urbanSTL

MLS for STL? Expansion planned in 2008



By Tom Timmermann

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH

Tuesday, Apr. 18 2006



Major League Soccer intends to add another team, preferably in the Midwest,

after the 2007 season.



Where would the team play?



The St. Louis-based group pursing a team has scouted potential stadium sites in

the Metro East area.



St. Louis, which has been on the outside looking in at Major League Soccer

since the league began in 1996, could be close to landing a team.



A group of investors is looking at acquiring an expansion team that would begin

play in 2008 in the St. Louis area, possibly in the Metro East. The main issue

is securing a location and putting together financing to build a

soccer-specific stadium. A final decision on a stadium site could come in the

next few weeks.



"We're looking at our options for putting an expansion team in St. Louis," said

Michael Huyghue of Florida, who is part of the group pursing a team. "We've met

with Major League Soccer, had a feasibility study and made other inroads. At

this point, we're very serious about it, but it's still in the planning stage

and we're not ready to make an official announcement."



Huyghue, a former general manager of the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars, is the

present of a sports entertainment company, Axcess Sports, and is also an

entertainment agent who represents among others, Snoop Dogg.



East Alton attorney Jeff Cooper also would be part of the potential ownership

group. Cooper would not comment on the status of the MLS bid.



If a stadium deal can be put together, the team would apply to the league for

an expansion franchise. The league presently has 12 teams and is expanding to

Toronto in 2007. The league intends to add another team, which it would prefer

to be in the Midwest, in 2008. MLS Commissioner Don Garber has said he wants

the MLS to have 16 teams by 2010. The league also has said it will add a team

in the Philadelphia area in 2009 on the condition of a soccer stadium being

built on the campus of Rowan University near Glassboro, N.J. Milwaukee,

Cleveland and Rochester, N.Y., are other cities that have been mentioned as MLS

sites.



"We've said it all along that we think St. Louis is a great market for a Major

League Soccer team," said Dan Courtemanche, the league's senior vice president

for marketing and communications. "The good news is we have a number of

individuals that have come to us in recent months with interest in the St.

Louis area and looked at feasibility studies and potential sites and have come

to meet with us."



Once considered the center of American soccer, St. Louis has long been a city

MLS has had designs upon, but the issue of a stadium has been a prime sticking

point. The league prefers teams to play in stadiums that seat at least 20,000

people, and St. Louis has no suitable facility. St. Louis University has balked

at expanding Hermann Stadium, which seats about 6,000, and the league prefers

to have teams control their home venue.



Though no major professional sports team has ever tried the Metro East,

Illinois may be a viable alternative because of differences in tax laws between

Illinois and Missouri. Illinois laws allow the state to back bonds to construct

public buildings.



When Toronto joined the league, the expansion fee was $15 million, but the

league announced that that price was only applicable through the end of 2005.

The price would increase for future expansion teams. But assuming the St. Louis

owners have the finances to pay the fee and build a stadium, the St. Louis area

fits what the league is looking for.



"First and foremost, we look at a specific market," Courtemanche said. "Is it a

passionate sports market, does it have the potential to draw television

viewers, what it's history for soccer events, and we do research into the

soccer audience. Second, they need to have an ownership group with the

appropriate resources and business acumen to be a success and they need to have

plans for a stadium, generally a soccer-specific stadium."



Huyghue said his group has "a site in mind, but it would have to be the focus

of private-public funding and that step has to happen before we're approved by

the league. I think all of those things can happen, but I don't want to get

ahead of myself and say they'll happen perfunctorily."

^ I think the metro east would be a perfect place for a new stadium, so I'm glad to hear that's where they're looking. Right along a Metro stop, with maybe a resedential/retail development alongside. Good stuff.

jefferson wrote:^ I think the metro east would be a perfect place for a new stadium, so I'm glad to hear that's where they're looking. Right along a Metro stop, with maybe a resedential/retail development alongside. Good stuff.

I have this sinking feeling that it will end up somewhere in Collinsville or O'Fallon, in the middle of a huge field, surrounded by a factory outlet mall and/or an O'Charley's restaurant and an Old Navy store.



