MLS Commish Sees Portland As Potential Favorite For Expansion
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Garber Says Portland Has A "Very Good Shot"
Of Winning An MLS Expansion Franchise |
MLS Commissioner Don Garber Tuesday said that Portland is a "potential favorite to win one of two expansion slots MLS plans to award early next year" for the 2011 season, according to Bo Herzog of the Portland OREGONIAN. Triple-A PCL Portland Beavers and USL Portland Timbers Owner Merritt Paulson will pay the $40M MLS expansion fee for a club, but he has asked from the city in return $85M in "city-backed bonds to upgrade PGE Park for MLS and to move the ... Beavers into a new stadium." MLS President Mark Abbott Tuesday was at Portland City Hall "selling the league's merits to an 18-member task force studying Paulson's proposal." Garber: "Portland's got a very good shot of coming into our league if they can complete this process with the city." Paulson also "left open the possibility of shouldering more of the overall cost." Paulson: "We need public assistance. We think we need it at the level we've asked for. But all the specifics need to be ironed out." Paulson said that he is "unwilling to sell the Beavers, which could make the project easier for the city to digest." But Herzog notes Portland "isn't alone in drawing Garber's praise," as he has said "similarly positive things about Vancouver, Miami and Ottawa." Garber said that he "plans to continue touring the other cities vying" for an expansion club. Garber "visited Vancouver on Monday before Portland," and he called the city a "pretty good prospect" (Portland OREGONIAN, 12/11).
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