Photo by ISIphotos.com
By AVI CREDITOR
MLS commissioner Don Garber's desire for a second New York franchise has not been a secret for some time, but Thursday he shed some light on the progress the league is making on securing a stadium site.
While addressing topics such as the growing league attendance, the new officiating program initiative, the league's new disciplinary measures and television ratings during a teleconference with national reporters, Garber touched on the latest involving New York City expansion and indicated that the league's unprecedented steps in ensuring that a stadium is in place before an ownership group is secured are making headway.
"The league is taking the lead on developing the stadium opportunity," Garber said. "It’s the first time we've ever done that as part of the expansion process. There have been nine teams over last 10 years to build stadiums, but this is the first one where the league is driving most the important aspects.
"Architecture, consultants and environmental all work for the league. We will put together a project and then we hope to be able to deliver to a potential owner. We’ve been working with the mayor's office, and it has been a great resource for us, helping to steer us to sites that can be developed and where there is enough community support and to achieve success."
Garber said the league has looked at 19 different sites over the last 18 months and is in the process of narrowing down the choice locations.
"We want to ensure that when this project is complete that we have the perfect site for a stadium, and we'll take the time, as long as it takes, to ensure we have the right site. That's how important this second team in New York is.
"It's too early to go public with what those locations are. We are focused on locations that have really strong public transportation access and are close to the urban core as possible."
Although Garber, who ruled out Belmont Park as a potential site, said that there are "no ongoing conversations with any specific owner" at the moment — including the Wilpon family and the new Cosmos ownership group — and he feels that as soon as the stadium site is selected and cleared, the ball will get rolling on securing an ownership group that will pay the hefty expansion fee to join the league.
"When the stadium is done, there's going to be no shortage of owners who will line up and want to pay $100 million for our 20th team," Garber said.
Future stadiums remained a theme in Garber's comments. With San Jose getting the green light to go ahead and built its new stadium and Houston set to open BBVA Compass Stadium in May, the league has its eye on rectifying the stadium situation for two of the league's original clubs.
D.C. United and the New England Revolution have perpetually been at the forefront of the stadium discussion, and Garber addressed the latest goings on with each franchise.
This week, D.C.'s city council passed a resolution calling on local government to come up with a long-term solution to keep United in the nation's capital. While the resolution itself guarantees nothing and is more a symbol of political support than actual tangible progress, Garber took note of the development.
"I applaud the gesture, and I hope that it is the beginning of a very quick path to finding a facility for the club," Garber said. "(D.C. United owner Will Chang) and (club president and CEO Kevin Payne) are commiteed to doing what they need to do to try and resolve the situation," Garber said. "Baltimore does remain an option for a stadium should they not be able to resolve their situation. I am watching the situation very closely."
As for this year, new lease terms and a restructured finanical agreement between the club and Events D.C., the operators of RFK Stadium, are set to be announced as the team is on the verge of opening up a 17th season at the aging ballpark.
"That's a positive sign and another indication of the District working with D.C. United," Garber said.
New England, meanwhile, is still in search mode, and Garber said that the subject of a new venue would come up when he next meets with club owner Robert Kraft, which was slated to be a breakfast meeting on Friday.
"There's an opportunity there that if we're able to get some public support, hopefully we'll be able to get something done," Garber said. "Our view is that if the Revolution have a soccer stadium in Boston, it will be one of the most vibrant environments in the entire league. So we are going to continue to try and work to see if we can get that done."
+1
Nope. I live in Manhattan. I’m a Mets fan and I go to the US Open. RBA is much easier to get to than Flushing for many in Manhattan. Have you ever been to Newark?
Oy vey — another one. The Cosmos name would be cool and all, but you really mean a team in NY “only if…they carry the Cosmos name?”
Really? Spent a hundred or a couple of hundred million, all depending on whether the owners can secure rights to the Cosmos name?
MMMMBello’s! Cant wait for the season to start.
Wait — you think the REALLY important part of a having a New York franchise is the nickname? Call it the “Cosmos”, or forget the whole thing?
For criminy sakes! It’s not “another” team in NY. It’s a first team in NY.