I really had hoped this would end up in or near downtown. I would have been a slam dunk season ticket holder. But there is no way I will regularly drive to O'Fallon (or St. Peters) for a soccer match.

I'm with you, Cent. I still think that the Chouteau's Pond area would work - it could take advantage of the nearby Busch Stadium parking structures and help fill the dead zone between the downtown core and Soulard.



That said, something on the Illinois riverfront would be nice as well.

DeBaliviere wrote:I'm with you, Cent. I still think that the Chouteau's Pond area would work - it could take advantage of the nearby Busch Stadium parking structures and help fill the dead zone between the downtown core and Soulard.



That said, something on the Illinois riverfront would be nice as well.

Damn, I hope that Chouteau's Pond thing really does happen. Mr. Baron is an admirable man.



That would be a good spot. East side by the river would be great too, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

Choteau Pond would be great as well as other locations in the City. But, downtown St. Louis has so many great stadiums, it wouldn't hurt if one were in Illinois. But only if it is on a Metrolink station. St. Louis is really lucky to have so many nice sports venues, to have them downtown, and to have them all on rail stations. It might be kind of fun to take the train over to Illinois for a game. Especially if the area around it is developed to take advantage of the Metro station and stadium, like Jefferson posted.

Expat wrote:Choteau Pond would be great as well as other locations in the City. But, downtown St. Louis has so many great stadiums, it wouldn't hurt if one were in Illinois. But only if it is on a Metrolink station. St. Louis is really lucky to have so many nice sports venues, to have them downtown, and to have them all on rail stations. It might be kind of fun to take the train over to Illinois for a game. Especially if the area around it is developed to take advantage of the Metro station and stadium, like Jefferson posted.

how about on the ESTL riverfront...to take in the full view of the Arch!

courtland wrote:

Expat wrote:Choteau Pond would be great as well as other locations in the City. But, downtown St. Louis has so many great stadiums, it wouldn't hurt if one were in Illinois. But only if it is on a Metrolink station. St. Louis is really lucky to have so many nice sports venues, to have them downtown, and to have them all on rail stations. It might be kind of fun to take the train over to Illinois for a game. Especially if the area around it is developed to take advantage of the Metro station and stadium, like Jefferson posted.

how about on the ESTL riverfront...to take in the full view of the Arch!

I think a lot of that is still under Federal control, as part of the original plans for the Arch (there was supposed to be a "twin sister" park on the other shore). That is still talked about every once in a while.



So you would be back from the shore quite a ways, unless you went north of the Eads bridge, or further south, by that grain elevator. If you move too far from the river, into East St Louis, you have just lost 90% of the audience. "Hey, wanna go to the Stars game tonight?". "Sure, where is it?". "Ummm....East St. Louis". "Uhhhhh....I think I'll have to pass".

I wouldn't pass on a game held on the eastern shore of the Mississippi River with the Arch and downtown skyline in the foreground. Especially if it were easily reached by the east riverfront Metro station. It would be nice if they built it in a way to make the geyser look good. The geyser looks a little goofy in its setting. But, if it were built as part of a stadium complex and other development, it could be fun.

The Central Scrutinizer wrote:

how about on the ESTL riverfront...to take in the full view of the Arch!

I think a lot of that is still under Federal control, as part of the original plans for the Arch (there was supposed to be a "twin sister" park on the other shore). That is still talked about every once in a while.

The east riverfront isn't under federal control...is it?

The Central Scrutinizer wrote:

jefferson wrote:^ I think the metro east would be a perfect place for a new stadium, so I'm glad to hear that's where they're looking. Right along a Metro stop, with maybe a resedential/retail development alongside. Good stuff.

I have this sinking feeling that it will end up somewhere in Collinsville or O'Fallon, in the middle of a huge field, surrounded by a factory outlet mall and/or an O'Charley's restaurant and an Old Navy store.



I really had hoped this would end up in or near downtown. I would have been a slam dunk season ticket holder. But there is no way I will regularly drive to O'Fallon (or St. Peters) for a soccer match.

