Portland Timbers stepping up?

[Pounder]

http://www.portlandtribune.com/sports/story.php?story_id=121443168872554000

Also mentioned in the PCL section regarding the Portland Beavers.

PGE Park only requires a modest amount of renovation to accomodate MLS, and Merritt Paulson seems to suddenly have momentum in his favor:

Depending on the details of the baseball stadium funding package, he may have the requisite 3 city council votes when new members take office.

With that, there are surging rumors that his need for other investors is solved.

1,000 of Timbers Army is in prep stage for mobilization to aid the effort.

I trust the city will find a way to be fickle, momentarily. To that, the rumor is that Paulson is willing to fund substantial portions of infrastructure improvements (probably at PGE Park). The renovation might lower part of the current upper level of the stadium (which might accomodate commercial development), and certainly requires permanent east-side seating.

Stay tuned. Furthermore, Portland does have a fickle reputation regarding public subsidies. The stars seem to be lining up, however. At the least, it'll be fun... especially the anarchist v anarchist battles sure to ensue.

[Pounder]

Expect some sort of Thursday unveiling. Not a franchise announcement, but an "effort announcement."

[Pounder]

http://www.mlstopdx.com/

[CelticFCfan]

Right off I have to think the top four cities are: St. Louis, Montreal, Portland and Vancouver.

I believe that while Toronto has done well, you would only see one more Canadian at this time. But that doesnt mean I am putting either on at #1 or #2.

At first glance, if MLS goes with another West/East combo...I would say St. Louis and Portland. Why those two...I think there is a big push to get another mid-west city for one. As for Portland, I think they "COULD" have a much better effort over Vancounver even with Nash in the picture. Both have a great history, and right now I think Vancouver could have a better stadium plan. But for now I am thinking that something will turn on in Portland and the stadium there could get the needed facelift.

Vancouver is kinda my #4 team now. As for Montreal...if either of the other two fall, then Montreal is in. The support of Montreals fans and the ones in Portland make either hard to pass up. Of course I based my first set of picks on a west/east expansion and a continued west/east division system.

What if...MLS goes to three six-team divisions - West, Central, East. Then I think Montreal could each out Portland. Moving Colorado West, Columbus to the Central with expansion St. Louis and then having Montreal become the 6th Eastern team.

As for now...#1 St. Louis and then #2 is Portland with Montreal right there. Of course as more plans come together and things change - so could my ideas on that.

Anyone able to add to this? Just wanted to know the feelings of others out there.

[Pounder]

One hitch... if it's "Portland OR Vancouver" in this sweepstakes, don't be surprised if the "loser" buys an existing team and moves them.

In both cases, the USL owner is at the forefront. S**ttle is already going next year. There's nobody else out west in USL-1. When one goes, if the other doesn't follow, there's a LOT of limbo to work with.

The Cascadia Cup is really a great 3-way rivalry. All of us HAVE supported NASL teams well and WILL support MLS teams well (though the poor one made the move first).

[logoguru]

I was kind of dumbfounded by the Seattle decision. All I have to say is its a crap shoot and I have no idea what these MLS guys are actually looking for.

If its money: Las Vegas, Vancouver (Nash)
Soccer supporters: St. Louis and Portland
Expansion fee: ALL + Montreal, Ottawa
Soccer Specific Stadium: whoever promises to build one first

[Pounder]

Crap, S**ttle had mediocre USL-1 attendance, but claims 16,000 deposits for season tickets sold. For them, it's not that surprising.

Don Garber does have an "NFL stadium loophole" in the process. If the owner of the main tenant is involved, MLS gives greater consideration despite the lack of a soccer stadium. Paul Allen accepted a share of ownership in exchange for free or low rent (details not exactly public).

MLS definitely leans "investor first". St. Louis should have been in by now, but they don't have the money guy lined up. They still may not have that person lined up. After all, there's a stadium proposal in pocket and FUNDED, so you'd think people would get in line. I suspect nobody wants to compete against the Cardinals there. Hmmm...

