NYC FC is slated to join MLS next year, and the club will "play its first three seasons at Yankee Stadium," according to sources cited by Das & Waldstein of the N.Y. TIMES. An official announcement is expected next week. The site of the team's home games has "hovered since it was announced last May that the club would join the league, delaying plans for everything from marketing and advertising to season ticket sales." NYC FC, which is jointly owned by the Yankees and EPL club Manchester City, has "frequently promised a decision," but has missed the "self-imposed deadlines, to the frustration of MLS officials and prospective fans." Playing at Yankee Stadium is just a "temporary reprieve," as the club needs to find a "permanent home and construct it." However, the three-year plan to play at Yankee Stadium "could be a hint at how difficult that might be." The "practical considerations" of how the Yankees and NYC FC will share the venue are unknown, as both MLB and MLS "play March-to-October schedules" (N.Y. TIMES, 4/15).
DAVID MEETING GOLIATH? In Miami, Patricia Mazzei reports Royal Caribbean Cruises "and its allies have formed an organization to oppose" a planned MLS stadium at PortMiami, creating the "first coordinated resistance" to the concept. The Miami Seaport Alliance bought a full-page ad in yesterday's Miami Herald titled "Here We Go Again" to "launch its campaign against the 25,000-seat, open-air stadium" that David Beckham and his reps have proposed. Former Royal Caribbean VP/Governmental Relations John Fox is heading up the group, and said that in addition to Royal Caribbean, another "cruise company is taking part in the alliance" (MIAMI HERALD, 4/15).
