There's an un-named investor. There was a visit yesterday by MLS Commissioner Don Garber.

http://www.oregonlive.com/timbers/oregonian/index.ssf?/...138185400.xml&coll=7

...and there's the article.

It's preliminary. Any timelines require a good dash of salt.

quote:

The league is expected to add three more clubs by 2010. Cleveland, Detroit, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, the Bay area and Seattle had all been discussed about as possible expansion sites.

Portland, aka "Soccer City USA," was never considered a serious candidate. Until now.

They would be insane to move to any of the first four cities mentioned. If they were smart, they would start with the large markets and then extend out to underserved middle markets.

If they can make a go of it at PGE Park, this is a no-brainer. If they insist on a new stadium, it's dead in the water (unless they can come up with a soccer-only facility for MLS and the Pilots, maybe).

quote:

Before afternoon marketing meetings at MLS sponsor Adidas in North Portland, Garber dined downtown at the Portland City Grill with Meyer Freeman, the Oregon Sports Authority's chief operating officer.

Freeman called the meeting "productive" and the possibility of Portland landing an MLS club "realistic."

"It went well," Freeman said.

Kudos to Meyer! Keep up the great work!

quote:

Originally posted by The Cactus Leaguer:

quote:

The league is expected to add three more clubs by 2010. Cleveland, Detroit, St. Louis, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, the Bay area and Seattle had all been discussed about as possible expansion sites.

Portland, aka "Soccer City USA," was never considered a serious candidate. Until now.

They would be insane to move to any of the first four cities mentioned. If they were smart, they would start with the large markets and then extend out to underserved middle markets.

If they can make a go of it at PGE Park, this is a no-brainer. If they insist on a new stadium, it's dead in the water (unless they can come up with a soccer-only facility for MLS and the Pilots, maybe).

Let me throw some gas on the fire.

Columbus Crew Stadium- land provided by Ohio State Fairgrounds, stadium paid by Lamar Hunt (R.I.P.).

Home Depot Center- land provided by California State University- Dominguez Hills, stadium and athletic complex paid for by Anschutz Entertainment Group and somewhat underwritten by Home Depot.

Pizza Hut Park- land provided by city of Frisco, Texas, structure paid by Lamar Hunt AND Frisco Independent School District.

Red Bull Park- land provided by town of Harrison, New Jersey, stadium paid by Red Bull.

PROPOSED Salt Lake Stadium- land originally bought by Dave Checketts, about to be purcahsed by either Sandy City or Salt Lake County OR State of Utah, while Checketts pays for construction- at least that's the deal.

Chicago, Colorado... paid by municipalities. Not the model I'm after.

There is precedent to believe that prospective owners know what they're getting into. The key is the land. PIR? Portland Meadows? Multnomah Greyhound Park? I can see the possibilities opening up. Then again, if there's a town where a suburban siting could be a killer, it may be Portland.

*********

Just a wacky aside- I ought to re-open my Olympic research. These independent school districts in Texas go nuts for their football stadia... AND are even getting in the business of central arenas for districts with more than one high school. The Houston area has a couple arenas hosting indoor football teams this year. One of those arenas certainly looks like it's laid out to accomodate ice hockey. The thought of that, the possibilities that could arise from that for some suburban Portland districts, the idea that the Winterhawks could be saved... ****!

Well the Cornelius Pass Road House is a stone's throw from Hillsboro Stadium...(?) Someone get the McMenamin brothers on the phone, quick!!!

quote:

Originally posted by The Cactus Leaguer:
Well the Cornelius Pass Road House is a stone's throw from Hillsboro Stadium...(?) Someone get the McMenamin brothers on the phone, quick!!!

Hammerhead Stadium!

Portland is starting to look as if it is going to be an NBA, NHL, MLS and WAC football town over the coming decade.

