urbanSTL

^^^ Don't you mean "here we goooaaaal!" 

Cardinals and USA soccer have an announcement tomorrow. 

Here we go!

Just hoping after they announce this game vs Uruguay that we have an MLS announcement at the game also. 

Here's the news via KMOV.com

https://www.kmov.com/sports/u-s-soccer- ... e8dcd.html

Edited:

Here's the official announcement about tomorrow from the Cardinals.

No news on the details yet. 

sc4mayor wrote: ^^ I could definitely see MLS announcing at the game vs. Uruguay.

Outside of UrbanSTL I don't really follow any other sources for soccer or MLS and whatnot.  Anyone heard any scuttlebutt on when (or even if) corporate sponsorships, naming rights, and any further renderings will be released before any official announcement?  Or are we pretty much just at the mercy of the MLS at this point?  It's been pretty quiet.

Why do you think that?  I see a friendly being announce between US men's team vs another national team at Busch Stadium.  Nothing more nothing less in my opinion.  

Nor do I really see why the MLS would take this as the moment to announce a team expansion in St. Louis.  I see an team expansion announcement being made at its own event instead of a add on announcement to a friendly match that really doesn't involve MLS to begin with.  The time frame of Aug 1st when MLS has an all star match, break makes a lot sense to me when the focus will be on MLS itself. 

^^^The announcement tomorrow is for the US Men's Friendly game.  The MLS announcement will come later.

^correct. I meant it would be a good time to announce MLS at or at an event a day or two before the friendly. Not tomorrow when they announce the game.

sc4mayor wrote:

dredger wrote:

sc4mayor wrote: ^^ I could definitely see MLS announcing at the game vs. Uruguay.

Outside of UrbanSTL I don't really follow any other sources for soccer or MLS and whatnot.  Anyone heard any scuttlebutt on when (or even if) corporate sponsorships, naming rights, and any further renderings will be released before any official announcement?  Or are we pretty much just at the mercy of the MLS at this point?  It's been pretty quiet.

Why do you think that?  I see a friendly being announce between US men's team vs another national team at Busch Stadium.  Nothing more nothing less in my opinion.  

Nor do I really see why the MLS would take this as the moment to announce a team expansion in St. Louis.  I see an team expansion announcement being made at its own event instead of a add on announcement to a friendly match that really doesn't involve MLS to begin with.  The time frame of Aug 1st when MLS has an all star match, break makes a lot sense to me when the focus will be on MLS itself. 

 

It could be a nice cap to what would probably be a well attended soccer game.  

I can't share much, but I will say you're not the only one in St. Louis who's thinking this.  

^ An announcement of an announcement at the friendly?? 

I can see that as a possibility and fits into MLS all star match timing.  Maybe an event or watch party with major news for St. Louis fans.  BPV village would be an ideal place to make that happen as well.

sc4mayor wrote: Some light details from St. Louis Public Radio:

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/st ... n#stream/0

“Major League Soccer does not plan to have any expansion news coming out of the July 31st MLS Board of Governors’ meeting,” he wrote in an email. “While expansion has been on every MLS Board of Governors' meeting for more than a decade, any announcement of a new expansion team will take place in the market where the new club is based.”

Sounds like an All Star Game announcement was nothing more than a rumor as well.  I think this lends even more credence to a potential announcement at that USMNT friendly, provided the ownership has all their ducks in a row.

Here's an article from the STL Biz Journal.

By Nathan Rubbelke  – Reporter, St. Louis Business Journal
4 hours ago

Major League Soccer's leadership will meet this week in Florida during the league’s All-Star Game festivities, but St. Louis fans should not anticipate news then about an expansion team coming to the city.

The MLS board of governors, which consists of two representatives from each of league's 27 teams and is responsible for selecting expansion markets, will meet Wednesday in Orlando. While expansion may be discussed by the board, an MLS spokesman said the league is not planning to announce new teams during the All-Star Game events.
“While we have many events taking place this week in Orlando as part of the MLS All-Star festivities, we do not plan to have any expansion news coming out of the July 31 MLS Board of Governors meeting," said Dan Courtemanche, MLS executive vice president for communications. "While expansion has been on every MLS Board of Governors meeting for more than a decade, any announcement of a new expansion team will take place in the market where the new club will be based.”

Typically, the league foreshadows expansion by issuing a news advisory announcing a forthcoming “very special announcement” — or, in Austin’s case in January, a “legendary announcement” — about the future of soccer in that city. The event itself then becomes a celebratory press conference in which MLS Commissioner Don Garber shares the stage with owners of the new franchise.

It remains unclear when MLS plans to announce which cities will be awarded its 28th and 29th teams. Garber previously said the league hoped to have a final decision on those franchises made before the league’s All-Star Game, which will be played Wednesday.
#MLS4THELOU, the ownership group leading St. Louis’ bid for a team, on July 15 met with the MLS expansion committee in New York. That meeting followed a decision in April by the MLS board of governors to expand the league to 30 teams, beyond its previous target of 28 clubs, authorizing the league to work exclusively with the ownership groups in St. Louis and Sacramento for teams 28 and 29.

