It’s setting up for a great Northwest rivalry as Portland is set to follow in the footsteps of Seattle and Vancouver as Mayor Sam Adams acknowledged the 10am news conference on Friday.
“The City Council has approved financing $60 million to lure a Major League Soccer franchise to Portland, but hasn’t resolved how to raise a quarter of the money. The $60 million would go to renovating PGE Park to meet MLS specifications, and building a new ballpark for the Portland Beavers, the city’s Triple-A baseball team.”
Like Clint Eastwood appearing in the doorway of a spaghetti western, Anheuser-Busch has officially entered the MLS bid process, joining with Jeff Cooper in a suddenly very strong bid for a St. Louis club. A-B InBev is also giving the 32 acre Anheuser-Busch Center (Soccer Park) to St. Louis United for potential construction of a stadium.
“In my opinion, when you have the backing of the best company in the world, it helps your bid significantly” said potential investor, Jeff Cooper.
“Barring a last-minute snag, the owner of the Vancouver Whitecaps Football Club will be awarded a Major League Soccer expansion franchise by the end of the month.”
(Maybe this Bryan Adams soundtrack helped close the deal…?)
“Mayor Sam Adams and Commissioner Randy Leonard announced an agreement Tuesday with Portland Timbers owner Merritt Paulson on a $129 million plan to bring MLS Soccer to Portland.”
This is not a done deal, but read on for more…
Check out this article from SyntheticTurf in October, discussing the projected attendance of the MLS, NBA, and NHL in 09.
Image vie SyntheticTurf
With Miami out of the MLS expansion race, Vancouver moves to the front according to those in the know. Yesterday, Vancouver investor and NBA star, Steve Nash, signed up with the powerful marketing group IMG to help with marketing efforts specifically in Canada and outside the US.
Is a plan by Steve Nash for a big marketing push in Canada a possible first sign that a team could be coming to Vancouver?
Marcelo Claure, the Bolivian billionaire that was the capital behind Miami’s MLS expansion bid conceded defeat today and announced an end to his bid for an MLS team.
”I am very sorry to tell you that we will not have a team in Miami,” Claure told the Miami Herald. “Too many things had to happen, and the economic situation just isn’t right. MLS is holding tight to its franchise fee [$40 million], and there’s just too much uncertainty right now from a financial standpoint, so both Barca and myself decided it wasn’t a wise decision. It didn’t make economic sense.”