To amplify my point about “Linsanity” — do you think this phenomenon happens if Lin starts scoring for the Charlotte Bees or the San Antonio Cowsills? Do you think people all around the country start tuning in for the latest Lin clips on You Tube? Do you think thousands of people line up in Taiwan to buy jerseys and t-shirts?
Y’know the Sinatra song — If I an make it here, I’ll make it anywhere” — it might be more accurate to sing “If I can make it there. I’ll make it everywhere.” If it happens in New York, it becomes a national phenomenon, even an international one. If it happens in Newark, not so much.
That’s why New York.
you clearly live in Jersey. Queens has more people within spitting distance of a potential stadium than probably all of n. nj would. Have you ever been to queens?
Eurosnob: Last season the RB games steadily had more and more attendance. This is how it happens here. What you see on tv is deceiving because those empty seats are sold tickets. And that’s in Jersey.
A stadium on a mta line will be very popular. MLS gets it. I guess you have to live here and experience the lines for cupcakes and macaroons to have the vision.
waaaah
Get on a train and go. It would take me 12 hours to drive to a game.
I can understand why people dont want to see a 2nd team in the NY region but NY Cosmos would be fantastic for the league. It’s one of the most popular American soccer brands, and one of the most historic even if the current incarnation has no ties to the old club. The Orlando Pirates should and probably will be the 21st team in the league. They are a 3rd division club with a growing supporter culture which needs time to continue to develop. I think the league is going to make Florida prove to them that they can (1) get behind a team on a consistent basis [11,000 people at their championship game was an excellent start, and (2) get plans in place for a SSS. If they can do those two things they have every right to be a member of Major League Soccer. Same goes for San Antonio, although the articles that I’ve read indicate that they are slightly behind Orlando in terms of building fan support.
The NFL has a similar structure. The NFL makes huge $….not so communist now huh? EL OH EL
Ever see the ratings for NY/LA games? They’re the best MLS has and will only get better. Imagine them with a second team (maybe Cosmos) who spend money on star players. The MLS suits are smart and will make the league a LOT of money putting a second team in NY. And Garber’s right – there will be buyers lining up at the door…
because they’ve had roots in that area since day 1 of MLS. It would have been suicide to drop everything and move, particularly with the breaks Harrison was offering at the time. Despite what many think, NYRB has a good community following, and moving to anywhere in NYC would have meant starting their grassroots efforts all over again.
Not enough big markets? Are you serious?
Atlanta, Tampa, Miami, Orlando, Nashville are all bigger markets than several current MLS markets. Atlanta is a top ten media market with a huge immigrant population.
Team #20 might should go to NY (only if they are playing in NY proper and they carry the Cosmos name, though). But the MLS is going to have to figure out a way to break into the South eventually.
It won’t happen in Manhattan bro. Too cost prohibitive. I worked in real estate finance and you’ll see pigs grow wings before a stadium of any kind is put in Manhattan…Jets were the last, best chance.
short sighted would be grabbing a fast growing city over one of the largest, richest, and ethnically diverse cities in the world. There’s a reason NY has 2 football, 2 baseball 2 hockey teams and soon, 2 basketball teams.
Wow, talking about pulling stuff out of your arse. If you heard Garber, you’d know that the city keeps approaching him with ideas for locations. Also, the Red Bulls are four-square behind it, knowing that a local rivalry with a city team would be the best thing to ever happen to a Jersey franchise. There is very much a demand for it, inside the league and out. If you mean fans — just wait and see how well it’s supported. Talk about a built-in fanbase? New York City? With millions of immigrants, including hispanics?.
Have you noticed what happened in the NBA last month? Outside of the LeBron saga, who has even taken notice of the NBA in recent years? Then Jeremy Lin starts filling the baskets, and the seats in New York and on the road, and dominating the national conversation. That’s why a team in New York.
No way. Flushing is more remote than Newark.
If a team in NYC is such a top priority, why did they recently build a new stadium for the existing New York team in New Jersey? Obviously, it was a quicker process to construct a stadium in New Jersey, but it just seems so short sighted.
