Speaking at today’s AXS Ticketing Symposium in Detroit, Cavaliers Owner Dan Gilbert said there’s “a really good chance” of bringing an MLS team to Detroit for the ‘22 season. However, the Quicken Loans founder continued to push Ford Field as the home for a potential MLS team rather than a new stadium. “Detroit is the biggest city without a (MLS) team yet,” said Gilbert, but he added MLS wants, “at this point, a new stadium.”
MLS franchises generally play in soccer-specific stadiums, but there are relatively new football and baseball venues in downtown Detroit, along with Little Caesars Arena, which opened last fall. Gilbert said, “We have three new stadiums within walking distance of each other, so the question we kept asking is whether we need to open a fourth for 18 (MLS) dates a year. It becomes an allocation of capital issue.”
Gilbert said he and his execs have been meeting with officials from Ford Field to determine the costs and feasibility of adding a retractable roof there, in order to make it more soccer friendly. “If we get that worked out, I think we have a pretty good chance” of landing an MLS franchise for Detroit, Gilbert said.
