Expand!

         Entering the post-Beckham era ,the MLS has some exciting new possibilities and as always expansion is one of them.  In the past few months, we have seen the plan for New York 2 clearly laid out and it looks like will definitely be happening.  Don Garber has the team playing in 300 million dollar playpen that will be his crowning achievement.  The "team to eventually be" will be starting in 2016 and we have no idea if this will the Cosmos or some other team.  There are rumors that Manchester City's deep pocket ownership is looking to invest in the expansion opportunity.  If that's the case someone should explain to them how a salary cap works and DP slots.  The fact that this team won't start to play until 2016 has raised some eyebrows.  Why so late?  It is obvious that the league has been admitting a new team to it almost every year in recent times and a three year gap does seem like a long time because of this.  The newest revelation has come from Orlando City's ownership claiming that they are closing in on a stadium deal and want to be in MLS in 2015. This seems to be like news to MLS who has probed the market but have not made any explicit statements about this expansion.  I praise the nerve of Orlando City in stating their goals to enter the MLS and pursuing the stadium they desperately need.  In my opinion, as long as the ownership group is there and the stadium is in place Don Garber will admit any viable market the league has probed.  There is nothing stopping me from believing that Orlando City could sneak in before New York 2 or possibly come in at the same time.  I can already hear the groans of expansion drafts.  Why not capitalize on this opportunity to place a team in the south, in a market that was not readily thought of before, and expand the league to 21 teams by 2015 or 2016. 

The game of soccer is as popular as ever in America and any city that has the market and is willing to invest in a stadium should be consideration.  We see the demand flowing out across the country for pro soccer and the lower divisions are placing more teams than ever in their ranks.  USL PRO will be adding a team in Phoenix and Sacramento while NASL is adding teams in Ottawa, Northern Virginia and bringing the Cosmos back.  These markets are also potential MLS markets and some are almost certain to come into the league when expansion is complete.  Each of the leagues are have record attendance numbers and it shows that the game is taking hold like it never has before.  The fact of the matter is that soccer markets are ripe for the picking in the US right now.  We must tread lightly on expanding too fast but we should also look at the unique opportunity in front of us to add more teams into this league.

Proposed NY2 Stadium

Is There A Major League Soccer Hierarchy?

             Is Major League Soccer developing a Barclay's Premier League vibe?  I say this only in the relation to developing a few powerful clubs.  In the Premier League, over many years and financial influx there developed a set of powerful teams. These teams now being; Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham.  These teams have the deepest pockets and invoke the most power on the league.  It is almost guaranteed that one of these teams will win the league every year.  Major League Soccer and it's "soccer socialism" structure seems that a system like that could not happen, however, I feel that certain aspects of the system lend itself to the development of a hierarchy.  The designated player rule in Major League Soccer allows a club to have three players that do not count against the salary cap.  This allows a team to bring in big name players on their dime.  The owners that have the cash to do it will shell out millions.  When it comes to big time players coming to America they always tend to want to play in only two cities.  The statement always is, "I want to play in Los Angeles or New York City."  This gives these teams a certain advantage over landing worldwide talent.  In a way, the league has developed powerful teams.  These, of course, being the LA Galaxy and Red Bull New York.

There recently has been a development where the Montreal Impact can lure top talent to their club.  Another team with power will definitely be Seattle Sounders FC.  They can  lure 40,000 people to each of their home games. They can also draw designated players in due to this fact. The league is also finalizing a deal to build a downtown stadium in New York City.  I believe that that team will also be immediately thrust into the designated player hierarchy.  These big money clubs have developed considerable power in Major League Soccer.  Now, I know this system is not at all what has developed in England.  I believe that they are unique, but the fact is each league has a few powerful clubs.  The hierarchy structure development in America has not translated into a plethora of championships.  Only one of the mentioned clubs has ever won the MLS Cup.  Obviously, a great soccer team depends on more than three players. That is very satisfying to know that this environmental and money advantage has not created a league monopoly.  I hope that the league never develops a four or five team race. 

