The race to secure one of Major League Soccer's two expansion slots in 2011 has been cleared up dramatically after commissioner Don Garber revealed on Friday that Montreal has removed itself from consideration.
Montreal's exit leaves Miami and St. Louis as the front-runners in a six-city race to be one of the two expansion cities added in 2011. Portland is also a contender, with Ottawa, Vancouver and Atlanta also in the mix.
What do you think of the news? Stunned that Montreal has bowed out? Do you see anybody beating out St. Louis and Miami?
Share your thoughts below.
aristotle, on your concern about the economy I agree. But you might change your analysis of Miami if you examined the facts. You are incorrect, for one, on your comparison with KC’s attendance figures. Only one year did KC out attend them. Miami had the greater attendance the other years.
And, I have personally been to the OB with great crowds for international games. Argentina/USA was one. Miami is not perfect, but I just have to chuckle at the “drive by posters” here who throw out ‘failed’ “humid’ ‘bad sports city.’ I dunno, are they getting their facts from Jim Rome?
..what Billy said.
MLS, just say “NO” to barca. how close attention has barca been paying to US soccer over the years? i suspect that owners in portland and st louis have a better sense of what us soccer needs.
I’m shocked Montreal has dropped out. Shocked that we won’t be seeing them in 2011, because I’m fairly confident they were 1st or 2nd choice for most people.
I think it will probably be Miami and St. Louis, but I can see Garber being interested in Vancouver. He loves strong ownership groups, and that could mean St. Louis still miss out despite the late strengthening.
Might we see Portland drop out too? We knew they would struggle with the finances, so if Montreal can’t take it, could we see Portland do the same?
Steve – plans and designs to make huge stadiums “look/feel more intimate” don’t work.
Not saying the stadium should necessarily rule out Vancouver, however.
My order:
1. Miami-Based on big market and ownership group. This is a lock for me. Ultimately, I think, sharing a stadium with FIU will be temporary until they build another stadium. The heat is a major issue though.
2. Vancouver-The ownership group is there. The stadium will be there. (Yes, they have plan and design to make that huge stadium look/feel more intimate.) Fanbase is in place.
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3. Portland-Proven track record. Onership and fanbase are there. Stadium will be there. Continued rivalry with Seattle. Definite choice for next round of expansion.
4. St. Louis-Although my first choice would be St. Louis because I feel it would be a good market, I just don’t see MLS believing in their current ownership group. I’m sure Pujols has joined in because MLS said, “You need a better ownership group. Go find some money.”
5. Atlanta-This is the Wild Card for me. It definitely raises eyebrows that the Silverbacks are not continuing.
6. Ottawa-I just don’t see this ever happening.
I think there is truth to MLS directing it’s efforts at cities that are currently occupied by USL clubs. I don’t think this eliminates a city like St. Louis, I just think this absolutely increases the chances for a city that currently has a USL club.
Someone mentioned earlier about MLS buying USL….they won’t have to if they continue expanding into USL cities. They’ll just run them out of town and take over.
Miami 2010….Vancouver 2011!!!
Bummer. That Montreal road trip would have been fabulous.
wow the Portland Stadium renovations look awesome. They should be way ahead of STL and Miami in that they actually have a stadium and their fan support is second to none. Lets go Portland!!!
northzax – why do you say Montreal won’t likely ever have another chance? A bit over the top, no?
if USL really thinks they are going to go head to head with mls they have a suprise waiting for them. There is upwards of a billion dollars invested in MLS right now, MLS has better revenue streams, richer owners, better players, national television and a large headstart in major media markets. The franchise fee has risen by about 30% in a few years. Usl is losing a team this year, MLS has a waiting list. And I notice that the Timbers didn’t seem to get the memo, either. Can USL be profitable? Of course. Will it ever be as influential and comparably rich as MLS? Not while MLS exists.
This was Montreal’s chance to crash the party, there won’t likely be another realistic chance for the city.
