Examining the candidates for the next round of MLS expansion
http://www.espnfc.com/major-league-socc ... -expansion
http://www.espnfc.com/major-league-socc ... -expansion
St. Louis
Dave Peacock has a lot on his plate these days. His primary task is to keep the NFL's St. Louis Rams in St. Louis. That's no easy feat with Rams owner Stan Kroenke threatening to move the team to Southern California and play in a stadium he plans to build in Inglewood, just 10 miles south of downtown Los Angeles.
So Peacock, along with the appropriately named Bob Blitz, has been spending his time trying to put together a plan to build a new downtown stadium on St. Louis' riverfront. Part of the sales pitch is to have it house an MLS team in addition to the Rams.
If that sounds like the MLS team is taking a back seat to the Rams, well, it is, although Peacock is of the belief that an MLS expansion side in St. Louis makes sense regardless of what happens with the city's NFL team.
"I think we're first and foremost Rams," Peacock told ESPN FC via telephone. "We want to retain the team. The project that's enabling us to keep the [Rams] creates an opportunity for MLS. I think if something were to fall through -- and I can't imagine that happening -- I think the region could still support an MLS team."
St. Louis has long been one of the nation's soccer hotbeds. It has provided a pipeline of U.S. internationals, a list that includes Frank Borghi, Harry Keough, Taylor Twellman, Steve Ralston and Tim Ream. In terms of market size, St. Louis ranks 21st according to A.C. Nielsen, ahead of MLS cities such as Portland, Kansas City and Salt Lake City. A new USL side, St. Louis FC, has just come online, and drew more than 5,000 fans to each of its first two games.
An NFL-sized stadium, while not ideal, would certainly bring an MLS expansion team closer to reality. Peacock said the initial design of the venue would allow for a downsized configuration that would seat 25,000 fans. The fact that it would also be downtown would no doubt please MLS.
"I think frankly it's hard to sell an NFL stadium for soccer, but I think the way it's being designed could really work for soccer," Peacock said. "I think the crowds we would have in St. Louis would surprise people in numbers. It's at a price point and there's a passion for the support. That combination along with what I would think would likely be good local ownership, managing the team profitably, I think you would have the right combination for a successful franchise here."
The ownership group remains the big unknown. Peacock's relationship with MLS goes back a ways to when he was an executive at Anheuser-Busch, and the company was a charter sponsor of the league. Peacock worked with MLS commissioner Don Garber as far back as 2007, and discussed bringing MLS to St. Louis.
When asked if he would be part of the ownership group, Peacock said, "Maybe." He confirmed that he had met with MLS leaders back in December, and a source told ESPN FC that Garber and MLS will visit with Peacock at the end of this month.
"What we're trying to do is organize a meeting with local leaders -- and that can be business and civic leaders -- with Don and the league to get to know each other," Peacock said. "There's a lot of people here, who because of where we're located don't have as much awareness of [MLS]. Sporting Kansas City has helped, but I think you've got to first have the dialogue."
An MLS franchise would be ideal co-tenants for this new stadium in St. Louis should the Rams stay.
For now, Peacock remains focused on the stadium project, and is confident of succeeding. He said his group has obtained options for more than 60 percent of the required land. Funding remains a work in progress.
St. Louis County declined to provide any dollars, and the St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority recently filed a lawsuit against the city of St. Louis in an effort to have the city contribute public funds without having to obtain voter approval. The thinking is that time is of the essence given Kroenke's maneuverings and there's no time for a long election process. Peacock is of the belief that the city and state will kick in the needed funds. He also expects the stadium to be completed around 2019.
All of this assumes that Kroenke -- not to mention other NFL owners who would have to approve any potential move -- agrees to keep the team in St. Louis. In the meantime, discussions with MLS will continue.
"We have some time," Peacock said. "We don't want to act like [an expansion team] is a burning bridge, but at the same time we want to get the dialogue going now because it's a great opportunity and something really additive to our region."
