By JOHN BOSCHINI
Zlatan Ibrahimovic has expressed interest in finishing out his career in Major League Soccer, becoming the latest European superstar to contemplate a move across the Atlantic.
The AC Milan striker and Swedish international told Voetbal International "This is my last contract with a club in Europe. When I'm done in Milan I will play for a couple of years in the United States."
Ibrahimovic, 29, is under contract with the Italian club until 2014 so it could be awhile before we see the temperamental striker in MLS.
Here are some more stories to kick off your Monday:
Feasibility study released on Baltimore stadium
A feasibility study on D.C. United's possible move to a soccer-specific stadium in Baltimore has been released. According to the study released by Baltimore Development Corporation, up to 940 jobs and $2.8 million in city taxes could be generated either of the two proposed stadiums. The stadium, and adjacent hotel, would host up to 54 events during the year including all of D.C. United's home games. United entered into preliminary talks about the move last fall.
Poland's budget cuts threaten Euro 2012 infastructure
The worsening budget crunch in Poland has taken its toll on road and other infrastructure improvements planned ahead of the Euro 2012 Championships. Poland's infrastructure manager, Cezary Grabarcyz, said that some projects will be moved to 2013 after the program's funding was severly cut. Poland, which will co-host next summer's tournament with Ukraine, has a subpar highway network.
Schalke's stadium damaged by snow
The winter weather which has effected fixtures throughout Europe has claimed another victim, Schalke's Veltins Arena. For the second time this year, the German stadium could not hold the masive amounts of snow dumped on its roof, resulting in a hole being torn in it, dumping snow onto the field. About 100,000 euros worth of damage has been done to the arena but it should be ready before the end of the Bundesliga winter break.
What do you think of today's stories? Where could you see Ibrahimovic playing in MLS? Like the idea of D.C. United moving to Baltimore?
Share your thoughts below.
No offense, but you clearly know little about the situation. The RFK stadium property belongs to the federal government. It will literally take an act of Congress to get RFK torn down, and there is currently no mechanism by which a soccer stadium could be built there and still be owned by DC United (which, of course, is necessary for the club to turn a profit).
And…there is nowhere to play in Alexandria.
It will require a new, deep-pocketed owner to buy land and build the stadium in DC. Will Chang can’t do it on his own.
Like him or not, Ibrahimovic is arguably one of the best 5 forwards in world and he is in his prime. I would bet that he would still be fantastic and be a hell of a draw (love or hate). He offers the ball skills and scoring ability that Beckham never had and Thierry Henry wishes he still did. MLS fans should be happy that Euro stars want to come to the US and play. The age of those stars will drop (slowly)as the popularity and pay of the league rises (slowly).
i wish Garber/MLS had a better understanding of the difference between a club and franchise.
a large part, if not all of it, should go to the worse, French, UEFA equivalent of Blatter:
Michel Platini… blame him!
tell Baltimore to start their own team! i bet they would be more successful if there was a team in DC, Baltimore, So. Philly and NY/NJ than if Baltimore stole DC’s team.
turf wars builds rivalries while relocating and rebranding franchises just make the fans who stay with teams look and feel like tools.
+2
Yep tell him to stay home.
Stop speaking for Red Bull New York fans, dumas.
This is not a decision will be taken lightly. Beltway politics are an ugly business. A simple solution would be temporarily move home games to Alexandria and Baltimore split as equitable as possible, demolish RFK, rebuild new soccer specific stadium of 30K since those DC fans deserve better than RBNY, then return to DC as heroes of the past/present/future. Win/win for fans outside the beltway to see games and for the downtown locations MLS wants so badly.
excuse the typos/word omissions
Clubs are supposed to be social institutions, not businesses. That being said, its obvious that European soccer is a business, but it is obvious a lot different than the “franchises” of the NFL, NBA, and MLB over here.
When Wimbledon to Milton Keynes it was a big deal. Tottenham still can’t get over Arsenal’s move a hundred years ago. The only time you’ve seen that with American sports is probably the Brooklyn Dodgers, maybe the Baltimore Colts.
Yeah, they’re obviously not ‘clubs’ in the perfect sense anymore. But let’s not pretend they are a lot more of social institutions than American franchises are. I think that’s what tnnelson was saying.
Of course MLS doesn’t have the luxury to imitate Europe in that way. But c’mon, franchises obviously have less soul than clubs.
*played