The Carolina Question

           Major League Soccer is one of the fastest growing leagues in the world today.  With this increased growth and revenue, it is obvious that numerous cities and owners are interested in expansion.  I have covered numerous options on this blog before.  The most recent development has scene an unmentioned market jump into the fray.  This market being the Carolinas.  Major League Soccer has sent a probe down in the past few months to test the atmosphere.  According to reports, MLS was welcomed by hundreds of fans that are hungry for a pro franchise.  There are numerous questions that have to be answered.  Where would an expansion team be placed in the Carolinas?  This a unique question.  If there were to be a team do you put it in North or South Carolina?  Do you place the team in one city or a region between many cities?  The Carolina region already has four professional soccer franchises.  That is right, four. The Carolina Railhawks, Charleston Battery, Wilmington Hammerheads and Charlotte Eagles all call the region home.  I don't think that South Carolina has enough populace to sustain major league sports.  This being why no other league has ventured here.  It is a shame because Charleston Battery is a great soccer brand.  Battery is the longest running professional soccer franchise in America.  The probe that came in focused on the Carolina Railhawks.

This team is the Triangle region of North Carolina, the most populous region of all the Carolinas.  This, to me, would seem like the most logical place to put a team.  It not only has the most people, it also has key MLS demographics.  The ownership group of the Railhawks are also very motivated to someday reach Major League Soccer.  I have no idea if the Carolina region will be viable enough to support an MLS team.  The population is right and the ownership is right.  There are numerous things to be addressed.  The new MLS team would have to decide if they will rebrand or keep a current team brand.  They also will need to address stadium issues.  If the stadium is not placed in the right location in the Triangle, it may lead to a major league disaster. The south has failed to support numerous professional franchises.  This thought always looms over the region when it comes to expansion.

Cristiano Ronaldo to Major League Soccer?

That's right, Cristiano Ronaldo to Major League Soccer.  This idea was the occasional pipe dream of many soccer fans here in the United States until recently.  During the recent Real Madrid preseason tour of America, CR7 did an interview in which he hinted at coming to MLS one day.  Now, this speculation has to be taken with a grain of salt.  I watched the interview and it was quite hard to tell if he wasn't merely flirting with the girl performing the interview.  He did, however, seem to have future MLS aspirations.  This move would be the biggest to ever happen to Major League Soccer.  It would make the David Beckham move look like a complete joke.  Comparing Ronaldo and Beckham on the field is not fair.  Beckham was world class, but Ronaldo's skill level far exceeds that of Beckham.



There are numerous similarities to the two players.  Both are international sex symbols.  Both are very image conscious and both are entrepreneurs.  I know many of the guys who follow soccer love CR7 for his sheer skill.  I also know girls who don't follow soccer but love CR7 for other reasons.  All of this combined lends itself to this move actually working in the future.  The trend now is for world class talent to come to our shores towards the end of their career.  I don't see Ronaldo making the move until he is basically accomplished everything he wants to in Europe.  He plays for arguably the best club in the world and has quite a paycheck.  I can see him coming over later in his career and getting paid an absurd amount of money.  If he plays his cards right he will be able to set himself up with potential ownership opportunities, a la Beckham, or he will increase his global marketability tenfold.  This will be hard to do for someone with 13 million Twitter followers, and who possibly is the most recognized athlete on the planet.  The big question is, "Where will Ronaldo play in MLS?" Unless the league's landscape has vastly changed by the time he decides to come over, the obvious choices are either LA Galaxy or Red Bull New York.  I have no idea where he will choose, if he ever does.

The Return of the New York York Cosmos

                 The soccer world has been rocked by the return of the New York Cosmos. The fabled franchise has return from the depths to become a pro team once again.  The catch is that this New York Cosmos team is not playing at the highest level.  They instead have chosen to join the North American Soccer League.  I am not knocking the Cosmos rejoining the league they once dominated, I am very surprised that they chose this route.  The Cosmos ownership had been preaching that they will be a world club again.  I find this hard to believe considering they have chosen to join the American second division.  The Cosmos have been marketing their product ever since the team folded in the 80's. They have hired Eric Cantona and Cobi Jones to increase their soccer reputability, as well as, buy skyscraper sized billboards in the heart of New York City. 

MLS commissioner Don Garber has pretty much paved the way for a second New York City franchise and the presumption was that the New York Cosmos was going to be that team.  He even stated that the league was looking into building a stadium first.The Cosmos ownership are marketing wizards. They have been making money of merchandising for years without even having a real team.  It would be amazing for Major League Soccer to have a team with that kind of marketability.  A national brand that the league really has yet to find. It is just surprising to me to learn that the team would start from the second tier.  Now, this doesn't mean that the Cosmos will not be back in the first tier eventually.  Numerous teams, most recently the Montreal Impact, have made the jump to MLS.  I believe that this would be amazing for  MLS to have two teams in the biggest city in the United States.  It will also be an instant rivalry with the big money of Red Bull New York.

