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Montreal withdraws MLS bid


jimmynow

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quote:Originally posted by spiral

Johnnyranger why don't you take your f'ing attitude somewhere else...

what he's saying (and you obviously don't have the intellect or can't read) is you can apply to go to Harvard; doesn't mean you'll get accepted into Harvard.

Read the article. Garber says expansion into Canada would hurt U.S. revenue.

Actually, no. He said exactly what he said. I have plenty of intellect, and can read just fine.

Bill makes post after post about rubbish that is not based on fact or any sort of reasonable reality.

Nice that someone with 2 whole posts has the fortitude to imply I should go somewhere else with his first post on the V's board.

We have another dafty!

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^ For any second bid for an MLS franchise Joey Saputo will have to make a major attitude adjustment after what he is reported to have said about Don Garber and MLS this time around on top of his gamble of a low ball bid. If I was MLS I would tell him and his crew to take their business and shove it, especially when they still have six qualified bids for two spots. MLS will do just fine without a team in Montreal and the franchise fee and facility standards will likely be even higher next time around.

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Am I the only one who thinks Montreal played this one poorly? An expansion fee is an expansion fee. Yes, it may be high in this climate, but I think there's a touch of arrogance on Montreal's part...thinking they had the squad, the stadium, the market and that they could somehow be exempt from the process.

Whether the 40 million US makes sense or not, NOT being in MLS for the next 5 years could also be costly.

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^ Vancouver wants it more than Saputo does, clearly. Saputo has been bitching about the price of an MLS franchise fee from the day it was announced that the asking price was $40 million.

This has NOTHING to do with the value of the Canadian dollar....do you really think the Saputo family does not possess US dollar accounts?

what's to say the exchange rate won't be back to par on Opening Day 2011. hell, the dollar went up almost 3 cents today. The exchange rate issue is a convenient negotiating tool but that is all it is.

Montreal did an analysis as to what they believed entry into MLS was worth and was unwilling to meet MLS' price.

Vancouver will not be rejected because, from all accounts, they are prepared to pay every penny of the $40 million that MLS (arrogantly) believes their league is worth. Furthermore, they'll have a ready mande stadium arrangement that is acceptable to MLS without forking out a dollar for renovations from their pocket. when you factor the rivalry potential between vancouver and seattle, the Whitecaps bid is very attractive.

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We should all be disconcerted with the fact that Garber let slip the fact that he wants the sport to grow in the US, and further expansion into Canada could jeopardise that effort.

I have a bad feeling that if Vancouver or Ottawa don't make it in for the next round, they won't make it in at all. Ottawa is a total darkhorse in that Garber has praised their presentation and Melnyk's business proposal, but can a city that has failed time and time again to sustain various baseball and CFL franchises really pull off a pro soccer team?

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We should all be disconcerted with the fact that Garber let slip the fact that he wants the sport to grow in the US, and further expansion into Canada could jeopardise that effort.

I have a bad feeling that if Vancouver or Ottawa don't make it in for the next round, they won't make it in at all. Ottawa is a total darkhorse in that Garber has praised their presentation and Melnyk's business proposal, but can a city that has failed time and time again to sustain various baseball and CFL franchises really pull off a pro soccer team?

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quote:Originally posted by Keano

I hope the wheels are turning behind closed doors in the Gillette/Saputo, Melnyk, and Nash camps: I'd love to see a Canadian division in the USL... or at least 4-5 teams. Maybe enough to eventually have a small, CFL-sized domestic league.

That would be something. As a Montreal fan I would be so happy to be able to take a bus to Ottawa to cheer on the Impact. It would be a short and affordable trip which is almost non-existent in N.A. Maybe one day you could even see two Canadian representatives in the CL. Might be wishful thinking... but still a great thought<div align="left"></div id="left">

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I would personally prefer a USL-1 or USL-2 team in Ottawa than an MLS team. It would make for interesting road trips to Montreal and there would be more competition for the Voyageurs Cup. I know there were arguments against Toronto getting an MLS team because of previous fan support but Ottawa isn't ready for MLS and doesn't have the population base to support it.

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Just a quick question if someone has any idea:

How does the Ottawa group plan to secure the Government financing it is apparently seeking for the proposed stadium in this economic context and with all the talks of the government already being involved in the improvements being planned for Frank clair stadium??

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quote:Originally posted by SteveBeau

Just a quick question if someone has any idea:

How does the Ottawa group plan to secure the Government financing it is apparently seeking for the proposed stadium in this economic context and with all the talks of the government already being involved in the improvements being planned for Frank clair stadium??

That is a great question but I don't think anybody has the answer to it yet.

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There was a great article in the Ottawa Citizen a month or so back, making it sound like the city had to choose either CFL or MLS in terms of kicking in for a new stadium. I think we all know which way that will go.

Ottawa and Portland both require city funding that has not yet been secured, and given the current economic climate, MLS would be foolish to support either bid.

In my mind, only four cities are in the running: Vancouver, Miami, St. Louis, and Atlanta. Atlanta is probably the least likely of the four to procure a franchise. I'm pretty confident Vancouver is in, so I'm guessing the second is either Miami or St. Louis, depending on the strength of the ownership group (diversity of assests, total funds, etc) and the strength of the market. Prior to the economic turbulence I thought MLS would take a gamble on the grassroots and go for St. Louis, but Miami probably have more money behind their bid.

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quote:Originally posted by Blue and White Army

There was a great article in the Ottawa Citizen a month or so back, making it sound like the city had to choose either CFL or MLS in terms of kicking in for a new stadium. I think we all know which way that will go.

Ottawa and Portland both require city funding that has not yet been secured, and given the current economic climate, MLS would be foolish to support either bid.

In my mind, only four cities are in the running: Vancouver, Miami, St. Louis, and Atlanta. Atlanta is probably the least likely of the four to procure a franchise. I'm pretty confident Vancouver is in, so I'm guessing the second is either Miami or St. Louis, depending on the strength of the ownership group (diversity of assests, total funds, etc) and the strength of the market. Prior to the economic turbulence I thought MLS would take a gamble on the grassroots and go for St. Louis, but Miami probably have more money behind their bid.

All that the city has been asked for is a property swap .. a couple of acres to the Melnyk bid to put on practice fields... its not an issue ... its unused farm land that is on a flood plain, the city planners ran a scam to make it residential but the city auditor revealed the conflicts .. so the land is up for grabs.

http://www.city.ottawa.on.ca/residents/public_consult/carp_river/index_en.html

check out the Google map you will see its all open fields...the city will swap it ... or sell it cheap.

http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF8&oe=UTF-8&q=carp+creek+Ottawa&fb=1&view=map&cd=1&hl=en

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quote:Originally posted by Calgary Boomer

Well there goes perhaps the strongest candidate city. If Montreal, with Saputo and Gillette not able to meet the spending criteria, how will cities like Portland and St Louis with single owners manage? The cheese and male grooming industries seem to be pretty good ones in this economic climate.

LOL, George Gillet is the not the same guy who founded and own the Gillette products of shaving creams etc.... they are not related and in fact the names are not even spelled the same.

The Habs owner has publicly joked about this case of mistaken identity.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_N._Gillett_Jr.

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I wonder if MLS would ever try to convince Barca to set up shop in New York or another Market. I think they love the group, but are not convinced of the market. I understand the appeal of Miami because of its demographics, size and proximity to central and South America, but...that Miami Fusion fiasco, and the apathy towards the Gold Cup should make the governors nervous.

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