Luis_Rancagua Posted June 7, 2007 Share Posted June 7, 2007 According to Fox Sports World Canada late last night, MLS is ready to present the entry of their 14th, 15th and 16th team (3 new entries) into the league anytime soon. I hope that the new expansion teams are Canadian (Vancouver or Montreal). The league is willing to take this bold new step as a result of the success of Toronto's entry into MLS. Speculations are already circulating on the Internet that one of the teams is indeed San Jose Earthquakes as perhaps as the 16th team to be announced by MLS commissioner Don Garber at a press conference of which it is expected to take place anytime soon. There's also Seattle and Portland as hot contenders to earn franchise rights. If anyone here has other source of information with regard to this topic, please I do insist to post here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L.T. Posted June 7, 2007 Share Posted June 7, 2007 Remind me who 14 & 15 are again...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesW Posted June 7, 2007 Share Posted June 7, 2007 quote:Originally posted by L.T. Remind me who 14 & 15 are again...? Maybe they are coming after the 16th? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrennanFan Posted June 7, 2007 Share Posted June 7, 2007 MLS has repeatedly stated that they will expand to the US the next time around, and maybe in the future they will examine other canadian options. Im not sure but i think the goal is an 18 team league, or maybe is a 20 team league. I have no doubt that one or hopefully both of MTL or VAN will have a team by 2012. This time tho i think it will be San Jose, Seattle, and some other place. They also need to leave Kansas City. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gian-Luca Posted June 7, 2007 Share Posted June 7, 2007 Unforunately Vancouver can't join until their stadium is confirmed to be built, and MLSE has an exclusivity clause in place until 2009 to operate an MLS team in Canada. It will hopefully be the next round of expansion that sees Vancouver join (Montreal I'm less positive about because of Saputo's ambivalence towards joining the league, but maybe that will change by 2010). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UltraSuperMegaMo Posted June 7, 2007 Share Posted June 7, 2007 I hope Montreal comes in this expansion. MLSE might decide it make business sense to allow another Canadian club in before 2009. Saputo seems to run warm and cold on the MLS, some of his comments seem pro-MLS, other against, some even indifferent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VPjr Posted June 7, 2007 Share Posted June 7, 2007 i saw that report too last night but I am did not take from it that an announcement was forthcoming anytime soon. I am quite certain that MLS wants a 14th team for 2008, if for no other reason but to balance the schedule and do away with 12 day gaps between games. Montreal and Van City will be the 17th and 18th teams, around 2010 or 2011. My strong feeling is that they want to add 2 west coast teams (Portland and San Jose) and 1 East Coast Team (Somewhere in South or Central Florida if i had to put $5 on it) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luis_Rancagua Posted June 7, 2007 Author Share Posted June 7, 2007 It has always been expected that San Jose will be returning back to MLS as a result of an agreement which was reached between Major League Soccer and Lewis Wolff and John Fisher (principal owners of the Oakland Athletics baseball team) in 2006. According to the San Jose Mercury News, the terms of the agreement gives Wolff and Fisher a three year exclusive option to develop a soccer-specific stadium and bring an expansion franchise to the San Francisco Bay Area. This also includes the rights for the new San Jose owners to retain the name EARTHQUAKES. Furthermore, the Earthquakes owners are in negotiations to build a 22,000 permanent seat (with the option to increase the total capacity to 30,000 seats for any given game) soccer/football stadium just near San Jose International Airport. The current plan is for the new version of the San Jose Earthquakes to play in Spartan Stadium during the 2008 MLS season, then to move into the new stadium in 2009. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jeffery S. Posted June 7, 2007 Share Posted June 7, 2007 Philadelphia have a chance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted June 7, 2007 Share Posted June 7, 2007 Way too premature for Vancouver or even Montreal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luis_Rancagua Posted June 7, 2007 Author Share Posted June 7, 2007 If MLS goes ahead with this expansion deal, Canada will have a-lot to lose. This means that Vancouver and Montreal will have to wait for another 4 more years, as MLS will only accept the following cities such as Portland, Seattle, San Jose, Philadelphia, San Antonio, St-Louis, etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ochico Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 I think Chivas USA will move to San Diego Kansas City will move back to the Western