If they build it near a Metro stop, as I assume they would, both Collinsville and O'Fallon are off of the list of potential candidates. Plus, the city leaders of Collinsville are too stupid to actually get a soccer stadium built w/in the city's limits. They couldn't even come to an agreement for the Grizzlies stadium - there is no way in hell they would get anywhere when it comes to a 20k+ soccer stadium.



I think it would be cool as sh*t if they built it directly across from downtown on the east riverfront, but I just don't see that happening in the near future.

B.A. wrote:If they build it near a Metro stop, as I assume they would, both Collinsville and O'Fallon are off of the list of potential candidates.



I think it would be cool as sh*t if they built it directly across from downtown on the east riverfront, but I just don't see that happening in the near future.

Sadly, I wouldn't assume that.



But I do agree with the second part. It ain't gonna happen anytime soon.

The Central Scrutinizer wrote:
Sadly, I wouldn't assume that.

True - because that would mean Edwardsville is not a potential candidate either and they won't have Metro-link for several years (if at all). And you know they have looked around Edwardsville/SIUE.

shadrach wrote:a few minutes with google image search and even less with photoshop...

So who's playing?

Originally Posted by soccertom



KFNS Radio the All-Sports Station in St. Louis had Michael Huyghue who is the frontman for this effort on today. During the discussion he identified the Collinsville I-55/70 and I-255 interchange as the primary East-Side site. Huyghue also made it clear that they are exploring options on the St. Louis MO side of the Metropolitan area. Quite frankly I think the East-Side idea could work but I feel the preferred site would be on the Missouri side. I tend to think the East-Side option was leaked in order to stun the Missouri movers/shakers into action.

I was thinking about that particular location in Eastport Plaza, but I didn't mention it because I figure if it was a actually a possibility the city would screw the pooch on the issue.

gforce99 wrote:Originally Posted by soccertom



KFNS Radio the All-Sports Station in St. Louis had Michael Huyghue who is the frontman for this effort on today. During the discussion he identified the Collinsville I-55/70 and I-255 interchange as the primary East-Side site.

Wow, I must be psychic!



IMHO, that would be a huge, huge mistake.

gforce99 wrote:
Huyghue also made it clear that they are exploring options on the St. Louis MO side of the Metropolitan area. Quite frankly I think the East-Side idea could work but I feel the preferred site would be on the Missouri side. I tend to think the East-Side option was leaked in order to stun the Missouri movers/shakers into action.

That is entirely possible. And I hope it works!

Somewhere in the urban core of the City or inner-ring communities, either side of the Missisippi, would be nice. But if it has to be away from the urban core, like Collinsville, I'd definitely vote east over west. IOW, Collinsville would be better than anything west of I-270.

^Agreed. One way to strenghthen the city is by balancing the population and cultural amenities to the East and West of DT. I would rather it be on the East riverfront but if it has to be 70/55/270 I am fine with that.

What about the now closed Ford plant in Hazelwood? That could be a great site for a MLS stadium, and it would help out the city of Hazelwood at the same time as they lost a lot of jobs and tax money when Ford shut down the plant.

A suburban location would only hurt the chances that the entire area would be included as spectators. If you move it to the Metro East (burbs), it will basically tell anyone from St. Charles and West County that they aren't needed for support. And vice versa. That is why I always think downtown locations are the best for sports venues. Having it on the East Riverfront would give it great highway access, and give it the central location that would include the entire metro area for fans support.

trent wrote:Having it on the East Riverfront would give it great highway access, and give it the central location that would include the entire metro area for fans support.

The view from the East Riverfront would be great, but Collinsville has better interstate access than the riverfront. And it's only five or ten minutes east.

BA,



It's more of a psychological barrier for a lot of countians. Having it on the east riverfront would not only allow for a great backdrop, but it could spur development across the river, and help out a dwindling ESTL. And, the interstate access would be fine, with all the major highways joining just a minute to the east of that location. Plus, having it to the north, you could put it between two bridges, to get more use out of them. Or, plan further ahead, and plunk it down north of the MLK bridge for when the new bridge is built giving it even better highway access. MLK to 64, New MRB to 55/70 going east. Both bridges get you going back west.