MLS Deputy Commissioner Mark Abbott on Wednesday said that St. Paul "will be considered as a site for a new outdoor soccer stadium" for NASL club Minnesota United FC, which will join the league in either '17 or '18, according to Andy Greder of the ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS. Abbott told ESPN Radio 1500 Twin Cities that he "will meet with Mayor Chris Coleman in the next few weeks to discuss prospects of bringing an expansion franchise" to the city. St. Paul's introduction comes after Minnesota United "failed to present financing plans to build a proposed stadium in downtown Minneapolis before the MLS-issued deadline Wednesday." United Owner Bill McGuire "couldn't obtain property tax and sales tax exemptions from the state Legislature in April to help build a privately financed" $150M stadium near Target Field. Abbott said, "As of (Wednesday), there is no a stadium plan, and you can't have a team without a stadium plan." During the introductory news conference, MLS Commissioner Don Garber said that if a stadium financing plan "weren't in place by July 1, other markets, 'some of which with very detailed soccer-stadium plans,' could be considered instead" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 7/2).
NOT SO FAST: In Minneapolis, Kaszuba & Roper report two sites in St. Paul "are reportedly in the mix" as possible locations for the expansion club. While Abbott insisted that MLS "was not extending its deadline, he left the door open for Minneapolis to put together an 11th-hour bid to save the proposed downtown soccer stadium." Abbott’s comments also gave McGuire's investor group "time to shift gears and convince a new set of public officials to back a public subsidy package." Minneapolis City Council President Barb Johnson said that she "was not surprised by Wednesday’s developments," but added that MLS "should still look toward Minneapolis" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 7/2).