MLS Future Expansion Series: Atlanta

The MLS going to the south?  We all know the two team that were located in the southeast folded.  Don Garber himself has said that the league can't be deemed national unless there is a team in the south.  I already have stated that Orlando is way out in front for a team a in the south.  This doesn't satisfy the non-Florida southerner.  Some people don't even consider Florida part of the south.  The most logical other choice for a team in the southeast is the southern capital, Atlanta.  Atlanta is the largest metropolitan area in the south and it's relative central location allows it to pull from other states metropolitan areas.  The question is whether a major league soccer franchise can survive in the south.  The south is riddled with numerous pro franchises but not a lot of them have great attendance figures. 

This is evident when you see the Tampa Bay Rays chasing a title with empty seats still around.  It has been said many time that the south is a college football region.  Soccer is not nearly as popular in the southern United States.  There are many college soccer teams that have dropped their programs or never even made a program.  I know your probably thinking then why is this guy talking about Atlanta?  Atlanta is the largest metropolitan area without an MLS franchise.  This enormous population center is just screaming off the map for a team there.  The owner of the Atlanta Falcons, Arthur Blank, has submitted an expansion bid in 2008.  He later withdrew the offer because a stadium deal could not get done.  The question, as in Minnesota, is if he really is serious and committed to get a franchise.  There are many people saying that he is only pushing an MLS team  to get a new stadium for his Falcons.  There are a lot of unknowns for the city of Atlanta.  The people who are pushing for a team cite the influx of Hispanic immigrants in the city.  They believe that they will increase the support of the team.  Atlanta already has a pro soccer team in the new NASL, the Atlanta Silverbacks.

Silverbacks Park

The Silverbacks do not sell out their games but they do have a decent fan base.  Atlanta also does have some pro soccer history.  They hosted the original NASL Atlanta Chiefs.  The Chiefs did get a decent amount of support.  The overall size of the Atlanta market is to big to think that they won't get an MLS team eventually.  The money is also there if Arthur Blank gets his stadium wishes.  We all know that new stadiums don't just go up without a hitch.  There is still numerous government issues and problems associated with a new state of the art stadium.  I feel that Atlanta may just be too big of a risk for MLS right now in 2012. For more information or to join the cause check out ATLwantsMLS.com.

MLS Future Expansion Series: Minnesota

     The next stop on our virtual road trip of potential MLS locales is Minnesota.  Minnesota has been discussed in the expansion situations ever since the league's inception in 1996.  There was not, however, a bid from Minnesota to get a team in 1996. When I discuss a potential team in Minnesota I am talking about the team being located in the Minneapolis-St.Paul area.  This area has the 15th biggest television market in the United States of America.  The television money is certainly there for the MLS.   The metropolitan area has over 3.3 million people living in. The population is certainly enough to sustain another pro franchise.  This area already houses four teams in the major sports leagues of America and numerous others in minor leagues.  The key question is does MLS want to break into Minnesota and does Minnesota want an MLS team?

The MLS has stated before that it wants at least another team in the Midwest.  This does encompass the Minnesota region.  I truly believe that if the situation is there the MLS will be there.  Where will all the money come from to get a Minnesota club in MLS.  The Wilf family, owners of the Minnesota Vikings, have stated that they have interest in bringing MLS to the area.  The Wilfs have been in struggles to get approval for a new Metrodome for the Vikings to play.  They have stated that adding a new franchise to the area will be an added bonus to the new stadium.  The stadium design would be built with soccer in mind and be capable of hosting soccer events.  This gives the Wilfs more credibility and would be similar to Qwest Field in Seattle.  No one really knows how crazy the soccer population is in the Twin Cities.  The football-soccer stadium works in Seattle because the Sounders also attract huge crowds. What is the soccer history of Minnesota?