Conference Philly will be awarded a franchise in the East San Jose not coming in yet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbailey62 Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 quote:Originally posted by ochico I think Chivas USA will move to San Diego That would make a lot of sense. What are the playing facilities like in San Diego. db Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luis_Rancagua Posted June 8, 2007 Author Share Posted June 8, 2007 quote:Originally posted by ochico I think Chivas USA will move to San Diego Kansas City will move back to the Western Conference Philly will be awarded a franchise in the East San Jose not coming in yet As for San Jose in particular, I totally disagree with you for reasons that since 2006 the Wolff and Fisher MLS deal is pretty much a sure thing in the San Francisco Bay Area. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canso Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 I heard Las Vegas has an exciting proposal to join the Beckham league. Two of Philly, San Diego and San Jose should be joining up with them. Then Montreal and Vancouver with Seattle and Atlanta. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luis_Rancagua Posted June 8, 2007 Author Share Posted June 8, 2007 Guys, this is the latest news from the San Jose MLS bid, even though the news dates back as of last week. ------------------------------------------------- ESPNsoccernet: MLS MLS return to San Jose edges closer Jeff Carlisle, ESPNsoccernet Friday, May 25, 2007 SAN JOSE, Calif. -- In May of 2006, Oakland A's owner Lew Wolff and business partner John Fisher purchased an option to bring a Major League Soccer franchise back to the Bay Area. One year later, that goal is close to becoming a reality. Wolff and MLS are in negotiations to revive the Earthquakes franchise to begin play in 2008. The agreement could be reached even without a soccer-specific stadium, a source with knowledge of the deal has confirmed to ESPN.com. No agreement has been signed as of yet, but Wolff met with MLS Commissioner Don Garber in New York last week, and the source confirmed that both sides are eager to move forward. The league is eager to add a 14th team so it can get rid of the unbalanced schedule that is currently in place. Wolff is hoping that by having a team up and running, it will be easier to get a soccer-specific stadium built in the Bay Area. When asked to comment, David Alioto, executive vice president of Earthquakes Soccer LLC would only say, "We continue to try to work for a soccer-specific stadium, and we're continuing to try and get on the field as soon as possible." MLS officials could not be reached for comment. The move is a departure from Wolff's original option with the league, which stated that a soccer-specific stadium had to be in place in order for the franchise to be granted. That requirement now appears to have been removed, although where the team would play while a stadium is being built is uncertain. Spartan Stadium, which the MLS version of the Earthquakes called home from 1996 until the team left for Houston after the 2005 season, is not considered to be an option at this point. That would appear to leave newly refurbished Stanford Stadium and McAfee Coliseum (which is owned in part by the city of Oakland and in part by Alameda County) as the most logical destinations, although at this point, no decision has been made. As for where a new stadium might be built, Wolff has cast a wide net, even going so far as to begin talks with Placer County officials (in suburban Sacramento) about a new sports complex. But lately, Wolff has been focusing his efforts on a 75-acre parcel of city-owned land near the San Jose airport. A city ordinance stipulates that any purchase or leasing of the land must be done at market rates, and any handout on the part of the city would have to be put to the voters of San Jose, something that Wolff has said he is keen to avoid. The next step in the process is a San Jose City Council meeting that will occur on June 12. At that meeting City Manager Les White will divulge the discussions that the city has been having with Wolff, but no official vote will take place on the stadium proposal. Regardless of how well Wolff's proposal is received, a bigger obstacle remains. In order to finance the deal to acquire the lot that the stadium would be built on, Wolff will need to obtain a zoning change from the city of San Jose on a separate 74-acre parcel of land in the city's Edenvale district. The Edenvale property is currently zoned as industrial and a change to residential or retail status would significantly increase the land's value. The plan is for Wolff to sell the Edenvale property once it has been rezoned, and then use the profits to acquire the stadium site and finance its construction. Jeff Carlisle covers MLS and the U.S. national team for ESPNsoccernet. He can be reached at eljefe1@yahoo.com. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luis_Rancagua Posted June 8, 2007 Author Share Posted June 8, 2007 Here's another article. --------------------------------- San Jose council to debate soccer stadium CITY FACES FIRST PHASE OF PROPOSAL TO FINANCE AND BUILD FACILITY NEAR AIRPORT AND ALLOW MORE HOUSING By David Pollak San Jose Mercury News Article Launched:05/30/2007 01:37:43 AM PDT Debate over construction and financing of a 20,000-seat soccer stadium across Coleman Avenue from Mineta San Jose International Airport is about to move into city council chambers. City officials Tuesday outlined the particulars of a complicated transaction that would see A's owner Lew Wolff and other developers bring pro soccer back to San Jose in exchange for the right to build 1,100 to 1,500 housing units on Edenvale acreage now zoned for jobs. The development group also would commit to an office and hotel complex on the airport stadium site. "This is a tremendous opportunity," said Paul Krutko, director of the San Jose Office of Economic Development. "But a lot of steps are needed to make this happen." The first step comes June 12 when the council will be asked to approve a non-binding memorandum of understanding that would give the city and Wolff's development group until Sept. 15 to hammer out an agreement. Wolff expressed optimism that the council would be willing to let negotiations begin, even though the city tends to be cautious about any attempt to build housing on land zoned for jobs. "This is one of those situations that benefit everybody and it's hard to see where it hurts anyone," Wolff said. "Yet sometimes people will look for the hidden agenda. I don't have one." Pro soccer abandoned San Jose when the Earthquakes relocated to Houston on Dec. 15, 2005. That same day, Wolff expressed interest in bringing the sport back to the Bay Area, and Major League Soccer said the team's name would be attached to any future team here. Negotiations with San Jose State to build a combined football-soccer stadium fell through last month, and attention then focused on the site near the airport, formerly owned by FMC Corp. As outlined by Krutko's office, no taxpayer money would be used directly to build the stadium. Here's how the financing would work: A 75-acre parcel in Edenvale, bordered by Monterey Highway and Highway 85, would be converted from its current zoning - 1 million square feet of office industrial development and up to 450,000 square feet of retail - to residential, allowing for approximately 1,100 to 1,500 housing units to be built. The land, known as the iStar property, is in a redevelopment area, which means among other things that 20 percent of the homes would be for low- and moderate-income households. Wolff and his development group - identified in the city's report as FWSH Partners - would use money from sale of the housing to finance a 15,000-to-20,000-seat soccer stadium that would be part of a major development off 1125 Coleman Ave. The 75 acres, known as the Airport West site, were purchased by the city in 2004. The city would continue to own the land but would establish a long-term lease with Wolff's group guaranteed to cover the public's $7.5 million annual debt service on the property. The stadium would only occupy a small part of the site, leaving the rest available for an office-hotel complex and additional retail. Simply building housing on the Airport West site isn't an option, according to the 19-page memorandum released Tuesday by Krutko's office. Years of heavy industrial use by FMC Corp. contaminated the land with toxic substances, and though it has been cleaned up and no further treatment is required for certain uses, housing and schools cannot be constructed there. The project could face opposition from those concerned about traffic and city services at both sites. But the biggest obstacle could be convincing the council that the plan meets its established criteria for turning industrial land into residential. According to Krutko, the plan could meet the requirement that the change not result in a net loss of job capacity within the city. The city can accomplish that by following the same strategy it adopted in North San Jose: increasing the allowable number of jobs on existing industrial land nearby. The criteria state the change also must generate an "extraordinary economic benefit." Krutko says the increase of sales and property tax revenue that would come from the Airport West developments would qualify the plan. "For us," he said, "what was a question of jobs or housing becomes a question of jobs and housing." Contact David Pollak at dpollak@mercurynews.com or (408) 920-5940. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest speedmonk42 Posted June 8, 2007 Share Posted June 8, 2007 I can't imagine MLSE standing in the way of a Montreal team. It would be the best thing that could happen to them. If we can get 200 people to go to Columbus.... imagine how many we could get to go back and forth between the center of the universe and it's misplaced ego.