RBA is not too far away for many millions of new yorkers, though i will grant that it is not easy if you are in, say, Brooklyn or Queens. As a RB fan I am hoping that this does not happen in Manhattan. Think it would be cool if team 2 were Brooklyn/Queens. Near Shea seems the most sensible.
The MLS suits are NYC based. They are obsessed with NY2 because of that. Sorry fellas, nobody cares about NY2 in the rest of the country. They can’t find somebody to pony up $50 mil for NY2 right now. Where are they gonna find a $100 mil buyer? China? Russia? Doesn’t make sense.
Interestingly, while that was always thought to be the most likely location — especially when Wilpon was the leading owner candidate — recent reporting suggests it has slid way down the list. While any Manhattan property would seem prohibitive, a Hudson Yards stadium might be just the project the city is looking for to kick-start the development there. The city is far more likely to help out with such a project…especially while Bloomberg is still in office, since he’s always wanted a stadium there.
With the 7 line extension, the location is excellent — it makes it easily accessible to all those soccer-loving immigrants that the CitiField area was supposed to attract. It’s also highly accessible for suburbanites coming from both Long Island and the Westchester and Connecticut suburbs to the north. There are also proposals to extend the 7 line, either across the river into New Jersey, or to Penn Sation, where it would be easily accessed by Jersey commuters and Amtrak riders coming up from Philly or even DC.
It’s an amazing location — a dream come true for the league…if it comes true. It would be very expensive, but very, very awesome.
The league is not going to build the stadium, but they will do most of the heavy lifting to get things ready for new owners to build a stadium. This means dealing with zoning and neighborhood issues which is not easy in any location much less the largest city in the US and will make the $100m fee a much more attractive deal for potential owners.
Concerning the Revs, I don’t think you realize exactly where Gillette stadium is in relation to Boston as it takes about 40 minutes to drive to it from the city. It is basically the same situation as in Dallas. Compare that to Seattle where the stadium is pretty much in downtown and there is your answer as to why it is ok in Washington but not on the East Coast.
Which comes to the SSS discussion where I think you might have missed this line from the quote, “Our view is that if the Revolution have a soccer stadium in Boston.” If they build a 20,000 seater in Boston, it will be much easier for people to get to it. Plus, having a venue that size in the city will open up revenue streams from other events. So yes, they would need to invest money in it, but they would have a great chance of having a strong return on their investment. It is pretty much the antithesis of the Dallas model.
True, Seattle play in a football stadium on turf like the Revs. That is where the comparison stops. The Revs play in Foxboro in nowhere land (which is fine for the NFL since it is hugely supported). the Sounders play in the heart of downtown. The point is that the Revs need to play in dwontown Boston. The large stadium is a problem for the atmosphere of the game, but the location is the primary problem.
I do think you are dead on about Kraft and why he does not want to build a second stadium though.
They are looking at the area on the upper west that had been considered for the Jets/Giants stadium.
It is a more logistically feasible project for a number of reasons.
Still not a national league, but a regional one.
This is such a communist league
If they cared about the economics they wouldn’t consider placing a second team in the city, where an existing team with stars like Thiery Henry is unable to sell out the state of the art soccer specific $200 million Red Bulls stadium. No disrespect is meant to those NY fans that actually go to the games and support their team.
There actually isn’t a team in New York right now. The Red Bulls should really be called the New Jersey Red Bulls. I think the problem is that when people say Jersey, they throw up a little bit in their mouths.
I find it INCREDIBLY short sighted that this league fancies itself as a growing market and does not have a presence in the fastest growing region in the country, the southeast, and would put a 2nd team in NYC (already among plenty of northeast teams), before putting one down here.
Clearly you don’t have any idea what you’re talking about. A Queens site will be a goldmine for a team. The momentum is all behind this and the league ‘gets it’.
Pheonix
GO BROOKLYN – “straight from Brooklyn, better known as Crooklyn” – “never takin shorts cuz Brooklyn’s the borough!” – “spread love its the Brooklyn way!”
I’m so torn, as a current BK resident, i’d LOVE for their to be an MLS team in my backyard (its the borough with probably the most space, us and Queens) – BUT, i just moved from ATL and the southeast needs a franchise more than anyone. AND, as a current RBNY fan…this would cause many dilemmas. hmmmmmm.