I heard that San Francisco and Bangor will be the next two teams.
Seriously, there’s a lot of speculation going on here. That having been said, I really don’t see how St. Louis can be anything other than a lock. Unless there are things going on we have not been told about, MLS has really given St. Louis the shaft. MLS all but guaranteed St. Louis a spot BEFORE the last two expansion teams of Philadelphia and Seattle. Now with Pujols in the picture their bid just cannot be matched.
All this talk about the economy is starting to spook me. I hadn’t really thought about the economy in terms of MLS before, but now that I think about it, if any sport is going to be hit hard it seems likely it would be soccer. Their shaky finances could really fall apart quickly. I think MLS needs to stop with all of this expansion and concentrate on consolidating the league. With MLS’ small fan base and their weak commitment to soccer I wonder if a lot of fans will disappear when the economy is really bad. Here’s hoping that doesn’t happen.
I’d really like to see Portland get the second spot, but I have a feeling Vancouver might beat them out, especially with MLS envisioning Toronto type success in another location. The team I REALLY don’t want to see get in is Miami. No offense to Miami fans but the previous chance was more than just a problem with a bad owner. Did the owner tell the fans to not come to the games? Their attendance made K.C. look well supported. Where are the big crowds when international games are played in Miami? I see Miami as just another K.C. at best. Well, that’s my two cents.
What I’ve heard is USL is restructuring the league and they want to rival MLS bigtime
You ignore me! Or you mock me! But we will see who laughs last!!!
I guess the question will be how comfortable MLS is with Portland’s current stadium setup and how confident they are that Portland can eventually remodel it. St. Louis is a bigger market with a strong soccer culture. Is Pujols the previously unnamed wealthy new member of the ownership or are there more names to come?
I don’t think MLS can go wrong with any 1 of Portland, St. Louis, or Vancouver. I might tend towards taking 2 of them, but I don’t see MLS passing up the Miami bid.
This sucks. I guess I’m now pulling for St Louis, and then hoping for some positive news about Portland’s financing, so that I can feel confident about Portland as no. 2.
One step closer to this: http://www.mlstoportland.com/templates/template2/?page=17
Good news for Portland. Now: how to get Miami out of the equation…
Miami and Portland. Miami has deep pockets, high profile ownership, and a desired/attractive market. Portland has the fan support, an urban stadium and deep pockets as well in the Paulsen’s.
Miami equals National Footprint…we have to have a team in the South…perhaps two??
After reading undrafted (above), I’m guessing it will be Miami and St. Louis as well.
The way Garber has spoken about Miami, I have to believe that will be one of the two beginning play in 2011.
In 2010 or 2011, there will be a single table.
I think Atlanta and Ottawa are long shots. That leaves the race between Portland, St. Louis and Vancouver. I don’t know which to pick but I’m guessing it will be either Portland or Vancouver.
Ives, any reaction to the elimination of the reserve division and cutting back roster size to a maximum of 24?
Also did the Commissioner talk about the amount of CAP increase?
I’m guessing Atlanta is taking more than 1 year off from USL.
Montreal would have been a nice addition, but it’s not a crucial market. They’ll come along eventually.
I’m a little hesistant on Miami being a tenant in a university stadium, but the ownership group is outstanding and likely worth giving a chance. I’m liking the St. Louis bid more every day. MLS shouldn’t turn down a funded SSS in a good market.
Portland and Montreal are the strength of USL1 and would be the basis of any rival to MLS. Montreal didn’t want to pay the full fee and Portland has a questionable funding plan for a proper stadium. Hopefully they’ll be in within the next decade.
Vancouver has a nice application but without their own stadium they might just miss out. Ottawa is the fallback of fallbacks. Atlanta is the unknown here. An important market for many reasons but probably not ready for MLS.
Current guess: St. Louis & Miami
3. Vanouver, 4. Portland, 5. Atlanta
Expansion team in Miami. Losing team. 100 % humidity in the summer. History of not supporting sports franchises. Already failed with the Fusion. Recipe for disaster. Garber would be solidifying his status as a true idiot.
