MLS is reportedly closing in on a home for its coveted second New York franchise.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the league has zoned in on an area in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens, where a 20,000-25,000-seat soccer-specific stadium would be built. A proposal for what would be a privately funded stadium has been shown to local politicians, and according to WSJ, since the stadium would be built on city-owned park land, the city council and state legislature would need to sign off on the plan, which is in its infancy.
Should the proposal pass through all the necessary steps and red tape, the league says that the stadium would be built in no more than two years, according to the WSJ report, and it would be located near the New York Mets' Citi Field and the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
The site selection is the culmination of a city-wide search that has been conducted for almost two years. Back in March, MLS commissioner Don Garber said that the league had looked at 19 different sites over an 18-month period, trying to narrow down a place in New York City for a 20th franchise, one that would have to enter the league by paying a $100 million expansion fee.
Here are a few more stories to get your Wednesday going:
SCHWEINSTEIGER FIT FOR SEMIFINAL
After an injury scare, integral Germany midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger is fit for the Euro 2012 semifinals after all.
Schweinsteiger has played through an injured right ankle for months after tearing a ligament in February, but he was considered in doubt for Germany's match with Italy on Thursday. After training with the team and coming through OK, he has passed a fitness test and is ready for the bout with the Azzurri.
Schweinsteiger has started every game of the tournament for the Germans in central midfield, and according to coach Joachim Loew, "He is the team's emotional leader. He's very important for our team. We need him on the field."
ITALIAN NEWSPAPER OFFERS BALOTELLI APOLOGY
As if opposing country's fans behavior was bad enough during Euro 2012, an Italian newspaper has gotten into hot water over a cartoon that depicted Italy striker Mario Balotelli as King Kong.
Reputable daily Gazzeta dello Sport published a cartoon of Balotelli climbing Big Ben after Italy's triumph over England in the Euro 2012 quarterfinals, something done in poor taste considering that Balotelli has been the subject of monkey chants from opposing fans throughout the tournament. Gazzeta dello Sport issued an apology for the cartoon.
"We can honestly say it was not among the best products of our talented cartoonist," the newspaper said in a statement. "At this time, a measure of prudence and good taste are necessary because everything, absolutely everything, can be misinterpreted. The newspaper is for those who read it and hence, if certain readers found the cartoon offensive, we apologize. But those that accuse Gazzetta of racism are going overboard. This newspaper has fought any form of racism in every stadium and has condemned the boos directed at Balotelli as an unacceptable form of incivility.''
ANDERLECHT REPLACES RANGERS IN PRESEASON TOURNAMENT
Rangers' downward spiral has caused newly promoted Premier League side Southampton to rescind their invitation to the Scottish club for a preseason tournament.
Rangers were set to participate in the Markus Liebherr Memorial Cup on July 14, but "due to the well-publicized circumstances surrounding the Scottish side" Southampton has decided to replace Rangers with Sacha Kljestan's Anderlecht. Kljestan will get to face Southampton and Arsenal during the round-robin tournament as part of the Belgian champions' preparations for title defense and UEFA Champions League run.
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What do you make of the MLS stadium headway in New York? Do you think that is a good location for a new stadium? Are you of the belief that the league does not need a second New York franchise? How crucial is Schweinsteiger to Germany's fortunes? Are you disgusted by the Balotelli cartoon in Italy? How long do you see it taking for Rangers to restore their reputation?
Share your thoughts below.
NY Soccer fans don’t want to anything like Real Salt Lake.
They want a team like those in Hamburg, or Stoke, or La Plata; teams like the ones their father and grandfather supported in their home countries or that they watched when they spent a year backpacking in South America – something feels like it is of them, by them, and for them – something that feels like it has a history and purpose other than just making money, and certainly not something they need an interstate to get to.
Caribbean cup is LITERALLY, the best thing ever.
You keep touting all these fans that will flock to a soccer game if there was a stadium in Queens. I’d like to see the names of all these fans you claim will come out and support a new NYC team. But the cold hard fact of the matter is that SPECTACLE and GOOD TEAMS will put butts in the seats. Ease of travel is just gravy.
I was just trying to bust on the NJRBs for never having won a single thing.
Oh, that Arsenal “lets give Henry a trophy” tournament last year.
How could I forget? 🙂
See the rivalry, people? I already hate the NJRBs and I don’t even HAVE a NY team to support….. yet.