BROOKLYN KEEPS ON TAKIN IT!!!!!!!
No idea. Clearly no one in NYC wants this. I haven’t heard a peep out of fans or owners (unless you count the absurd Cosmos group) who want to make this happen. So stupid. How do they not give serious play to those other cities? I’d also include San Antonio and their excellent Crocketeers fans in that group. Top ten population, large hispanic population (because that seems to matter to MLS), almost no pro or college sports to compete with, plenty of space to build a stadium, and a built in fanbase.
Yes–I seriously doubt MLS pays for the construction of the stadium. They’re spending a few million to find a site, get financing, and draw up plans, etc. Then they’ll sell the rights for $100 mm and come out with a nice, nice profit before that team in NYC ever plays a game. Between this and SUM, MLS has made some extremely savvy business moves–which is why it’s still existent.
I feel bad for those folks in the South that want a team, but I think the chances are incredibly slim. There aren’t enough big markets in the South to support anything beyond college football. I think St. Louis would be great, but it’s an anomaly for the region. The other thing cutting against the league is that the two teams in Florida folded or moved, and the league is seemingly beyond contraction at this point. I think team no. 20 is going to a big city.
My best guess is the iron triangle, where all the automotive shops are/were located. It’s near Citifield and transportation and its developable land.
RBNY is not an easy destination for most. That’s why a lot of games, even sold out, look like they are not. People don’t find it easy to get to RB Arena.
I really do believe Orlando City should be the 20th team. Especially if the next NY club is not the Cosmos.
The league wont pay to develop, are you crazy? They will line everything up and then hand over the costs to an owner. MLS will make bank on this deal.
Another team in NY? NYRB can’t even fill stadium! Maybe half-dozen teams within 4-hours of NYC. What about San Diego? outside the 75-mile radious for MLS. Miami, Orlando, St Louis. IMHO, San Diego is best choice. Highest World Cup viewership. Best yough soccer leagues and sport extremely popular and shared border with Mexico that will draw fans.
Because you live in jerkwater usa.
Baloney. If the community support and economics of Jets stadium didnt work then the conomics of a soccer stadium won’t work doubly.
It’s a smart move for the league. Invest in hiring all the consultants, attorneys and such and then when all is said and done, charge double the cost to sell the tee’d-up plan to an owner. Garber is based in NYC anyways so its a golden opportunity.
To implement “if you build it he will come,” it would cost way in excess of $100 million to buy land and build a stadium anywhere meaningful in or near NYC. So the concept of “flipping the house” for $100 million sounds like a net loss or otherwise more complicated than he naively suggests. Personally I fear it’s some combination of NY obsession and a NASL-esque greed for expansion fees that’s driving the silly idea that a city who won’t fully support NY1 needs a NY2.
How does RFK get away with gouging DCU when that’s probably one of their few remaining tenants/revenue sources?
Why would Kraft build a second playpen for the Revs? They are arguably Gillette filler in between Patriots’ seasons. Two stadia is two sets of debt to repay, etc. I know we wish they didn’t play in an empty football stadium on turf, but we seem OK with this situation when it’s the Sounders playing on the west coast (Best attended team in the league is not in a SSS) but have trouble attracting fans and suddenly the SSS will save us? I thought we tried this logic in Dallas and the suburban stadium attracts fans disguised as empty seats, and is not even attractive enough to maintain the corporate sponsor…..
Why a second team in NYC???? I understand it’s a huge market but how about the rest of the country that wants soccer? Atlanta, Orlando, St. Louis, Nashville, Phoenix and so many others would be better options in my opinion. I’m lucky enough to have the Crew a couple hours away but so many fans that want a team are left a vacation away.
Rumor has it that they are looking at the railyards site that the Jets were considering.
Garber to rest of the nation: we don’t care that there isn’t a team 10 hours from you.
Any speculation as to where the stadium sites are in the city? Belmont Park might as well be in New Jersey. They should put it somewhere along a subway line–I know it’s difficult and expensive but that’s the way they should do it.