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty_TorontoFC Posted June 9, 2007 Share Posted June 9, 2007 quote:Originally posted by Luis_Rancagua According to Fox Sports World Canada late last night, MLS is ready to present the entry of their 14th, 15th and 16th team (3 new entries) into the league anytime soon. I hope that the new expansion teams are Canadian (Vancouver or Montreal). The league is willing to take this bold new step as a result of the success of Toronto's entry into MLS. Speculations are already circulating on the Internet that one of the teams is indeed San Jose Earthquakes as perhaps as the 16th team to be announced by MLS commissioner Don Garber at a press conference of which it is expected to take place anytime soon. There's also Seattle and Portland as hot contenders to earn franchise rights. If anyone here has other source of information with regard to this topic, please I do insist to post here. Vancouver and Montreal are still years away from MLS entry, US teams will be added next, San Jose, Portland and Seattle and the favorites to join. While Phiadelphia and st Louis are favorites in the east. the Canadian cities will have to wait at leat to 2010-2012 before entry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulV Posted June 10, 2007 Share Posted June 10, 2007 quote:Originally posted by Mighty_TorontoFC Vancouver and Montreal are still years away from MLS entry, US teams will be added next, San Jose, Portland and Seattle and the favorites to join. While Phiadelphia and st Louis are favorites in the east. the Canadian cities will have to wait at leat to 2010-2012 before entry. That would be rough for the Whitecaps if Seattle and Portland jumped to MLS; at least until they join themselves. I usually think of them (in soccer terms) as a group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest speedmonk42 Posted June 10, 2007 Share Posted June 10, 2007 quote:Originally posted by Mighty_TorontoFC Vancouver and Montreal are still years away from MLS entry, US teams will be added next, San Jose, Portland and Seattle and the favorites to join. While Phiadelphia and st Louis are favorites in the east. the Canadian cities will have to wait at leat to 2010-2012 before entry. This is true, and given that the stadium in Vancouver, if it ever gets built, is several years away. But the balance must have shifted heavily towards Mon and Van for future consideration. They would be crazy not to consider the success of TFC into the equation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrpopulistfutebol Posted June 10, 2007 Share Posted June 10, 2007 Other potential cities that I have heard as expansion sites: Pheonix Arizona St. Louis Missouri I think either of these would be a good fit for MLS. Pheonix has the potential to be big because of the potential Latino fan base in the Arizona area. The has good crowds a few years ago for Interliga and as well the US/Mexico game at the new dome stadium in Glendale Arizona in February of 2007 sold out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luis_Rancagua Posted June 10, 2007 Author Share Posted June 10, 2007 San Jose is now more closer of gaining that MLS franchise entry. --------------------------------------------- Soccer stadium still on track PRELIMINARY S.J. COUNCIL OK EXPECTED TUESDAY, BUT TOUGH QUESTIONS REMAIN By Barry Witt Mercury News San Jose Mercury News Article Launched:06/10/2007 01:36:13 AM PDT A multi-pronged plan to return professional soccer to San Jose appears likely to win preliminary approval from the San Jose City Council on Tuesday. But with critics arguing the benefits of a stadium aren't worth the underlying cost to the city, its long-term fate remains an open question. The proposed deal with developer and Oakland A's owner Lew Wolff, who holds an option to acquire a replacement Earthquakes team from Major League Soccer, would require the city to give him the exclusive right to develop a 75-acre, city-owned parcel adjacent to Mineta San Jose International Airport and to grant him a controversial rezoning of another 74-acre parcel across town in Edenvale. All that to get a stadium for a team which, in its last incarnation in San Jose, regularly posted among the lowest attendance in its league. "Sports and entertainment is part of giving people a lot of interesting things to do here," said Mayor Chuck Reed, who last week endorsed the plan in concept while saying he reserved judgment on whether it should ultimately be approved. A review process will take at least nine months. The Earthquakes left San Jose in 2005 for Houston, where the team now plays under a different name. Proponents say the poor attendance of the past was not a reflection of fan interest in the Bay Area. "They were playing in an 80-year-old building with a crappy ownership structure," said Paul Krutko, San Jose's chief development officer and its lead negotiator on the Earthquakes proposal. "This franchise did remarkably well given the burdens placed on it." A survey of city council members last week showed a mix of responses, though it appeared a majority would vote to keep the complicated proposal alive. Councilwoman Nancy Pyle joined Reed in signing a memo endorsing the plan, while Councilman Forrest Williams, who represents Edenvale, also is on board. Wolff's plan would pay for the stadium's estimated $80 million