The league said earlier this month that the ownership groups from St. Louis and Sacramento, along with those backing expansion bids in other cities, were planning to attend All-Star week events in Orlando. A spokesperson for #MLS4THELOU confirmed Monday that members of the ownership group will be attending the MLS All-Star Game.

If awarded as either team 28 or 29, #MLS4THELOU will pay a franchise fee of $200 million. The ownership group’s plans include a stadium just west of Union Station that would have capacity of about 22,500 with the ability to expand to 25,500 and be surrounded by a Downtown West District with mixed-use retail, restaurants and gathering spaces, according to renderings released in April.

A few quotes from today. Sounds mostly done.


Don Garber now recapping the Board of Governors meeting to reporters. Says “league is in very advanced discussions with St. Louis,” “engaged on almost a daily basis” with Sacramento, expansion reps from Charlotte, Indy, Raleigh, San Diego will be at the All-Star Game tonight.



As MLS board meeting continues in Orlando, multiple sources indicate that clear leader in expansion process is St. Louis. If no announcement today (it's possible), then likely soon. Garber scheduled to speak in 1-2 hours.



Says Sacramento and St. Louis are both looking at coming into MLS in 2022, if they’re awarded franchises.

Here's today's article from the Biz Journal

By Nathan Rubbelke  – Reporter, St. Louis Business Journal
2 hours ago

Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber said he hoped the league would have a final decision on its 28th and 29th franchises before tonight's All-Star game, but fans in St. Louis and Sacramento are still waiting to hear if their cities will be awarded teams.
In a new interview with ESPN, Garber explained why the league has yet to name its 28th and 29th teams, highlighting the complexity of the deals and emphasizing he isn’t worried about the length of the expansion process involving the St. Louis and Sacramento markets.
“In both of those cases, you’re looking at between $550 million and $650 million in investment. When you’re making an investment like that, they take awhile to close. That’s the process that we’re going through now, and it’s not remotely alarming to me or anybody else,” Garber said in the interview.

In April, the MLS board of governors decided to expand the league to 30 teams, beyond its previous target of 28 clubs, authorizing the league to work exclusively with the ownership groups in St. Louis and Sacramento for teams 28 and 29. Following that decision, Garber made his remarks about hoping to finalize the two new teams by this week’s All-Star game.
“We had come out of a board meeting with the authority to try to finalize deals in both of those markets,” Garber said. “We have not yet done that. That’s not concerning to me. It just means that the investment stake required to come into MLS, that process of finalizing deals is getting more and more complicated.”

The MLS board of governors met Wednesday in Orlando, but an announcement regarding new MLS franchises is not expected following the meeting. Dan Courtemanche, MLS executive vice president for communications, recently told the Business Journal “any announcement of a new expansion team will take place in the market where the new club will be based.”

#MLS4THELOU, the ownership group leading St. Louis’ bid for a team, on July 15 met with the MLS expansion committee in New York. Members of the ownership group, along with those backing expansion bids in other cities, will be attending tonight’s MLS All-Star Game in Orlando.

Don Garber with an update on expansion during the All-star game.

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SI article discussing STL/SAC/Charlotte MLS bids.

QUICKLY

• Wednesday's board of governers meeting led MLS one step closer to expansion in St. Louis, as well as Sacramento, sources told SI.com.

By BRIAN STRAUS 
July 31, 2019

ORLANDO — Representatives from eight potential MLS expansion markets attended Wednesday’s All-Star Game, but the focus remained on the leaders in the race toward 30 teams—St. Louis, Sacramento and Charlotte.
Multiple sources connected to the expansion process, as well as commissioner Don Garber, suggested that St. Louis is the furthest along. Although no franchise was awarded at Wednesday’s board of governors meeting, and no schedule for those awards was announced, Garber’s characterization of the league’s conversations with St. Louis was the most optimistic. The prospective ownership group, led by Enterprise Holdings Foundation president Carolyn Kindle Betz, made a formal presentation to the board, which followed their more in-depth meeting with the league’s expansion committee two weeks ago.
“We are in very advanced discussions in St. Louis, and we really appreciated the details that they provided,” Garber said. “We look forward to continuing those discussions in the weeks and months ahead.”

The commissioner used more modest language when referencing Sacramento and Charlotte, which now appear to be on level terms. In April, when MLS announced its intention to expand to 30 clubs, Garber said it “will deal exclusively with St. Louis and Sacramento for teams 28 and 29.” On Wednesday, those plans seemed slightly amended.
“We are in advanced talks with both of them,” he said, referencing St. Louis and Sacramento. “They are not exclusive talks. Exclusive means we’re not talking to anybody else. It doesn’t mean anybody’s leapfrogging anybody else. We are in discussions with Charlotte, but we are also in discussions with Sacramento and St. Louis.”


