MLS Expansion - If Portland doesn't act fast, owner might be priced out of MLS

Portland Timbers owner Merritt Paulson would love to bring Major League Soccer to town, but he is concerned that the ever increasing expansion fee (now sitting at $40 million +) might price him out of consideration.

Still the dream of top-level soccer in the city is moving forward as Paulson plans on presenting his full proposal for a MLS team to the city as early as June. It is very much expected that he will ask for a public-private partnership that could cost the city more then $55 million.

Portland's bid hinges on Paulson and the city agreeing to a public-private partnership. Paulson said he is willing to absorb the league's $40 million expansion fee. The city would be on the hook for the rest, Paulson said, which probably would amount to more than $55 million.

A breakdown of the city's cost sees at least $20m going to the renovation of the Timbers current home PGE Park, which needs 'grandstand seating on the stadium's vacant east side, plus more restrooms and concessions.' The other $35m would go to the construction of a new, 9,000-seat baseball stadium for the Portland Beavers. The Beavers currently play at PGE Park but with the improvements mentioned above, would no longer be able to call it home. Paulson also owns the Beavers.

I guess the biggest question I have about the Portland situation has to do with the ownership group. Paulson is not a poor man but he is not the billionaire type the league has been looking for of late. This makes the Portland situation seem a lot like the St. Louis situation. If the city approves the funding request, both cities will have rich but not mega-rich owners with solid public backing.

One big difference, unlike Paulson, St. Louis owner Jeff Cooper is not the son of the current US Secretary of the Treasury.

Anyway, the question I have for Paulson is how much he is willing to invest in a future team beyond the roughly $40m expansion fee and does he have other owners setup to take part in the project (his pop is partial owner in the sports teams)?

If Paulson is not ready to invest the big money needed to make Portland a success, I find it hard to see the league moving in.

MLS Expansion - St. Louis not giving up on MLS dream

Jeff Cooper, the lead figure in St. Louis's bid to land a MLS side, has conceded defeat to Philadelphia for the 16th spot in the league and is now focused on winning the 17th.

"'2010 is what we're targeting,' Cooper said."

Since it looks like 2010 will be the year Philadelphia will enter the league, it appears Cooper sees little difference between spots 16 and 17.

His goal now is the same it has been for the last six months, find more investors. He says there has been lots of interest, but not enough have signed on.

For their part, it appears the city of Collinsville is stick with this project meaning that if Cooper brings a team home, the bulldozers will start digging right away on the 400-acre site.

Even without a team, Cooper will be involved with MLS via their marketing arm SUM as he is the owner of on of the new teams in the Women's Soccer League.

I've said it before, had Cooper come along with this bid three years ago, St. Louis would have a team by now. It is only due to the growth of the sport in the US that they do not. Kind of ironic that the city that can very easily argue itself as the cradle of soccer in America is hurt by the growth of the game, but that is the way it is.

My guess on this is Cooper will find some investors in the next few months and the league will go with them as number 17. However, the longer it takes, the more time places like Miami, Montreal, Las Vegas, Portland, etc. have to put together their bids, so Cooper better act fast.

If you are a fan in the St. Louis area, maybe you should follow the Sons of Ben model and get a supporters group together now. You could road trip to Chicago and KC games and make your presence know. I'm sure the folks at St. Louis Soccer United would love it.

MLS Expansion - St. Louis stadium gets additional city funding

The Collinsville City Council has approved a TIF plan to help pay for the proposed 400-acre stadium site. The hope is this will help the St. Louis soccer group find the additional investors needed to bring a MLS team to the area. For those wondering, a TIF plan is basically a loan to oneself against the projected increased tax income from a public project.

This is yet another sign of the desire for Collinsville to land a team, but with recent news out of Pennsylvania, it might be a little too late.

The irony of all this is if St. Louis put a bid like this as recently as three years ago, they would probably already be fielding a team. The league has progressed to a point where they can be more selective (or down right demanding) about where they land teams, and this is a good thing. Although I would love to see a team in St. Louis, if it is true that the group does not have the investments needed to make it a success, I can fully understand why the league would not expand there at this time.

That said, Jeff Cooper seems like that exact type of person the league needs to move into the next level. He has the energy and local ties plus is a smart businessman, now he just needs a little extra money to make it happen.

MLS Expansion - St. Louis needs investors

The days left in January are becoming fewer and fewer, meaning that a decision on the 16th MLS club will soon be known. The main figures in this race are Philadelphia and St. Louis, with each having something the other does not. Philadelphia has the big investors (money) and a large market, but unlike St. Louis, does not have a stadium deal in place.

Which brings us to Jeff Cooper's (the man in charge of the St. Louis bid) keynote speaker at the annual Hermann Awards banquet Friday night. In it he talked about the rich history of the game in St. Louis and his belief that a professional team would flourish in the area. However, he also spoke to the need for others to up out to make this true.

Cooper is a millionaire with great local ties, but that is not really enough for MLS anymore, so he is looking for some partners.

"We're confident that we'll find the right partners very soon," Cooper said. "You have to remember that it's easier to find money than great partners, and that's our mission. This community deserves a first-class MLS ownership group. We won't quit until we put that group together."

So there you have it, St. Louis needs more money to land their bid, just as Philadelphia needs the state to put up $45 million. To the winner of this race probably goes the expansion team. Then again, maybe Montreal will steal it away from them both.