construction cost through profits made by buying the 74-acre parcel, now owned by iStar Financial, and winning council approval to rezone it from industrial and commercial uses to higher-value residential. To preserve all the profit for stadium construction, Wolff also plans to find a way to avoid paying capital gains taxes on the difference, though he has yet to say how. Absent that, the deal is likely to collapse. But because the proposal avoids a direct taxpayer subsidy while also protecting himself and his partners from having to borrow money for a stadium, Wolff described his plan recently as "one of those situations that benefit everybody and it's hard to see where it hurts anyone." Traffic a concern Not everyone is persuaded. "Oh, dear," was the response of Mary Cozean when she heard the plan includes construction of another 1,500 townhomes near her home off Cottle Road in Edenvale. "This intersection is already a bottleneck." San Jose generally is wary of industrial-to-residential conversions because the city has far fewer jobs relative to its population than its Silicon Valley neighbors. As a result, the city's per-capita tax revenues are much lower, leading to a huge backlog in street and park maintenance and a police department that says it's hundreds of officers short of what's needed. The iStar site "is probably the best industrial land left in the county," said developer Carl Berg, who last month lost his own bid to have industrial land he owns in the San Jose's Evergreen foothills converted to residential uses. "This makes a farce out of all that's been going on if they let that go residential." Berg supported Reed's opponent in last year's election, while Wolff supported Reed. Wolff's partners in the Earthquakes include former Mayor Tom McEnery and other owners of the San Jose Sharks. McEnery has been one of Reed's closest advisers, but Reed has dismissed the notion that political favors play any role in decision making. Most critical of the plan is Councilwoman Madison Nguyen, who described herself as a lifelong soccer player. "Just a couple of weeks ago when we were going through the Evergreen plan, we said let it wait for a comprehensive update of the general plan. So why are we pushing this forward?" Nguyen said. Nguyen and Councilman Pete Constant also said they worried about the appearance of the city selling development rights. Others like the idea of a benefit such as a soccer stadium resulting from a land-use decision. "In San Jose, we've converted so much industrial land away in return for political donations and nothing for the city. Here, for the first time, you receive something back," said Councilman Pierluigi Oliverio. The best deal? In their memo, Reed and Pyle said the Earthquakes in the past "generated good economic activity" but offered no data to support that statement. Another issue is whether the city will earn the best return on its property near the airport without seeking bids from all potential developers. The deal calls for Wolff to have a three-month exclusive negotiating window to lease the land along Coleman Avenue, a portion of the former FMC plant that the city bought for $82 million. Wolff and his partners, who also include developers Ed Storm and Deke Hunter, would build the stadium on a small portion of the property while also receiving the right to develop 2.25 million square feet of office, hotel and other commercial uses. "Are we getting the best bang for the buck by not going out to seek other proposals?" Nguyen asked. Reed and several other council members say an open bid is not needed, both because Wolff offers the only hope for a soccer stadium and because an appraisal should reveal the property's value. City officials said they expect the lease revenue not only to cover the $7.4 million annual payments the city makes on debt issued to buy the FMC site but also to return additional money to the general fund. "Given that we haven't seen an offer that has the economic potential of a soccer stadium," said Councilman Sam Liccardo, whose district includes the FMC site, "I feel comfortable entering into an exclusive negotiating agreement now." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Posted June 10, 2007 Share Posted June 10, 2007 I can't imagine having a team play mid-August afternoon games in Phoenix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrpopulistfutebol Posted June 10, 2007 Share Posted June 10, 2007 quote:Originally posted by BrennanFan MLS has repeatedly stated that they will expand to the US the next time around, and maybe in the future they will examine other canadian options. Im not sure but i think the goal is an 18 team league, or maybe is a 20 team league. I have no doubt that one or hopefully both of MTL or VAN will have a team by 2012. This time tho i think it will be San Jose, Seattle, and some other place. They also need to leave Kansas City. I am still amazed that Kansas City still has a team. The crowds their are so god awful. KC does not deserve a team. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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