And the Official List of MLS Expansion Cities Announced This Afternoon Are...
pretty much the cities I listed this morning with the exception of Vegas (damn): Atlanta, Miami, Montreal, Ottawa, Portland, St. Louis, Vancouver.
Your preferences?
I'll take the beautiful city of Vancouver, B.C. (a natural rival of the expansion Seattle team) and the Barcelona-backed Miami bid (Thierry Henry come on down).
What say you?
Details from the (edited) MLS press release:
MLS intends to add two more clubs in the next few years, bringing the League to 18 teams. Seattle Sounders FC begin play next year as the 15th team in MLS, and Philadelphia will join in 2010 as the league's 16th team.(snip)
An announcement regarding which markets will receive the next two expansion clubs will take place during the fourth quarter of 2008 or the first quarter of 2009.
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About 100 Percent Soccer
Sportswriter Nick Green has written the 100 Percent Soccer column since 2005 for the Daily News, Daily Breeze and other Los Angeles area newspapers. The blog of the same name began in 2007. A native of England, he began writing about soccer in the mid-1980s and in 2000 permanently exchanged a seat in the stands for one in the press box. He lives six miles from Carson's Home Depot Center, home of the Los Angeles Galaxy, Chivas USA and the training headquarters for U.S. Soccer and is married to a long-suffering soccer widow. Join Nick on FaceBook and follow him on Twitter.
Vegas would have been nice. Plus, it would give the Galaxy another team to lose to.
I echo ELAC (Nod to the UNION ULTRAS)...
Las Vegas would be a road trip that fans from the galaxy, CHIVAS USA, SJ, and RSL would make. Ohhh, I just got the shivers thinking about it!
It would also put MLS on more of the Sports Bookies in LV Casinos. If people start betting on it... would it get even more attention???? (seriously, I'm asking for your opinion...)
But sticking to the list, I would like Portland. They are in the middle of Seattle and SJ, which will still be experiencing a few of the growing pains of expansion when Portland would arrive. I was stationed near Seattle for a year, and think it is a great location for soccer. While my wife and I were there, we took a short holiday in Portland. Its a great location!!! Everything is central to the river, and they have a nice little train system connecting one side of the river to the other.
I only hope that MLS schedules Chivas USA away games to Seattle, SJ, and (hopefully Portland) during the summer (I'm a teacher), so I can make a couple of mini-vacations out of it. Our proximity to Disneyland, Knotts', Universal Studios, Hollywood, etc., and our weather makes road trip to the Home Depot Center for non-LA teams excuse enough to take 3 or 4- day weekends to catch a game here.
Look towards LA during any UCLA/USC home game. Look at Pasadena during the Rose Bowl. People travel here. (Which only strengthens my argument about having a Las Vegas franchise... Hey Commissioner Garber can you hear me?!?)
Nick replies: I think MLS would get more attention from Vegas sports books with a franchise there to be sure. Right now it's easier to bet on EPL games there than MLS games. Drives me nuts.
Naughty Nick! Gambling on the MLS! Come over to Chivas USA, Nick. Join the dark side. HaHa.
Actually, I think MLS should expand to Brawley and Rio Linda, but what do I know...;)