Would anyone be up for a 30k soccer/football facility by the Expo Center? It wouldn't be a great economic development driver but I don't think that matters because there wouldn't be enough events there anyway. Transportation access would be great, land would be (assumably) cheap, and maybe you could tap into UP (soccer) and PSU (football) to help fund it. Of course, this would be the beginning of the end for PGE Park. Possible uses:

-MLS Soccer
-PSU Football
-UP Soccer
-Concerts
-???

I found this article insulting. MLS has already looked at Portland during the PGE Park renovation. They wanted real grass and a soccer-only facility, so no go. Subsequently, they've been studying Seattle but haven't been able to do a deal. Now they come back and we get a story like this - "Wow! we never realized Portland had running water, indoor plumbing and electricity!" Duh. The thought that MLS would be seriously pursuing a franchise in Milwaukee but still unsure about Portland's suitability is the same stupidity we get fed over and over by MLB. Look, like it or not, there's 2 million people here. In most text books, that would constitute a market. In this case, the biggest market with only 1 major league sport. MLS should realize it needs Portland more than Portland needs it.

Stop!

MLS is not the NFL. There aren't 20 investors per market trying to get in on the game. MLS is not going to place a team until an investor shows up. Don Garber is selling- he has to.

That is:

- selling the investor(s) on viability (and making sure they won't lowball the league on expansion fees).

- selling the city on providing funds, or land at the very least.

MLS does not announce a market and then wait for buyers... of course, they announced Cleveland 3-4 years ago and got embarrassed when the buyer fell through.

MLS- and really every other league except ABA2000 and the National Indoor Football League- generally don't make the announcement until at least a plan and some contracts are in place. Don't make me go through the history of ABA and NIFL.

Not only would every MLS@PGE match sell out quickly, but scalpers would do a brisk bidness IMO...a place like Home Depot Center in Carson CA is a very impressive, cool facility, but nothing, not Columbus' place, nothing--would match PGE for electricity/ambience/diehard support...I hate to paraphrase Ted Kulongoski, but obviously MLS in PDX is a success story waiting to happen--all of the super, ulta-cool elements that would've been part of MLB in PGE hold true for MLS in PGE Park--urban setting, MAX access, proximity to Pearl District/Portland Streetcar, etc., etc...I love the Blazers--always have and always will, but I remember (barely!) the mid70s, when the Timbers, not so much the Blazers, owned this city for a couple of years until 77, when PDX became king of the hoops world...

I think the investors for MLS can be drummed up in Portland. I think a real hold up will be getting MLS to buckle to a triple tennant stadium.

PGE Park is perfect in terms of size and location for soccer. However, PSU and the Beavers need to utilize it as well.

For the longest time I have been stating and thinking that PDX is much more prepared to bring in MLS prior to MLB, NHL or NFL. MLS will bring out civi pride, establish positive cash flow for PGE, provide the city with something to think Major League about. We all no that MLS will succeed in PDX, which will help for the MLB to PDX momentum bette that what they currently have. "jump in the shallow end first to test the waters, then go for the high dive". Also, the structure that can be used to attract MLS will be a much better model than the shot in the dark the current pro-MLB are trying to accomplish.

PGE Park's problem (well, one problem, anyway) is the field... no grass and a pitcher's mound has been a nonstarter for MLS thus far.

I think the reason that MLS is flogging Cleveland, Milwaukee, etc., is:

1. Their extraordinary willingness to give away free stadiums; and

2. Their extraordinary dedication to watching live sports as a recreational activity.

I'm sure Paul knows more about this than I, but, for example, Cleveland not only has a wayyy better stadium for soccer than PGE Park (Browns Stadium which was designed with great sight lines for soccer), but they also came close to building a 30,000 seat soccer only stadium in Summit County (where my in laws live, about 25 minutes from Cleveland, 20 minutes from Akron).

http://www.oregonlive.com/timbers/oregonian/index.ssf?/...143168950.xml&coll=7

We have names. ****, even I'm surprised by the traction this is getting.