NY Derby, NOW!
+ 100 for the non organic Austrian energy drinks
After having flown to London and catching a game supporting NYRB definitely lacks that organic and emotional feel.
Even the lack of real grass makes me feel like I’m watching some fabricated/knockoff version of the beautiful game
Also, the Cosmos brand (I have little doubt that it will be the Cosmos) is the polar opposite of Chivas USA. The Cosmos marketing is very deliberate in welcoming those of all backgrounds, of uniting people not only in spite of their differences, but in celebration of those ethnic and cultural differences. It will be the people’s club in NY, I have no doubt.
Chivas USA was a cynical ploy to get the mexican chivas supporting market, while excluding everyone else.
The Carribean Cup is always a good time! Nice nugget of info with that one.
Unfortunately the WSJ says its only 20k – 25k seat stadium
Bravo sir, you hit the nail on the head.
thanks Captain Obvious. what i’m saying is that Chivas USA was wrong for calling themselves Chivas USA. but i do wish Garber had a little more foresight to see that wasn’t a good idea and would create a limit on their potential market.
9 teams (NASL) is not a real league…
I know.
My point is that combined they have enough teams for a real league.
20, in fact.
You’re 100% correct about the Chuckie Cheese alternative and Suburban NFL models being wrong.
One point of contention.
The success of the Cosmos marketing does show that there really is something about that brand that resonates with people – people who are young, international, hip and probably have a sleeve tatoo. They are the polar opposite of Chuckie Cheese.
These people would rather fly to England to watch Arsenal or Liverpool than go to Harrison. They want something that feels organic and local (like at their farmers markets!) Austrian energy drinks are neither.
Harrison isn’t exactly the ‘burbs. It’s as urban as you get– granted, without the “cool urban vibe.” But it’s just inaccurate to describe it as some sort of theme park. By public transportation, Red Bull Arena is less than an hour from Midtown, not very much longer than a two-train subway ride from most of Manhattan.
NASL is the second tier, not USL. NASL is building fast.
He wasn’t responsible for naming them, the are named after Mexican brother club, not by Don.
Agreed.
Building up the second tier – USL Pro and NASL (why can’t they just be 1 20 team league) needs to happen.
I know it isn’t the MLS’s responsibility.
Perhaps promotion from that non-existant combined league would be a fair way to get to 30 teams.
Metro North does NOT go to Flushing, nor does it go to Penn station.
No train to CT or Westchester goes through Flushing.
for 18 years in Manhattan you know surprising little about NY’s commuter rail systems….
LIRR does, though (as you said) quite quickly.
Also, everything else? Spot on.
As much as I despise the vaporware nature of the Cosmos 2.0 marketing I guess I do see a slot for a real NYC team.
The bad luck of the Red Bulls was to be a team formulated in the mid nineties, when the goal of all the MLS teams was to be an entertainment for suburban families who would bump up the gate with herds of ten year olds. The Chuckie Cheese alternative. Also, the NFL model seemed to say, “Put the stadium in the ‘burbs where the land is cheaper and plentiful.”
All these guidelines ended up being wrong (at this point, fifteen years later). But, their stadium is where it is, and unfairly, they’re the team from the burbs that lacks that cool urban vibe. They might actually do better competing with another team, as the non hipster alternative.
well Garber has made it clear we’ll be at 30 teams before P/R is an option. and frankly, that’s good. we aren’t anywhere near ready to handle P/R.
few things; people complaining, I get it. but i think you guys fail to realize that having a second team in NY allows twice as many big name DPs (Kaka, Ronaldihno, Henry, Beckham, etc.) than what we would have before. all these big players want to play in NY or LA. by adding a second team in NY, they effective double their chances of signing major names. this is the motivation behind it. as well as having a NY team IN the city.
further, i think people need to stop using Chivas as an example of why this is dumb. Chivas made the mistake of sharing a stadium with LAG. that was really dumb, but it was cheaper and back then the MLS couldn’t really do better. but, to me, the biggest issue is the brand, Chivas USA. the ONLY people who care about that team are Chivas fans, and even they don’t really. yes, there are a lot of Mexicans in LA, but not all of them are Chivas fans. so you alienate them immediately. it also makes it an easy decision for non Mexicans to choose LAG over Chivas. if they were to re-brand themselves and move to another location, that franchise could explode.
and naming them Chivas USA was wrong.