The Stadium Renderings of a New Metrodome

The Twin City area has a rich soccer history.  The area has been the home to past NASL teams Minnesota Kicks and Minnesota Strikers.  These teams did draw big crowds in the leagues brief existence.  They also have hosted the Minnesota Thunder which has evolved into their current team Minnesota Stars FC.  The Stars play in the newly formed NASL and are currently the champions.  The tradition of soccer is definitely  in the area.  They currently have a winning soccer tradition and can capitalize on this to help gain more fans.  The Stars are hosting their home opener in the Metrodome and running promotions to help pack the stadium.  I believe that if they are able to get a great stadium turn out it can really help their cause.  They will be able to grab MLS attention and warrant a good hard look.  For more information or if you want to help Minnesota's cause please visit Inside Minnesota Soccer and MLS 4 MN.

Stars Celebrate NASL Championship

MLS Future Expansion Series: Detroit

   With all the talk of the MLS getting bigger I decided to start an expansion series.  Everyday I will post about a different site.  These sites are some of the most talked about in MLS expansion.  I already have talked about Orlando and New York City in a former post so I will not be talking about these two sites again.  They are, however, the two most promising expansion options.  The sites I will be discussing in order are Detroit, Minnesota and Atlanta.  The past few years have seen some very exciting clubs and stadium atmospheres emerge from MLS expansion.  It is very possible that all of these sites could potentially host MLS franchises in the next couple of decades.  I am just here to give everyone a profile of each site and let you decide if they deserve a franchise.  I hope everyone enjoys the series.  Let us start with Detroit.

 

MLS Detroit Stadium Renderings

  The above drawing is a proposed idea of the future home to Detroit's MLS franchise.  Recently, the old Pontiac Silverdome was bought for the bargain price of $583,000.  I must admit that the idea for the stadiums renovations are quite breathtaking.  I just do not really know if these leaked renderings are really possible from an engineering stand point.  What do I really know though?  I was not an engineering major in college and the proposed stadium could be possible.  My main concern has to do with structural support for the field.  How can something that flat and vast be supported without structural columns?  My other initial concern has to do with snow.  The stadium renderings show an open field that is suspended above the concert hall and arena.  How will that hold up to a harsh Detroit winter?  Engineering logistics aside lets talk about Detroit as a possible site for MLS expansion.  The Detroit metropolitan area has a population of around 5.2 million.  This figure alone is more than enough to sustain an MLS franchise and it sustains teams in all of the four major sports leagues.  A big question is if soccer really is desirable in Detroit.  The owners of the Pontiac Silverdome certainly seem to think so.  The area has no teams in lower professional divisions.  Detroit does, however, host the PDL team Michigan Bucks and the NPSL side Detroit City FC.

 It is really hard to get a good look at how Detroit would be as a potential city for the MLS.  In the past, Detroit has hosted international games and international club matches.  AC Milan played Panathinaikos in front of a crowd of 30,000.  It is possible that more people would have come out if AC Milan was playing a more globally known club.  Only the most avid soccer fans would recognize Panathinaikos. This also raises my eyebrows at Detroit's situation.  The proposed stadium holds 30,000 people.  I don't foresee Detroit selling out this many seats if they can't get more than 30,000 people out to see AC Milan.  The renderings are not final and I do think that a reduction in seating capacity could happen.  At the least I could see them only seating 20,000 with expandable seating to 30,000.  I think that some serious probes should be sent to the city to see if the area is crazy for a club.  They do have a quite a movement going with their Motor City Supporters.  I think that are enough passionate fans to warrant a good look at bringing a team to Detroit.  Some proposed names for the club have been Metro Detroit FC, Motor City FC and Detroit FC.  I think a that it would be great for the league to have a northern rivalry with Toronto FC, Chicago Fire and Columbus Crew. 

The MLS League Model -Where do we go from here? Do we ever try to make our league more European?

    There are many things and reasons that many avid soccer fans in the USA give to not support the MLS.  Most of these include world class players being absent and the league model simply being different overall.  MLS is a league that some people have called " football socialism." This title has floated around because the league has a lot of say in what clubs can and can not do.  There also is a salary cap that is almost unheard of in European soccer.  There also is no such thing as complete ownership of the team separate from the league.  All of these things combine lead to people saying why bother with the MLS?  I used to feel the very same way.  I did have an MLS team for a long time and had no desire to watch the very few games that were shown on TV.  The league now was begun to thrive and become a league that some very high quality players have come to.  I now feel that MLS league growth and support will lead to a strong league with even more high quality players. One of the key aspects of the MLS league model is that there is no such thing promotion and relegation as in other leagues around the world.  The first question is would the teams that get relegated from the MLS be able to survive?

