Execs from USL Pro club Sacramento Republic FC are "continuing to press their case" for an MLS franchise and will "make a presentation to league officials" tomorrow in N.Y., according to Dale Kasler of the SACRAMENTO BEE. Republic FC President & co-Founder Warren Smith and investors Kevin Nagle and Larry Kelley, as well as Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, "will meet with MLS Commissioner Don Garber and others" at league HQs. Also joining the group "will be stadium finance consultant Dan Barrett and Benny Aziz," a project manager for the mayor’s Think Big Sacramento task force. The meeting "will mark the first extended contact between the Sacramento group and MLS leaders since Republic FC hosted Deputy Commissioner Mark Abbott and others for a two-day visit in mid-September." Smith said that the group "plans to update MLS leaders on planning for the proposed stadium at the downtown railyard, and identify new owners who plan to invest" in the club (SACRAMENTO BEE, 10/26). Meanwhile, in Chicago, Jack McCarthy noted with "expansion commitments" already in place for N.Y., Atlanta and Orlando, MLS "could be eyeing a Midwest city for its next franchise." Garber on Friday said, "The Midwest is a priority. Minneapolis is a big priority for us. We have two prospects that are hoping to join the league as soon as they can. ... I’m hopeful we can resolve our lack of coverage in the Midwest with another team soon." One Minnesota group eyeing expansion includes the Wilf family, which owns the Vikings (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 10/26).
WAGING A BATTLE: In N.Y., Andrew Keh writes MLS salaries "show how far the sport has to go" in the U.S. MLSPU data shows that only 23 of the 572 players "had a base salary greater than the minimum salary in the NHL, a league that MLS has been trying to overtake in popularity." Nearly 33% of the league’s total payroll of about $130M "goes to the seven best-paid players, and for each of them there are dozens of others making $50,000 or less." For that much larger group, the "payoff for soccer’s recent rise has been negligible -- and negotiations this winter for a new labor agreement could determine how much that changes." MLSPU Exec Dir Bob Foose: "In addition to investment in designated players, the middle of the MLS salary structure needs to be substantially improved in order to retain and attract talent and reward those players who contribute on the field every week." Keh notes MLS' median salary "is about $92,000, with an average of about $226,000 in guaranteed money, and there is a belief in the union that the number must be considerably higher to attract and retain better talent." Abbott said, "On a combined basis, MLS and its clubs continue to lose in excess of $100 million per year. As a result, we are not in a position where we are discussing how to divide profits with the players, but rather what is an appropriate level of investment and where the investment should be made given the reality of our financial condition" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/27).