I am not surprised that Montreal pulled out. There were whispers that the Montreal ownership group was not interested in forking out $40 million for a franchise fee. These whispers started way before the CDN dollar started to freefall vs. the US dollar the last 8 weeks.
I predict Vancouver and Miami.
Ah crap. I was really looking forward to adding Montreal in 2011.
Top two markets I now want to see: St. Louis and Portland.
But I really do hope that Montreal will make another bid in the future. I think that would be a great market for the league.
Sorry for my incomplete post above. Did anyone see that the Atlanta Silverbacks are taking the 2009 seasin off due to the economy / MLS expansion?
http://www.atlantasilverbacks.com/news/displaynews.php?id=1046&cat=1
Miami is a terrible sports city.
My reaction:
1. The folks blasting Miami as a choice because it failed in the past aren’t looking at all the data. Miami got contracted because Ken Horowitz had no money and refused to make any more cash calls. No-one in MLS was drawing back then but the park they were using in Ft. Lauderdale was actually one of the better soccer venues MLS had at that time (certainly a better fan experience than the Meadowlands ever has been). I’m not saying Miami will definitely succeed, only that the only reason they lost the team was because of a cash-poor owner.
2. I love Montreal as a city. But I think people looked at TFC and assumed Montreal would match that. Why? Maybe they would or maybe TFC was a unique confluence that produced a great stadium with amazing fans and great demand for tickets. I think there are a bunch of reasons NOT to go to Canada. Right now, the Canadian teams would have to be mostly American players and after about 2 years, I think that starts to make a difference. I wonder if TFC continues to be a non-playoff team combined with few Canadian players, if we start to see a drop-off in support?
3. St. Louis added Carlos Pujols. Yeah–some big pockets there. On a bunch of levels, (ownership, geography, soccer tradition, community ties), they’ve got no worse than an attractive bid. And with Miami, committed owners with big pockets–that’s what the Fusion never had.
There are a bunch of places that–given the circumstances–could be good MLS homes. It comes down mostly to ownership group and stadium.
Clearly Montreal was the best bid. Bad news for the MLS.
Steve: You mean the I-70 Rivalry (KC v StL)
Will Barca Miami’s field be turf? If so then no thanks. Seattle may have gotten away with it but please no more clubs on turf (and no Canuck clubs, at least for this next round).
However, trying to think like Garber here, I bet he’s pulling for Miami (Barca + Southern club) and StL (Midwest club + The Hill). 3 conferences again? I’m sure it’s in the back of the suits minds.
Absolutely shocked because Montreal had it in the bag easily. Guess this will clear the way for St Louis and Miami although Portland deserve it more then anyone
I meant ‘… or no more CANADIAN MLS teams to go do something…’
Portland and St. Louis.
NO MIAMI. Sorry, they tried. It failed. If Barca wants to come in and build a brand new team with a brand new identity, MAYBE I’d go for it. But, Portland deserves MLS far more than Miami.
And, I’m very sad about Montreal. I want to tell anyone who is saying no Canucks or more MLS teams to go do something not very publicly accepted to themselves. I think you’re idiots and I’m tired of it. My beautiful fiancée is Canadian and there is no reason why MLS can’t exist in both countries, especially since Canada cannot truly support a strong professional league.
Just look at what happened the Canada/US exhange rate over the last few months and that will give you a clue. Montreal’s expansion fee has been climbing through the roof in the last few months.
Oh and another thing, South Florida does not have empty stadiums for other sports. Do some research and you’ll see the attendance numbers are and always have been average to above average for all our major league teams(including the NASL Strikers and MLS Fusion). People like to take the Marlins attendance and run with it. What they never mention is that they have the 12th best TV ratings in MLB, the stadium is by far the WORST in the MLB for baseball, and that they have a new stadium on the way with a retractable roof and a/c. South Florida is a fine sports market.