San Antonio's stadium renderings

 There is a huge stigma in America about teams that are not in their top divisions of professional sports.  In a nutshell, minor league teams do not have a nice ring to it here in the states.  The league is quite young and I think any change in stability could be catastrophic. The next problem is where do the other teams for promotion come from?  There currently are two other leagues below MLS. These being the USL Pro and the NASL. The NASL will soon have nine teams and the USL Pro with 11. Both of these leagues on average attendance do not really draw big crowds and some of the teams even call high school fields their home.  I don't really think I could picture LA Galaxy playing a recently promoted lower division team at a high school stadium.  There have been recent talks about the USL forming some sort of partnership or agreement with MLS about harboring their reserve teams in their league and things of this nature.  This would seemingly give the USL Pro a bit of an advantage of being the league chosen to be the league that gets promotion rights.  The other league the NASL seems to have no interest in becoming affiliated with MLS.  The NASL seems to think that someday they can be at the same level or better than the MLS.  This of course could possibly happen but I highly doubt it.  It also doesn't help that teams from these leagues still aspire to jump to the MLS.  I think that until FIFA eventually steps in and deems that North American soccer needs a promotion/relegation system we should be content at what we have.  Maybe in 30 or 40 years North America will be there.  Just not now and we have to be patient.  I actually like the system or recent trend of the MLS expansion. There are former clubs from the USL Pro and NASL that have gained a following or are present in a great market area that can with patience be awarded the expansion franchise.  I feel that this unofficial model is working.  We have seen the success of former clubs like the Sounders and Timbers, as well as, the Montreal Impact become invaluable to the league.  There are some real big steps being taken by some the teams in the lower leagues of America to become a great product and maybe even be able to warrant an expansion bid later on.  You can see this with some of the lower division teams building brand new soccer specific stadiums.  Teams like the Pittsburgh Riverhounds and San Antonio Scorpions have both started to build new stadiums.

Renderings of the new Riverhounds stadium

  Most of these stadiums are designed with future size expansion in mind.  These developments would have never been seen in years past.  We also have teams that already have soccer specific stadiums like Charleston Battery and Rochester Rhinos.  These teams have great followings and even though they may not have MLS expansion in their future it is still good for pro soccer in America.  Orlando City of the USL Pro has gained a following and now has gained recognition of the MLS as a possible expansion franchise.  This is the model that should be followed and emulated by other lower division clubs.  Some future expansion cities talked about frequently do not have pro soccer.  My biggest piece of advice is try and get either a USL Pro franchise or NASL franchise.  At the very least try and get a PDL team in your area.

The insane Orlando City atmosphere

 This would make the MLS take note and also give the area some soccer credibility.  Another recent question that is asked about the MLS is how many teams should there be before expansion stops?  The MLS now sits at 19 teams.  The EPL purists are already screaming that 20 should be the stopping point.  It is true that most of the worlds top leagues only have 20 clubs or even less but they are not in America.  America can not be compared to these other leagues based on a marketability stand point.  You can't tell me that a country the size of the state of Pennsylvania should be the model of what a league should be in America.  America has over 300 million people living it.  My honest belief is that the league will eventually reach the team numbers of the NBA, NHL, NFL and MLB.  I only say this because those numbers make sense in a country this big. In fact MLS has something that all of those leagues do not, an unlimited number of players.  Those other leagues are almost solely supplied by Americans.  The MLS has the whole world to get players from and that is another reason why MLS expansion has been going so well.  I see a good number being around 30 MLS clubs.  Now, I'm not saying that this will happen in the next five years but when the MLS expansion is all said and done I could see it.  I think that talent will not suffer at all and our league will be stronger than ever and could be right behind the top leagues of Europe.

MLS Expansion: New York Again or Orlando?

     The MLS has been talking for quite some time about where the 20th franchise will be awarded.  There really has only been one place that the MLS has truly wanted to go.  This direction would include a revival of the former NASL side the New York Cosmos.  The brand died out and ultimately led to the former NASL folding altogether.  The Cosmos name and legacy, however, have been very marketable and many people still buy old school replica jerseys and memorabilia. The MLS knows this and now is trying to capitalize on it. The board that the New York Cosmos have assembled also includes soccer legends Pele and Eric Cantona. Those two personalities enough give any soccer lover reason to believe that the Cosmos could be brought back to life. There are many questions that arise in this expansion proposal.  There still is no stadium plans or a design and building a stadium in downtown New York City could be astronomical.  There also is already a team in the New York metropolitan area, Red Bull New York.  Grant it, the team does play in  Harrison, NJ and not New York City at all.  This would also give the city two MLS franchises when many cities are screaming out for their first.  The issue of two teams in the same area leads to many other questions. 