It specifically states in the article that the stadium could be built in 1-2 years AFTER approvals are granted and permits obtained. Obviously this part involves lots of red tape and is not fast.
dude, apples and oranges my friend. Chivas did it to themselves. by keeping the name Chivas, they automatically alienate any Mexican fan who is NOT a Chivas fan. and it certainly alienate any fan who is not Mexican. that strategy may have been good back in the day, but they NEED to re-brand that team entirely. there is no reason that a second LA team can’t get as big as LAG. Chivas needs to move to Anaheim/Huntington Beach/Orange County area to distance themselves from Carson. OR they should move to downtown LA near Hollywood/Beverly Hills, or even Santa Monica. it’ll take large investment, no doubt, but they really need to do something.
if they do build a stadium in Queens and the Cosmos do come back, 20,000 is WAY TOO SMALL! the Cosmos will be BIG, they will need 40,000 seats at least. it drives me nuts that MLS is building such small stadiums. the one they built in Houston is too small. Philly is too small. Portland is too small. the one they’re planning in San Jose is waaay too small. it’s a joke. in 10 years they’re gonna need to expand all these stadiums. mark my words. mark ’em!
um, yes there is. as a DC fan, i hate NY. but dude, where do all the major names want to play? NY and LA. with a salary cap and DP limits, one team can only do so much. this is a perfect way to solve that problem.
Chivas is just a complete mess, so don’t bring them up.
he had ONE bad game.
dude, you do understand it comes down to the fact that by having another NY team, they will get more DPs. the big name DPs. the ones who only want to play in NY or LA. and since Chivas is a joke of a club, they are doing this.
it is what it is.
Oh, I don’t – just lamenting that it is ALSO true in this sport. Which comes as no surprise.
“Everything is so top-down & money centered in the US.”
That almost sounds as if you believe this is an exclusive attribute to a sporting league to our country.
Oh, I know.
It’s a pretty small part of the stadium though. And I’m not a RBNJ supporter 🙂
Also, I think that once MLS is at 20, there needs to be a clear goal of a second league of 20 – that will someday include promotion & relegation. Then it won’t just be business leaders choosing where teams go – but teams determining their own fates through performance.
But no one who pays $100 million will agree to a promotion and relegation scheme…
Everything is so top-down & money centered in the US.
I suppose the only viable future expansion is to continuing to poach teams and markets from the NASL & USL Pro – both with lots of Southeast representation. Atlanta or Carolina or Orlando will have an MLS team soon.
Yeah and they’ll be owned by the NHL next year. Solid market [/sarcasm]
He wasn’t wrong with Chivas, the location was wrong. LA and Chivas need to put in two different spots in LA, just like the Cosmos and NYRB will be.
You are full of it…absolutely full of it.
It takes 16 minutes by train to get from Penn Station to Flushing on Metro North, specifically to the site of the proposed stadium. That same train services Westchester and Connecticut, something the PATH train cannot match in breadth of fans it can support. You can also travel to the Flushing site via the MTA trains. The LIRR services the site as well, taking no more than 27 minutes from Port Wash.
There is a Delta water taxi that goes from Manhattan to CitiField, and it is open for big events. I am sure the City will work w/ Delta to extend it for the NYC2 team. There are a multitude of busses that get you into the Stadium.
BY FAR public transport to the NYC2 site is light years ahead in both breadth and speed than that to RBA. It’s not even an argument.
So…first off it is quicker to get to by train. Second, it is 2 miles physically closer by car…that said, it is a wash traffic wise.
My comments about Manhattan. Lived here for 18 years…all different sections (Upper East, Upper West, LES, Chelsea, Murray Hill and now Sutton Place). I am pretty familiar with the residents.
But that statement is a generalization…much like yours. Point to quantitive data, please, that shows Manhattanites leave the City to go watch the Red Bulls…IN DROVES.
You don’t even listen to your own argument: First you said people don’t leave the City in your original argument. Now you are combating my response to yours by saying that my statement that NY’ers do not leave is false.
Which is it pal?
The cosmos’ brand is extremely popular around the world. A team in Florida would be great for a few thousand people and im sure would generate plenty of revenue but the entire world remembers the cosmos. MLS would be rolling in cash if they succeed.