I think Montreal bowing out is a two part story. First of all, MLS was not going to select them as they want to go into big media markets even if the market is not as soccer friendly as others(Miami). Secondly, Gillette (the other Montreal owner) is probably feeling the financial strain from Liverpool and the economic downturn. I think this a huge mistake on both MLS and Montreal. I’m seriously thinking the MLS is going either kill the USL or weaken it enough to buy it and make it a second division
I guess Montréal tried to haggle MLS down too much on the expansion fee. No offense to Impact fans, but as a Miami supporter I did a little dance when I heard they dropped out.
And Billy, it will not be Barca Miami, they are having a name the team contest. Secondly, Miami did not fail already. The ownership failed and the league almost failed, so they closed our team down(and the Mutiny. MLS Miami 2010!! Vaaaaaaamos Miami!
It’s just not a good idea to be expanding right now. Montreal was smart.
go st. louis cant wait for the illinois darby…
Good, no more canucks in MLS!
I’d love Portland and Stl for the MLS
In the current economic climate, anyone thinking of handing 40 million over to MLS should check into the nearest mental health facility until the urge passes. I work in the financial world and the situation is not as bad as you think people, it is much, much worse. As surreal as it seems, USL is the better place for Montreal to be. I agree completely with jloome, USL is the more sensibly run of the two leagues.
Something is terribly wrong here when a passionate soccer fan worth billions of dollars with his own soccer specific stadium pulls out of MLS’s expansion race. Some will say it’s the economy, but I don’t buy it. Something else is at play here, and it smells.
The league definitely wants a Canadian club with the success of Toronto. I think this favors Vancouver (which would be good for a Seattle rivalry) and St. Louis I think is still on the front burner. I know everyone wants Miami due to Barcelona wanting to make the bid but I still think that market will not work (summer heat, empty stadiums for other sports, etc.) But Miami is a very glamorous market so from the “marketing” aesthetic and perspective and with Barcelona owning the team. Might be a good move for MLS to draw more attention to the league.
It’s also worth considering that maybe USL is thinking of following numerous other pro sports in north America (including both the NFL and NBA) and starting a competing league in the same cities as MLS.
Why should Montreal give MLS $40 million if it expects to be playing USL teams, with a couple of years of winning tradition, in New York, LA and Chicago?
After all, without charging the ridiculous franchise fee that MLS is charging, they can attract initial investors whose $40-million can go into a small-but-profitable SSS of their own (and they do great rental business, when they’re not being used by pro teams.)
Yep, I’d bet within five years you’ll see USL expand and try to take MLS on aggressively. It makes sense; from an economic, structural and competitive standpoint, their league is, in many ways, more sensibly run. It just didn’t have the upfront glitz of the world cup association and the big corporate money backing it.
I DO NOT WANT TO SEE BARCA MIAMI. For the love of god, miami failed already and having “barca” and “chivas” names make this league look like a joke. PDX and STL 2011.
We also already know that the support for Portland would be fantastic, and the same could be said for Vancover as they both have relatively successful clubs already.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but i believeVancover already has a new stadium plan. They both would make a great rivalry with Seattle more so with Portland though.
IVES- Any idea how powerful the St. Louis ownership group is because i have always heard that, that has been their main problem. It is hard to believe that they aren’t getting hit significantly either.
Personally, I could see Portland or Vancover beating out St. Louis based on the fact that we still don’t know how powerful their finicial group really is even with recent addition of Albert Pujols
I suppose this means that Vancouver will be the next club from Canada to join MLS. However, I am really pulling for St. Louis. Long overdue!
It’s surprising, but I am so glad to see Miami AND St. Louis get more of an opportunity now. I like the American locales getting looks first, no offense to Canada.
May be that with the economic picture looking the way it is, Montreal looked at this year’s USL results in competition with MLS and decided it might be better to wait a year or five.