Portland has Merritt Paulson, who probably doesn't carry the bid by himself, but the implication is that his father's money is behind him, and/or someone else's money will be with him. His father is Henry Paulson, whose signature is on your money. His task is to convince the city to help fund a new baseball stadium and improvements to PGE Park. The rumors are that he will accept a compromise solution where the city funds the land for the ballpark, possibly more, and he gets to work improvements at PGE, which many insiders surprisingly believe he will. Thing is, it's Portland, there's bound to be competing desires for funds and for land involved, the politics are always heavy and colorful, people demand citizen involvement... that won't be easy. OTOH, a good chunk of Timbers Army constitutes part of the constituency (and will be a LARGE volunteer force for the effort, something important in Portland) supporting the mayor-elect, who will probably work this through a fast track. (Lots of liberal v liberal battles on the horizon, if you want to oversimplify this situation)

Montreal may have the best overall package. Saputo Stadium was finished this year, seats 13,000, but is easy to expand. Joey Saputo has the money to do this, easily. The only trip-ups here... Saputo has been critical of MLS in the past, and the Impact currently operate as a non-profit in Montreal, meaning that the structure of the organization has to change significantly for MLS desires.

Vancouver has Greg Kerfoot, perhaps the richest soul of the bunch. He's been trying to build a stadium on his own dime for years, and has tried to do this on prime waterfront property downtown. Impressive, no? Problem: he wanted to build over railyard he bought from another private entity, using the passage fees to offset stadium costs, but the Port of Vancouver roadblocked the proposal. While Kerfoot gets that sorted out, there appears to be a handshake agreement with BC Place to allow the Whitecaps to play there in 2011, if either the correct turf is in place or grass and a retractable roof can be done in that time. Thing is, the current fabric roof failed (due to human error) last year, and it took a year for British Columbia and the Vancouver Olympic Committee to realize that the roof needs to be replaced. A plan isn't really in place yet, and with the Winter Olympics looming in 2010 (BC Place will be used for Opening and Closing Ceremonies), they've all but run out of time to install a preferred retractable roof by then. If they wait until after the Olympics, it won't be ready for 2011. If they start after this CFL season, they risk derision during the Olympics. Quite the quandary.

There's other proposals. Atlanta has a small stadium in place ready for expansion, but the ownership group is low on means and has little backing. There's a New York proposal, but nobody is stepping up to fund construction. Las Vegas had a proposal for a casino/stadium combination, but it seems to be one of many that are falling off the charts. Miami is all but dead after the city and county defunded it in the midst of approving the package for the new Marlins stadium on the old Orange Bowl site (and the Marlins stadium is in trouble). Ottawa? Even the Canada-centric Fox Soccer Channel people laughed at that one.

[Pounder]

(Ladies and Gentlemen, today's press release, also at http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=3693002 )

PAULSON, PORTLAND TO SUBMIT APPLICATION FOR MLS EXPANSION FRANCHISE

For immediate release: July 31, 2008
PORTLAND, Ore. – Merritt Paulson, owner and president of the Portland Timbers and Portland Beavers, today announced plans to submit an application for a Major League Soccer (MLS) expansion franchise that would play at PGE Park in downtown Portland, Ore.

MLS today announced the timeline and application process for the league’s next two expansion teams, with plans to add two clubs by 2011 to bring the league to 18 teams. MLS, which will consider markets in the United States and Canada, has set an Oct. 15, 2008, deadline for applications.

“There is no doubt in my mind that Major League Soccer in Portland would both add a tremendous amount to the league and have a phenomenally positive impact on our community and state,” Paulson said. “We have the most ardent and authentic soccer fanbase in the United States, and Soccer City USA deserves a Major League Soccer team.

“In the coming months, we look forward to making an exceptionally strong case to both MLS and our community as to why Portland should be designated as one of the next two MLS expansion cities.”

MLS has indicated that an announcement regarding the next two expansion clubs will take place during the fourth quarter of 2008 or the first quarter of 2009.

About Major League Soccer

Headquartered in New York City, Major League Soccer is the top-flight professional soccer league in the United States and features many stars from the U.S. and around the world. Now in its 13th season, the 14 teams in MLS are: the Chicago Fire, Colorado Rapids, Chivas USA, Columbus Crew, D.C. United, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, Kansas City Wizards, Los Angeles Galaxy, New York Red Bulls, New England Revolution, Real Salt Lake, San Jose Earthquakes and Toronto FC. Seattle Sounders FC will join the League in 2009 and a Philadelphia expansion team will debut in 2010