Also in Orlando for meetings and the game itself, which was played at Exploria Stadium against Atlético Madrid, were representatives from Indy Eleven, North Carolina FC (Raleigh), Phoenix Rising, Las Vegas and San Diego (Nick Stone, the point man for the SoccerCity bid).

Speaking to SI.com following the meeting, Kindle Betz said her family is committed to raising their city’s international profile, and she painted a cautiously optimistic picture. “We wouldn’t be doing this if we weren’t confident that we could win this,” she said. “I think [MLS] just wants a little bit more proof, which is exactly what we’ve been focused on this entire time. This is a big commitment, and there are still some questions out there. But in our mind, this is what we’re doing Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday.”

The ownership group, which also includes St. Louis FC’s Jim Kavanaugh, still plans to build a privately-financed stadium on a downtown site west of Union Station, about two miles from the Arch. The land currently is under state control and is the process of being transferred to the city, with which Kindle Betz and her colleagues are working. A stadium opening and MLS launch in the spring of 2022 remains the goal.

Sources said there’s some concern over corporate support as well. Kindle Betz addressed that issue, saying that Garber attended a March lunch in St. Louis that attracted 27 area CEOs. The Blues and Cardinals were present as well. “Every time we call somebody, they talk the meeting,” she said. “It’s turning out to be a jigsaw puzzle, in the sense of making sure that on our side, we put together the best sponsorship package for that customer or that corporation. St. Louis is also a tight community. You don’t want to necessarily make any enemies. “In some of our presentations [to MLS], there have been a lot of great names up there but we’ve also been transparent about the fact that, we know there’s a number. We’ll get there. We’re just trying to figure out how to get there in a way that both parties feel they have a win-win. There’s room for everybody.”

The league wants to be in St. Louis, a traditional soccer market with a downtown that’s on the rebound. It’s possible that a good chunk of an expansion agreement with Kindle Betz’s group is in place, and that they’re waiting close the deal on the stadium site. Both Garber and Kindle Betz said there was no formal vote on Wednesday. “We still have some things that we probably need to make sure we get more in line,” she said. “Just continuing the conversations with the corporate sponsors, making sure we’re in a good place with the city—because we need their help. Those two things, and the stadium design of course. Those things are really the top of the list right now.”

Regarding Sacramento, new majority owner Ron Burkle may be slower to comb over, negotiate and agree to an expansion agreement. The analogy that several have drawn here was the last round of expansion, which featured a quick announcement in Nashville and then months of waiting in Cincinnati.

“These are lifetime decisions for a board to make and for an investor to make,” Garber said. “There’s a process that we go through that is really really time consuming. These are massive commitments at this point. When you get involved in an MLS team now with the [$200 million] expansion fee and the stadium, it’s a minimum of $500 million dollars. And finalizing those deals take time.
“Both of those teams [St. Louis and Sacramento] are looking at coming in 2022, so we’ve got plenty of time for them to get their projects finalized.” He said conversations with Burkle “are positive and they will continue.”

Charlotte is the unexpected entrant in the race, a wildcard bid fueled by Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper’s billions and a growing market in an empty spot on the map brimming with corporate largesse. Tepper and Panthers president Tom Glick, who used to run New York City FC, also presented to the league’s expansion committee this month.

Garber lauded Tepper’s enthusiasm and said the league has significant interest in the Carolinas (NCFC also has MLS ambitions, but there’s room for only one). But there’s work to do on Charlotte’s stadium plan, which imagines filling the Panthers’ Bank of America Stadium.
“We are primarily in the business of having teams that play in soccer specific stadiums,” Garber said. “His plan does not include one. So it’s not something that we’re running with very quickly until we’re very, very, very comfortable that that could be a different path for us. And we’re intrigued by that path because of the success we’ve been having in Atlanta and in Seattle and [the Chicago Fire’s impending] move down to Soldier Field. … It’s an aspect of his bid that puts it sort of in a different path.”

The MLS board is scheduled to meet again in December, although Garber said work on the expansion front could continue in the meantime. Part of that would include visits to both Charlotte and Sacramento “in the next 30 days.” The New England Revolution’s Jonathan Kraft chairs the expansion committee.

Could be related to the MLS Stadium and District plan. A crew was out on the far SOuth end of the 22nd Street interchange site doing some soil testing. They were clearly trying to be slick by being hidden away from major roads. Only visible from Metro.

^^^ Well, they'd better start doing some work if they want to make that March 2022 start date.  Thanks for posting this and for all of the other pic you've been posting.  I'm enjoying seeing the progress on all the projects.  Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

What frequentflyer posted suggested that you might not get a formal announcement until December if that is when the MLS board meets again.   Which might be fine if Taylor family is committing and investing even further into stadium work and design such as the soil test/borings above.  

A lot of work needs to be done before you physically start constructing the stadium itself from final designs, engineering, site and utility work and bid letting as well as the land transaction from MoDOT back to city & the old 22nd street interchange demo is in the mix al well.   It would be interesting to know how much is going on behind the scenes itself..  

chaifetz10 wrote: I highly doubt they were trying to hide from the public. 

Really though.