MLS Formally Awards Expansion Franchise To Philadelphia
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Construction On MLS Stadium In
Chester Slated To Begin In Fall |
MLS Thursday formally awarded an expansion franchise to Philadelphia to begin play in 2010, the league's 16th team which will play in a 20,000-seat soccer-specific stadium on the Chester, Pennsylvania, waterfront, according to William Bender of the PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS. The team's investor group, led by iStar Financial CEO Jay Sugarman, "beat out St. Louis" for the MLS' next expansion team. Construction on the $115M stadium, which will anchor a $414M mixed-use development in Chester, is "expected to begin in August or September and must be completed by March 2010." The team will be named "with fan input," and MLS Commissioner Don Garber said that it "already has an unprecedented level of support for an expansion franchise." Garber: "I've never seen this level of interest from the public sector, never have had a supporters' group the size of Sons of Ben before a team's ever launched." Bender notes the team likely will "alter the dynamic of the I-95 rivalry" between the Red Bulls and DC United, perhaps "siphoning some South Jersey fans in the process" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 2/29).
MEET THE TEAM: Buccini/Pollin Group President Robert Buccini, an investor in the team and whose company is developing the stadium project, said that construction should get under way by September 15. Other members of the Keystone Sports & Entertainment ownership group include Buccini/Pollin Group Managing Partner Christopher Buccini, Swarthmore Group Founder Jim Nevels and former AEG N.Y. President Nick Sakiewicz. Sakiewicz will serve as the group's CEO & Operating Partner, but is "not expected to step back" into the GM position. The Sons of Ben fan group has grown to more than 1,500 members with about 2,800 season-ticket pledges (DELAWARE COUNTY TIMES, 2/29).
HIGH HOPES: In Philadelphia, John Smallwood writes now that the "tough job has been completed ... the real work is about to begin, namely crafting a team that will play its first game in about 25 months." Sakiewicz: "We're really comfortable with the 2-year window. The first thing we want to focus on is building the stadium. Between now and September, we'll focus on getting the stadium in the ground and up and running. In the fall we'll start to hire our front office staff, and in about a year we will hire our coach and technical staff to get ready for that expansion draft in November of 2009" (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 2/29). Also in Philadelphia, Jeff Gammage writes the owners now "insist the team will be successful, on the field and at the gate, avoiding the fate" of the defunct NASL Philadelphia Fury, which relocated to Montreal in '80. (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 2/29). In Boston, Frank Dell'Apa writes that without state funds MLS "might have opted to go to St. Louis," but Philadelphia has been a "top target since the league started because of its sports tradition and the presence of soccer supporters in Pennsylvania, Delaware, and South Jersey.'' The league is "hoping for a fan reception similar" to that of Toronto FC, which sold out every game in '07 during its inaugural season. The establishment of a franchise in Philadelphia could become one of MLS' "most significant moves since the league started in 1996" (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/29).
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Rendell Confirms That Team Will
Have Philadelphia In Its Name |
REAX: A DELAWARE COUNTY TIMES staff editorial states getting an MLS team is a "dream come true ... for Chester and Delaware County. Perhaps the "only off note" of the announcement came when Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell confirmed that the team will be called "'The Philadelphia' somethings, instead of being named after its host city" (DELAWARE COUNTY TIMES, 2/29). In Pennsylvania, Gil Spencer writes about the new stadium, "If you're just a taxpayer, you're pretty much in the back seat with a blanket over your head. After all, in study after study of publicly financed stadium deals, rarely do they pay off in a way that financially justifies the expense of building them" (DELAWARE COUNTY TIMES, 2/29).
MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS: Garber said that St. Louis is "now at the front of the line" to land MLS' 17th franchise. Garber: "We'd like St. Louis to be our next team. ... We need teams in the Midwest." Garber noted that the "only impediment ... is the financial depth" of the ownership group, led by SimmonsCooper Managing Partner Jeff Cooper. Garber: "St. Louis, like Philadelphia, is a very ethnic market. It's the birthplace of soccer in America. It deserves a team, and we're hoping to be able to finalize something, but we have work to do on the ownership side." Cooper said that he was "making progress on that issue and that in about a month he hopes to announce new members of his ownership group -- investors that should bring his bid to the financial levels MLS is seeking" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 2/29).
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