Arthur Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL and founder of Home Depot, is pondering a bid for an MLS team that would begin play in 2011. “We have had discussions with Arthur Blank and his staff recently and those discussions are positive,” said MLS Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs Dan Courtemanche.
Image via Daylife
And don’t think for a second that former Columbus Crew GM Jim Smith hasn’t been in Blank’s ear since day one about getting an MLS team down in Atlanta.. Too many good players are coming out of that area to not have a team.
Atlanta does have a team (the Silverbacks) who are building their own SSS. What would an MLS team in Atlanta do to the Silverbacks?
This is their stadium: http://www.atlantasilverbacks.com/park/index.php?opt=viewpage&type=html&id=00015
I’d do everything in my power to get to a game, but as long as they don’t play in the freakin’ Georgia Dome.
Ed, much as I enjoy USL, it just isn’t prime time. USL will never be more than an afterthought in Atlanta, and never even that beyond the city’s borders.
I live in the Greenville, SC area and if Atlanta had a team I would be a season ticket holder. The Southeast is a completely untapped resource in MLS right now, and I think if Blank submits this bid, the fact there isn’t a team in this geographic or cultural region will be a huge determining factor.