There was only a brief mention of Miami yesterday during a conference call about expansion with MLS Deputy Commissioner & President Mark Abbott, but it was a comment that should "give hope to South Florida fans who may be thinking the David Beckham deal will never materialize," according to Michelle Kaufman of the MIAMI HERALD. Asked whether there has been any thought of skipping Miami, Abbott replied, "That is not something we’re thinking about. We’re focused on finalizing a stadium deal in Miami." Kaufman noted Beckham first "announced his intentions to bring a team to Miami" in February '14, but over the past three years, he and his partners have "hit several roadblocks." Three "would-be sites were nixed, and they are now trying to finalize a deal" at a site in the Overtown area of Miami (MIAMI HERALD, 2/2).
BUILDING BLOCKS: In Charlotte, Peralta & Harrison in a front-page piece note SMI President & CEO Marcus Smith and his team "believe their experience building race venues and promoting that sport will give them an advantage, even over cities such as Sacramento and St. Louis that have focused on their grassroots soccer interest." They also believe that "having a stadium site and agreement approved with Mecklenburg County is a plus, even if the City Council hasn’t agreed to help pay for the stadium." Abbott during yesterday's conference call said, "When we look at a family like the Smiths, we’re impressed by the experience they have broadly in sports entertainment, and we think that could be a real asset to us" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 2/2). Meanwhile, Abbott said that the bid to bring a MLS team to Detroit is "contingent on a finalized stadium plan, among three other criteria." In Detroit, Brandon Folsom notes group fronted by Pistons Owner Tom Gores and Cavaliers Owner Dan Gilbert "must submit an offer" to purchase a site previously planned for a local jail to Wayne County Exec Warren Evans by Feb. 10. Abbott said that MLS "doesn't have a firm date in mind just yet for when Detroit must finalize its stadium plan" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 2/2).
TOO SOON TO TELL? SI.com's Brian Straus wrote USL club FC Cincinnati already "feels like it has been around for decades, although it played its first game just 10 months ago." Record-setting crowds at an "historic stadium have that affect." The Cincinnati metro area is "ranked 28th overall in population and 36th as a media market." FC Cincinnati President & GM Jeff Berding said: "We’re certainly not New York City and we’re not Chicago. But I think as Portland and Kansas City have shown, you can be a next-tier media market and earn enormous support." FC Cincinnati Owner & CEO Carl Lindner is joined by eight additional partners, and, Berding said there are "others clamoring to join." Straus noted there "seems to be room for a third big-league team in Cincinnati." However, some at MLS "aren't convinced that last year's crowds are sustainable." FC Cincinnati's season-ticket numbers "suggest they are, but the city hasn't proven itself over the long term" (SI.com, 2/1).
TORTOISE & THE HARES: In Raleigh, Luke DeCock notes the good news for NASL North Carolina FC Owner & Chair Stephen Malik’s dream of bringing MLS to the area is that all the bids are "starting from the same point," whether its "newcomers like Malik and the former Carolina RailHawks or longstanding aspirants like Sacramento." Abbott said, "I wouldn’t categorize, at this stage, anybody as ahead or behind." DeCock writes assuming Malik can "move forward with his stadium proposal, that should help alleviate" some of the aspects surrounding the Raleigh area's "unavoidable negatives compared to the other contenders" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 2/2).