BTW, MLS will not make a permanent commitment to a stadium sharing with baseball. I believe we all know the DC situation is temporary (and this appears to be the last year the Nationals will be at RFK). Even DC United has a stadium proposal in the works.

The only stadia that were "free" (and even that in relative terms) to MLS: Commerce City has completed the new stadium for Colorado Rapids on the old Rocky Mountain Arsenal site, which will be on TV next weekend (ABC for the season kickoff, at, um, "****'s Sporting Goods Park"). Bridgeview "pushed aside" the Chicago Fire proposal for the typical "you give land, we build on it" move and built Toyota Park with the Fire as the main tenant. Of course, MLS will keep trying for those arrangements and probably proceed without prejudice. If Portland gets a plan together, MLS will go along... but the juice has to get squeezed at this end.

What a perfect situation. Force the Beavers and MLB to start building a AAA facility capable of expanding to MLB standards by bringing PGE up to a soccer stadium only. PSU can simply play at PGE or Hillsboro stadium until they either drop football or build their own stadium in Portland if and when they ever move up to D1 level. As I stated earlier MLS is needed first before ever thinking about bringing in MLB. If you can't beat city hall, then find what makes them tick and use that to your advantage to get MLB!!!!

Couple of observations.
First, MLS would be a great fit for Portland. Portland loves soccer and MLS is not really "major" league. MLS is more more consistent with all the other fly-by-night sports franchises that have come and gone - USFL, arena football, lacrosse. Not that MLS is a fly-by-night operation, but it's no NFL or MLB. This town just seems to be better at attracting second tier leagues and teams.
Second, you have to just love Tom Potter. Of course the mayor will gladly support an MLS team, provided he (1) doesn't have to go to any of the games and (2) doesn't have to supply any of the money. I particularly like the statement in the most recent article that the city can't contribute funds to stadiums and the like when schools need to be funded. Thus, the city will never be a partner in these projects because we'll always have schools. (Don't anyone tell potter that every city that has an MLS franchise also has a school system - it'd blow his mind.)

Given the issues pulling in funding in Seattle for the Sonics, the timing of Portland seemed about right. Retrofitting PGE Park would cost, and one might be sniffing out nothing more than a method to gin up stadium offers and funding.

I'm not buying into Stutz. Whoever the silent group seems to have the inside track.

I don't see it. You're talking about getting public funds for a facility that already had public funds poured into it recently, the costs to relocate the Beavers... Potter... I don't see it. Only way to make it happen is if there's a method to get the facility booked up beyond MLS' season, and no... not the Vikings, some other sport that draws often. Beavers, in that sense, fill up dates and provide revenues on top of the Timbers. There has to be a real sense that the costs can be offset.

I too was thinking about this Maury. Without the Beavers the park isn't viable. You would need the Pilot Ladies and a outdoor Lacross team to add to the Vikings to make it work (maybe work).

Could PGE Park be covered (tarp structure!) after the East side is finished (finish the U) and then bring in some larger concerts/events? That could add some revenue.

BB

Toooo much speculation. MLS will only play at PGE park and that means goodbye to the Beavers and the Timbers. All of this talk of how to configue these other sports with MLS is a non-stater. If MLS is serious then lets them back them on the PGE effort and forget about the Beavers. Lets not hold on to the second tier teams and shoot for the best (MLS is the best, so lets start there). AAA ball will and always will be minor leage, so if need be lets forget about them and shoot for the top. Maury has always stated the PDX is major league so why worry about the minors?

Confession time...

Long term, I hate PGE Park for ANYTHING, unless you're talking about selling the land and building condos. I hate going there for a game. It is dark, freezing cold, dungeon-like, uninviting (slightly less so after the remodel), uncomfortable, marginal field sightlines, bad views period (unless you like watching bluehairs work out at the MAC), old, smelly, no parking, not enough concessions, not enough bathrooms, not enough to do within walking distance, an unwelcoming neighborhood, bad freeway access... did I mention it smells?

It's a great interim solution for many things but a horrible long term solution for anything.