Missouri Department of Economic Development officials met with MLS reps as recently as Tuesday concerning Gov. Mike Parson and his administration's interest in "working on a stadium proposal," according to a source cited in a front-page piece by Feldt, Suntrup & Barker of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. It is not yet known which St. Louis sites were "under consideration and how many other times state officials had met with MLS." The source had "no information on construction plans, timelines or who else might be involved with discussions." St. Louis Mayor Lyda Krewson "confirmed there was still local interest" in MLS. St. Louis voters in April '17 "rejected public funding for a stadium." But MLS Commissioner Don Garber recently stated that St. Louis "remained a potential expansion team city." It is "likely to be the beginning of another drawn-out process in which MLS officials seek to engage with municipal leaders about potentially helping to fund a soccer stadium to pave the way for a team." Garber "previously said he was 'confident' St. Louis would get an expansion team in the league if the stadium got public financing." MLS Exec VP/Communications Dan Courtemanche said, "We continue to believe that with the right ownership group, stadium plan and support from the corporate community, St. Louis could be a successful Major League Soccer market." Feldt, Suntrup & Barker note it is "unclear who would be part of an ownership group for a new plan brewing for a soccer stadium in St. Louis" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 9/27).