MLS Expansion - St. Louis group already working on youth development

Jeff Cooper of St. Louis Soccer United (SLSU) doesn't have a MLS team yet but he is already working on youth development. He did this by bringing the three main your soccer organizations in the area together to form one club that will be affiliated with the MLS team.

"These three clubs represent the cream of the crop in St. Louis soccer," Cooper said. "They've done a great job at allowing every kid who walks through the door a great education, not only in soccer, but in life."

The consolidation allows them to share resources such as soccer fields and training facilities.

"Sharing our resources is a huge benefit," said Dale Schilly, director of Metro United Soccer. Schilly said with one large club, coaches will be able match teams of equal skill rather players of multiple ability within a single team. Cooper said that will keep kids from getting discouraged and giving up on the sport.

They might not have a team yet, but SLSU is already helping the area improve the sport.

MLS Expansion - St. Louis area soccer stadium gets initial go ahead

The first hurdle of many has been cleared for St. Louis Soccer United (SLSU) as the city of Collinsville voted to move forward on a pre-annexation agreement. What this means is that the city will work with SLSU to negotiation for annexation of portions of the planned site not currently within city limits.

This is still a long way to a done deal, but with the relatively smooth process up to this point, it does seem that there is a great deal of interest by both parties to make this happen.

MLS President Mark Abbott said of the agreement, "Major League Soccer is pleased with the positive vote from the Collinsville city council to build a soccer-specific stadium and mixed-use development in the city."

"The metropolitan St. Louis area is one of the most passionate and storied soccer markets in the United States. Tonight's vote is a very positive step and we look forward to continuing our discussions to bring a Major League Soccer club to the area."

It seems that the main concern is that money for Collinsville's schools is not diverted to pay for the plan. Both the city and SLSU say that students will not be forgotten.

Overall, more good news for soccer fans in the St. Louis area.

MLS Expansion - St. Louis area soccer stadium goes to a vote tonight

The Collinsville City Council will decide tonight if they are going to go along with St. Louis Soccer United's (SLSU) stadium proposal.

Included in this proposal are an 18,500-seat stadium, 240 hotel rooms, at least two restaurants, several youth soccer fields and nearly 500,000 square feet of office and retail space. The cost is just over $400 million. SLSU's chair Jeff Cooper is asking the city to invest $20 million in bonds to get the project started.

Although a positive vote tonight will not guarantee a MLS side to St. Louis, a 'no' vote will all but kill the dream for now. In addition, any 'yes' vote would probably be dependant on MLS award a team to SLSU in the next 90-days or so.

It seems that there has been only positive coverage of this idea so it looks good to pass, but we will know for sure later tonight.

MLS Expansion - Public to see St. Louis soccer plan

The bid to build a soccer complex in Collinsville, just outside of St. Louis, is heading into the final phase and if bid leader Jeff Cooper has anything to say about it, the public will get to see as much of the proposal as possible.

"I've got to live" in the Metro East, Cooper said. "I don't want people burning down my house because they think I was slipping something by the Collinsville council."

Cooper said he is so confident in the project that he wants residents to be given the opportunity to see any plans "so the public has a chance to shoot holes in it."

The city council is set to look at the deal at their 10 September meeting. Even if they vote in favor of it at that time, the city will not be tied to the project as it will probably depend on the awarding of a MLS franchise to Copper and St. Louis Soccer United.

The full project will include "an 18,500-seat stadium, 240 hotel rooms, at least two restaurants, several youth soccer fields and nearly 500,000 square feet of office and retail space" and cost about $402 million to build. Cooper is asking the city to become a partner in the deal by issuing bonds as well as pay for some of the infrastructure.

It seems that the only part of the plan with which the city takes issue is the number of homes. Cooper calls for 1600, but the city would like there to be less then that.

With rumors suggesting that MLS will announce at least one expansion franchise in the next 30-60 days, this has got to be good news for soccer fans in St. Louis. If Collinsville agrees to the terms, I don't see how MLS could say no.

MLS Expansion: St. Louis's stadium deal

Co push to bring professional soccer back to the St. Louis area might be about to pay off as his group, St. Louis Soccer United, has proposed a stadium deal to the Collinsville City Council that, if approved, would all but guarantee the city a MLS club.

The $100 million stadium complex includes an "18,900-seat stadium, a hotel, at least two restaurants, about 1,000 single-family homes, several youth soccer fields and nearly 500,000 square feet of office and retail space." Cooper is asking Collinsville to invest $20 million in bonds to get the project started.

As far as the money is concerned, Cooper says, "The city stands to make $40 million to $50 million above and beyond the bonds in the first 10 years. What we're prepared to do is put an $80 million to $100 million investment into Collinsville, and we're asking the city to help us out with some of that with taxes that will be paid off from the project."

If this stadium deal is approved, Cooper believes that it will be ready for the 2009 season.

St. Louis Soccer United launched their web site today to explain their plan for the stadium and for their future club. On the site, they give a great description of the stadium:

The project's soccer-specific stadium will be among the next generation of MLS stadiums striving to capture the intimacy and excitement of the European game. It will incorporate a roof structure which fully covers the seating areas to help mitigate inclement weather conditions and hold in the sound of the crowd. The project design team contributed significantly regarding the stadium's interaction with the surrounding spaces. For example, the orientation of the stadium club and associated veranda to the park and youth soccer pitches (referred to as "the mall") are situated to provide an unobstructed view from the club over the town square and the mall to the downtown St. Louis skyline in the background.

St. Louis is a huge part of America's soccer tradition and it is a shame that MLS is not there. However, it looks like Cooper and Soccer United might just be the perfect group to change all this.