by 2011 now set, we should find out plenty about all seven bids as the weeks and months go by and we move closer to an announcement on the 17th and 18th MLS franchises.

As you may know, I ran a poll on what expansion cities SBI readers preferred. Now that we have seven established candidates, I want to do another poll and this one will be a little different. The question is a simple one. If you have a vote to pick just one of the seven expansion cities to join MLS, which would it be? Yes, there will be two cities chosen this time around, but I want to see which city more people consider their top choice.

Which city did you pick? Share your choices and reasons for your picks in the comments section below.

Comments

  1. My picks;

    Ottawa

    St.Louis

    Both have outstanding youth soccer programs that are amongst the best in their respective countries. Ottawa has the bonus of a solid owner with a proven track record in a growing community. Also neither of these teams would hurt the USL if they got a MLS franchise. I believe the MLS needs a strong USL to get even better. Portland, Vancouver, Montreal, Atlanta, Miami are the heart of the USL.

    Looking at the previous post, I will organize a boycott of MLS products if they give a franchise to Portland 😉

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  2. Ives,

    I have a related question regarding expansion. Did all these bids require a certain amount of money to MLS just to be considered? I’m guessing so. If so, do you know how much? Seems if they charged every bidder $100,000, it would be an easy way to make a little extra.

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  3. Gotta go with Portland. They support soccer strongly (for the level at which it is played there… burn!), and it would be the only realistic road trip for Sounders fans to make for an away match.

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  4. From Scott47a:

    “I have no doubt that Portland would turn out. Really, what else is there to do. But I don’t think fan support in USL means anything to the MLS. Look at Toronto, where the USL team had sparse attendance.”

    Umm – Toronto is an example where poor USL attendance in a shoddy suburban facility is not a harbinger for MLS attendance in a downtown venue.

    But! You are trying to twist the Toronto and Seattle examples to suggest that a Timbers franchise that has GREAT USL attendance would do worse when it goes to MLS – in the SAME stadium????

    Ridiculuous!

    I can understand how moving up to a higher league and new stadium would increase attendance as in Toronto, but are you seriously saying that moving up a league would hurt attendance in Portland? Portland occasionally brings over 15k for USL league games – they already draw MLS levels as a bottom table team in the second league.

    You should go into politics because that is some serious spin.

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  5. I see the next two expansion cities being Miami and Vancouver just because of the big names they bring to the table before even getting the bid. I mean, how can you possibly turn down a bid from FC Barcelona and Steve Nash, come on.

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  6. By the way…Why Miami? Its a terrible soccer town. Their team already failed once, and its not that big. Atlanta makes more sense. But why not pick a big metro area w/o pro American Football or Baseball? Montreal, Vancouver, Portland . . .

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  7. Miami, with a second being atlanta. The Southeast needs a team, plain and simple. Portland, a second nyc franchise, and canadian teams can take a number. I’m with everyone else who chose miami in which it’s one of the few cities besides LA and NYC that can attract high profile DPs. And with Barca’s backing, you almost can’t lose. Either that or atlanta, but for the love of god we don’t need anymore teams in the north or midwest. They can always wait til the next expansion comes around. Now yall are just getting selfish.

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  8. Just being selfish here-

    Give me Atlanta or Miami

    First is my place of birth and could make a game, the other is where I live and could make a game.

    Give us something in the south, we have nothing.

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  9. I have no doubt that Portland would turn out. Really, what else is there to do.

    But I don’t think fan support in USL means anything to the MLS. Look at Toronto, where the USL team had sparse attendance. Look at Seattle, where they already have four times as many fans buying seats than went to see the USL side on a regular basis.

    The USL-MLS comparison is not relevant to a league trying desperately to cover the country and get a bigger national TV contract.

    Put the TV thing together with the Barca group and it’s not hard to see why MLS would pick Miami, no matter what posters here think.

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  10. I live in Denver now, but I’m from the South and for the love of all that is good and holy, we need an MLS franchise down south.

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  11. The “hotbed of youth soccer” perception out there is certainly true, but misguided in this context. It isn’t STL’s only selling point. When soccer has been in St. Louis, it has been supported – throughout the entire hsitory of the sport in America and at every level. Not a big fan of the Collinsville plan at all, but I have no idea what type of resistance or financing Cooper got on the other side of the river. Oh, and it’s not St. Louis’ fault that KC has issues.

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  12. Portland should be an easy pick for another American city. Montreal or Vancouver will be the 2nd choices. It’s a fact Saputo inflates his numbers but the support there is decent.

    Seriously…why would any real fan want a team in Miami? Who is going to go? Does it really help to put the sport back in a city where it has already failed? They barely support their pointyball team and don’t even show up to MLB or NBA games when their teams are winning.

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  13. Dear Ives:

    I have a question Ives that hopefully you will address even though you don’t seem to monitor and interact on your board topics like you once did in the early days of Soccer by Ives:

    With Barcelona throwing its hat in the ring do you believe it is possible that MLS will change the number of franchises available for this round of expansion from 2 to 3 or 4?

    I would hate to see Portland, Montreal or St. Louis get short changed because the league can’t understandably resist the pull of a big star like Barcelona from a worldwide credibility standpoint.

    ( my own negative views of Miami as market not withstanding)

    Please comment and Thanks in Advance.

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  14. If St. Louis wants a team so bad then they should just buy the Wizards. St. Louis ownership has already cried about the expansion fee. Is that the type of owner you want in the league anyway? Portland deserves a team since they have fan support and Miami would have deep pockets in a major market. Not everybody in Miami loves college football. I’m sure Lil’ Havana just looks forward to college football season. Miami has the diversity to have a great MLS fan base.

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  15. I voted for Miami because of the Barcelona connection and it’s in the USA. Plus, it’s a major market. Tri-state area people move to Florida to retire. Why can’t aging European soccer stars? The Fusion were a fun exciting team to watch and I was dissapointed when the league contracted. In theory, Tampa & Miami should have first dibs on getting their teams back. Go Barca Miami and Tampa Bay Mutiny Streakers!

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  16. Based on this poll, all these comments and even the last poll, clearly Portland is the darling among engaged North American followers of the sport. Its what so many of us fans want.

    I am another who has fallen in love with the Timbers from afar just because of the richness of their supporters culture, history, perfect old school authentic stadium.

    Unlike other candidate cities where words like “market” and “investors” are used, look at how commenters on Portland use words like “deserve”, “fan support” and “culture”.

    If the thousands of voters in these polls ran the league, Portland would be in. Problem is there are government and capitalist business forces at the helm and I am concerned they will not do what we want.

    So if the business decision makers won’t listen to what we want – I say we make any non-Portland decision business relevant!

    I AM CALLING FOR A FAN BOYCOTT OF MLS IF PORTLAND IS NOT SELECTED FOR 2011 EXPANSION.

    I urge you – if you believe this league should listen to its fans on expansion, then make a statement by promising not to buy MLS gear, tickets or watch games until Portland enters the league. Shift your attention to USL if you must – at least you’ll get to follow some spirited international runs.

    STAND UP FOR PORTLAND 2011!!!! BOYCOTT MLS IF PORTLAND IS NOT ANNOUNCED.

    (who will setup a facebook page for this new movement?)

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  17. “SEC country needs a team”

    The SEC is exactly a reason why NOT to give a team to the southeast like Atlanta or Miami. Who’s going to turn out for a Saturday night game from Sept – Nov?

    Portland and Montreal where there are proven passionate fan basis.

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