‘Saputo Stadium will be getting a crowning touch in time for the Impact’s debut in Major League Soccer.  Plans for a $23-million expansion of the stadium and surrounding facilities have been unveiled, and will see seating capacity increased from 13,034 to 20,341 by the time the Impact joins North America’s premier league in 2012.’

Story via MontrealGazette

‘Notable among the changes will be a roof over the upper rows of each grandstand surrounding the stadium covering about one-third of the seats. As well, the number of corporate loges will be increased to 40 from 16.

‘If Omaha fans turn out for professional football, Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle reasons that they might turn out for professional fútbol as well.’

Story via Omaha Image Image Image

‘Speaking this week at a reverse trade mission featuring representatives from 11 countries in Europe and Asia, Suttle told the crowd at Creighton University that he thinks Omaha would have the perfect pitch for a Major League Soccer franchise.

Citing attendance of about 23,000 at the first two Omaha Nighthawks games at Rosenblatt Stadium, Suttle said Omaha should be considered for an expansion MLS franchise.

“We’re testing the market right now with what’s being done with the Omaha Nighthawks,” Suttle told the World-Herald Tuesday. “Look at the success story, all of their games have been sellouts. That’s unheard of in (United Football League) history.”

Suttle said the city, to his knowledge, has had no formal talks with MLS officials.

The MLS has 16 teams, including the Kansas City Wizards, Chicago Fire and Colorado Rapids — the three with closest proximity to Omaha — but plans to expand to Portland, Ore., and Vancouver, British Columbia, in 2011, and Montreal in 2012. The league also is possibly eyeing the addition of another franchise in the southeast United States, either in south Florida or Atlanta, according to various media reports.

Starting in late November, the Omaha Vipers, members of the seven-team Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) will begin play at the Omaha Civic Auditorium, which seats 9,300 for sporting events.

When the Vipers were announced in August, Suttle said that a professional soccer franchise is something that he and Hispanic business leaders in the community had talked about three years ago.

The Vipers are owned by Frank Oñate, who also owns La Mesa Restaurant.

Suttle said the unfinished TD Ameritrade Park (below) would be the perfect home for an MLS franchise. The new home of the College World Series will seat 24,000, which is comparable to some of the top soccer-specific stadiums in the United States, including the 25,000-seat Red Bull Stadium in Harrison, N.J.’

To improve Atlanta’s image as a global city, a group of executives for Atlanta-based companies are embracing the global game.  In a first for the city, a “soccer cabinet,” led by Aaron’s CEO Robin Loudermilk, has formed to study ways that soccer can help the city grow economically and socially. Their motto: “Soccer is good for Atlanta, and Atlanta is good for soccer.”

The Aaron’s International Soccer Challenge will be Wednesday,  July 28th 2010 at 8:00 pm in the Georgia Dome, featuring Club America vs Manchester City.

Story via AJC

‘The impetus for the group, as well as its purpose, is about doing more than capitalizing on the interest of the recently completed World Cup, or the stake that Atlanta hopes to have should FIFA give the 2018 or 2022 Cup to the United States.

As Loudermilk stated when the meeting started Wednesday morning, this isn’t a group of soccer fans, or a group trying to convince people that soccer is a sport. They are trying to use soccer to improve Atlanta’s standing globally. The city ranks 13th among U.S. destinations for international travelers, according to the U.S. Commerce department. In a survey of international planners taken last year, Atlanta ranked 33rd out of 40 U.S. cities in destination appeal. This group thinks that one of the reasons for those low numbers is that the city doesn’t have the global game.

“Look at Atlanta and its diversity,” Loudermilk said. “We need soccer for our residents. Not only for entertainment, but for economic impact.”

Atlanta is considered one of the untapped veins for soccer. More than 81,000 players compete in leagues run by the Georgia State Soccer Association, making it the most populous sport in the state. It’s the largest TV market in the country without a team in Major League Soccer. The league has said it can’t be considered national if it doesn’t have a team in the Southeast. Atlanta, with its demographics, population and business reputation, would be a natural fit, league commissioner Don Garber has said. According to the 2008 census, 8 percent of the state’s population is Hispanic, Businesses say they need soccer as a way to tap into that demographic.

Sponsors lined up so fast for the pending Aaron’s International Soccer Challenge between Mexico’s Club America, which is one of the most popular clubs in its country and parts of North America, and England’s Manchester City at the Georgia Dome on July 28, organizers Michael Reene and David Simmons said they had to turn down opportunities.

Despite the recent interest in soccer, the group recognizes that it is fighting history. Professional soccer has tried — and failed — many times in Atlanta. But a lot has changed since Dick Cecil started the city’s first team, the Chiefs, in 1967. Back then, he said eight high schools in the city played soccer. Players would go out and teach the game in the community. Now, he said one only needed to walk around the city during June to see the growing interest in the sport.

“From Little Five Points, to Buckhead to Sandy Springs, you saw the outpouring of people who were watching the [World Cup] games,” said Cecil, who is a member of the cabinet. The finals had a 8.5 TV rating in Atlanta, according to Nielsen research.

Citing the TV ratings and the growth of the MLS, whose average home attendance of 16,582 in 2010 compares with the Hawks (16,545 in 2009-10) and Thrashers (13,607 in 2009-10), the group said Atlanta could either sit and wait and watch other cities use soccer to add to their coffers, or it could be proactive.

“I think there is a feeling among some of the folks that know that we are a little behind some other cities, but that doesn’t mean we can’t catch up quickly,” Loudermilk said.

To do so, Bob Hope, founding partner of Hope-Beckham, and who helped come up with the idea of the cabinet, said the group decided to tackle five areas:

• Support the World Cup bid and continue to build the reputation of Atlanta as a soccer city, even if the United States doesn’t get the World Cup. Atlanta is one of 18 cities included in United States’ bid to host the World Cup in 2018 or 2022. FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, will announce the host countries Dec. 2. Should the United States win, and it’s favored to do so for 2022, Atlanta should learn if it made the cut of 12 cities in either 2013 or 2017.
• Build the prestige of the Aaron’s International Soccer Challenge to rival the SEC football championship and Chick-fil-A Bowl as major events hosted annually in Atlanta. Last year’s game between Club America and A.C. Milan drew more than 50,000 fans and
• Form an MLS committee that will lobby to assure that new stadium(s) are built with world-class soccer as a consideration. It will work with the MLS and civic leaders on ownership and other issues. The group will work under the assumption that Falcons owner Arthur Blank, who has expressed interest in bringing an MLS team to the city, will not be the owner. Jeffrey Bowman, a former professional soccer player who is the CEO of Crawford & Company, points out that the host cities that are considered favorites to host World Cup games also are MLS cities.
• Develop a strategy to make Atlanta a global soccer city. This group is considering several ideas, including making sure Atlanta is included if a global super-league is formed. It will also attempt to get the U.S. men’s national team to play in Atlanta, something it hasn’t done since defeating China 1-0 on Oct. 10, 1977.”

‘Take a look back at Montreal soccer history. First aired during Montreal’s MLS expansion press conference on May 7th, 2010.’

Spotted over at MLSInsider

After months of negotiations, MLS Commissioner Don Garber announced in Montreal on Friday that Canada’s second-largest city will become home to the league’s 19th franchise, to begin play in the 2012 season.