My only advice is grabbing some beers at The Globe and taking the shuttle.
Takes a little of the sting off the commute but point taken. As a Chicago resident, I share your pain.
Bingo.
Woe is me = NJ/NY on this topic.
You can stand in the supporters section and yell all you want for $20. I agree with your other points though regarding RBNY though.
Yes he was wrong with Chivas, the only other example of two MLS teams in one city.
I know the former Cosmos leadership was exploring stadium options in East NY – and the number I heard several times was 30,000-35,000 seats.
But maybe the expectations from the new, Saudi ownership group are more realistic.
For me (live in Brooklyn, work in Manhattan) Flushing is just as far as Harrison. A couple trains from home, or one long train from work.
But Flushing, I could ride a bike to. So that is nice.
I was hoping they’d try to tap into the Caribbean population in eastern Brooklyn that already supports NYC’s best soccer tournament, the Caribbean Cup. But, the Latin Americans all around Flushing are big soccer fans and players, too.
I was also hoping for something that could serve as a regular home for the national team. 20,000 – 25,000 just isn’t big enough for that. But, 35,000 probably isn’t either.
As long as they don’t name the team after a disgusting energy drink – and do something to support the local game and connect with the local scene in ways that RBNJ hasn’t, I’ll support them. Also, more terraced areas with cheap tickets would be good. RB arena isn’t full, but the obvious solution “lower prices” just doesn’t occur to them. But the city won’t understand that. They understand luxury boxes, not the Ecuadorian or Guyanese immigrant who wants to pay $15 to stand, and yell and watch football for 90 minutes.
And I know dozens of people in NY (mostly Brooklyn) with the exact same attitudes.
Well I lived here my entire life and go to every home match so I think that’s enough “research.” It’s an hour subway ride to the stadium site from Grand Central. From 33rd st PATH, it’s far less than that to Harrison.
Also your comments about Manhattanites are uninformed and infantile.
Well said!
+anyone saying RBA not being full is New Yorks fault is kidding themselves. People rightly say NJ produces great talent and in the same breath they poopoo New Yorkers for not coming to watch them.
Where are the Jerseyians?
if RedBull had setup shop in NYC it would be impossible to get a ticket
these days.
People under-estimate the barrier mental or otherwise people have in getting out of The City to go to New Jersey. If you don’t live live here you might not relate. But it exists nontheless.
You can rebutt with NFL and I will counter with The Nets who have moved to Brooklyn.
The devils DID just make the Stanley Cup finals.
NYRBs should be so lucky…..
It’s painfully obvious that a lot of people who disagree w/ the 20th team being put in NYC DO NOT LIVE in NYC. Having a soccer specific stadium in Queens would be an absolute homerun. There are many times I’d love to take in a match but end up not going b/c getting to Harrison can be a hassle. With this I can just hop on the 7 and be there in 20 mins. I’m confident attendance will be great and I’m even more confident Cantona will attract “stars” to come play. This is a great thing for soccer in the states. Not to mention the NY darby that’s gonna take place. I’m hype all ready.
MLS to southeast: we don’t care about you.
But you will never get any sympathy with this argument. Here in Salt Lake, our population is spread out North-South, and there is ONE interstate to travel with. Most fans regularly travel an hour to get to the game. Hell, I went to college 4 hours from the stadium, and we still got groups of us to carpool to about 7-10 games a year.
Point being, you can make all the arguments about “travel time, NJ vs NY” that you like, but many in other MLS towns are used to hard work in order to see their teams. And its painful to see the league pander to a town that already has shown they aren’t willing to do the same thing
Oh man, 100% agreed. I moved from DC, where I attended around 7 matches per year. In the 4 years I’ve been here, I’ve attended 3 Fire matches. Why? It’s a pain in the arse to get there, and then you arrive and it’s 30% full, with a sad trumpet echoing to Tetris theme for 90 dull minutes. Then you shuffle out, get back on a bus and wait in traffic for an hour, $60 poorer. Toyota Park and FCD Stadium should be the warning to any future development–in an urban center near public transit, or nothing at all.
those people are all from other potential expansion cities who are pissed that it isnt their turn.
the only thing that the article mentions that I question is that Don think they can build a stadium in what is currently public land in 1-2 YEARS!
I bet he wants the Cosmos playing in 2014, but that is ambitious!