MLS Expansion - Miami Mayor pushing hard for a soccer stadium
With the vote on a $2.9 billion funding package that includes money for a soccer stadium less then a week away, Miami Mayor Manny Diaz is pushing hard to make it happen. The crux of the debate revolves around what the city will do with the site of the current Orange Bowl (which will be torn down next month).
Those in favor of this package want to place a baseball stadium on the site, along with a multilevel, 6,000-car parking garage. The only problem is the city does not think the baseball stadium alone will be enough for them to break even on the project, thus enters the soccer stadium.
Mayor Diaz says they need 25 additional events each year for the city to recoup their money, and what do you know, that is just about the total number of home games a MLS team plays each season. The total amount the city is willing to put forward to build the new soccer stadium is $100 million.
What is most interesting about this to me is the lack of a known ownership group for a Miami MLS expansion team. Is Miami going to do what San Antonio did in their bid to land an America football team and build a stadium under the hopes that the league will come to them or could it be that the rumor of a Boca Juniors move into the area is closer to reality then it appears?
As far as this proposal, it looks like it is tied to the baseball stadium. If the Marlines get a deal, the soccer stadium will happen, which would surely propel Miami towards the top of the MLS expansion list. That propulsion will only increase if Boca Juniors is thrown into the mix.
Those in favor of this package want to place a baseball stadium on the site, along with a multilevel, 6,000-car parking garage. The only problem is the city does not think the baseball stadium alone will be enough for them to break even on the project, thus enters the soccer stadium.
Mayor Diaz says they need 25 additional events each year for the city to recoup their money, and what do you know, that is just about the total number of home games a MLS team plays each season. The total amount the city is willing to put forward to build the new soccer stadium is $100 million.
What is most interesting about this to me is the lack of a known ownership group for a Miami MLS expansion team. Is Miami going to do what San Antonio did in their bid to land an America football team and build a stadium under the hopes that the league will come to them or could it be that the rumor of a Boca Juniors move into the area is closer to reality then it appears?
As far as this proposal, it looks like it is tied to the baseball stadium. If the Marlines get a deal, the soccer stadium will happen, which would surely propel Miami towards the top of the MLS expansion list. That propulsion will only increase if Boca Juniors is thrown into the mix.
Labels: Boca Juniors, Manny Diaz, Miami, MLS, MLS expansion, San Antonio
posted by Mike H at 10:10 AM
4 Comments:
Would this mean Boca Juniors becoming an MLS squad? Or, just moving to Miami, but continuing in the Argentine league?
No it just means boca juniors will have another team in another league... just like chivas usa has a team in mls and the main squad in mexican league..... hopefully they can get a team in soon, the other teams here sucking really bad and if boca comes here I think they would be called boca usa bu I think Boca Miami sounds good!! jaja hopefully we get this through I mean we got the stadium
By,
Biggest want of an MLS team in miami!!! We deserve more than any other team in this country!!!
I doubt Boca Juniors have the deep pockets to finance an MLS franchise, especially now that the MLS franchise fee has grown to $40 million, plus cost of building a SSS, etc. I don't know who was floating that idea. Not much money in the Argentine league, which is why they lose all their best players to Europe.
However, FC Barcelona does have the cash, and as recent news shows, they are looking into bidding for an MLS franchise. I hope they get one. Miami needs to be back in MLS. Tampa Bay does, too.
It is DESTINY. Miami WILL get an MLS team.
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