MLS Facility Notes: Safeway Sponsors Section For Fire Games

NOT SO FAST: In Illinois, Pete Hayes writes while A-B's transfer of Anheuser-Busch Center in Fenton, Missouri, to St. Louis Soccer United (SLSU) in support of the group's bid for an MLS team "could be an important one," SLSU Chair Jeff Cooper was "quick to point out Thursday that the move is indeed only that -- an option." Cooper said that the group's deal to build a stadium in Collinsville, Illinois, is "still in place." Cooper: "The Collinsville site for the stadium has never been a problem for the league." Cooper said getting the facility from A-B is "about our group's credibility ... as much as anything." Cooper: "Anheuser-Busch has established that facility as one of the best in the nation for training and playing soccer. Our group being able to obtain it is huge, mainly because it's a partnership between us and MLS' largest and longest-standing sponsor" (ALTON TELEGRAPH, 3/13).

PUTTING ON A SHOW: In Ottawa, Randall Denley wrote if Senators Owner Eugene Melnyk's attempt to build an MLS stadium in the city "were to be settled based on razzle-dazzle," Melnyk "would win hands down." Melnyk's appearance Tuesday before the Ottawa's City Council's planning committee to pitch his development was a "smart strategic move," and Melnyk is "canny enough to know that public opinion will play a big role in what councillors ultimately decide." Even someone who "thinks soccer is about as exciting as watching a hand of whist at the senior's club would have been impressed by Melnyk's enthusiasm," as he is a "natural salesman" (OTTAWA CITIZEN, 3/12).

Print This Article