Will Red Bull New York even be able to stay alive if the New York Cosmos move in to the city? The Red Bulls have been able to draw some of the worlds top players to come and play for their club including Henry and Rafa Marquez.  They also have a strong corporate backing that has allowed them to build a brand new state of the art stadium.  With this being said, they still have not won any hardware and do not regularly sell out their beautiful stadium.  A new team in town may be a death sentence for the club.  Most of the players who have been lured to Red Bull New York have said that the attraction of the city was too much to resist.  It is truly frightening to think of what type of world talent could be persuaded lured to play in a downtown New York City setting.  The Cosmos at this point are almost guaranteed to be given the 20th MLS franchise and if not them it would most likely still be a team in New York City.  The past few years, however, have lead to the emergence of  another MLS franchise contender.  Orlando City Soccer Club has truly been doing some incredible things that have led to Orlando being considered for the next spot.  I know most of you are already saying the MLS in Florida? Hasn't that been done and failed? 

       Your suspicions are truly warranted.  The collapse of the former MLS franchises Tampa Bay Mutiny and the Miami Fusion has turned off the MLS from Florida and the south in general.  In defense of Miami the collapse was because of an owner who simply did not care about his own franchise.  Tampa Bay just doesn't support its franchises whether they are good or not.  With all that said Orlando has arrived as a viable market.  MLS Commissioner Don Garber is going to visit Orlando and talk with representatives on March 1st.  This could potentially lead to the 20th or maybe 21st MLS franchise being awarded to them.  Orlando has gotten to this point by having very high average attendance numbers over the past few seasons.  They are getting almost over 7000 fans per game.  This is a very high number for a team that competes in what FIFA has deemed the third tier of American soccer.  They are also the reigning USL PRO champions after beating my beloved Harrisburg City Islanders in a dramatic match.  I watched the entire game on USL Live and was astonished at the atmosphere of the almost 10,000 rowdy fans.  I immediately thought that this could be a potential spot for the MLS to finally break back into the south and survive.  Orlando City has also been able to achieve a very good record against current MLS squads and have recently defeated Newcastle United 1-0.  Newcastle United is currently sixth in the EPL.  This shows that the club does have a solid foundation and could only be helped by an expansion draft.  It will be very interesting to see how the MLS meeting on March 1st goes and I hope Orlando City can become one of the next franchises.  There still are question about building a soccer specific stadium.  The team currently plays in the Citrus Bowl.  I don't know if that stadium could be tailored or transformed into a viable soccer stadium.  Both potential sites for the next MLS franchise are very exciting.  The possibility of a stadium in New York City could be amazing but the powers that be are still not there to make that happen.

MLS in Pittsburgh?

    The last few years have seen the rapid expansion of Major League Soccer.  This has had many effects throughout the landscape of the United States.  The fact is that soccer has never been more popular in this country and numerous cities are looking to instill their brand on the league.  The new price tag for an MLS team is now 100 million dollars.  This a deep expense and needs the backing of a big time owner and the construction of a soccer specific stadium.  There is one city that always seems to be left out of the debate of getting an expansion franchise. If you have read the title of this post than you will know I am talking about Pittsburgh.  Pittsburgh has a metropolitan area of over two million people which would be perfectly capable of sustaining an MLS club. The city already sustain 7 professional sports teams including three of the big four and a USL soccer franchise, The Pittsburgh Riverhounds Football Club.  I think the lack of an NBA team in Pittsburgh actually favors the formation of a putting an MLS team in the city. There will only be the competition of the NHL, which I believe is a complete different demographic from soccer supporters, and the Pittsburgh Pirates who are almost always fighting for the last place in the MLB.  Major League Soccer could potentially thrive in the area.

 There are of course many different issues that go along with a getting an MLS franchise.  The first argument I usually come across is how is the pro soccer team in the area supported now.  This argument really does not hold any weight.  Indeed, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds are not selling out every game. They are, however, going to be building a soccer specific stadium on the waterfront later this year (http://www.riverhounds.com/).  This could see the attendance at those games go way up.  The support of minor league teams does not translate into support of a major league franchise.  This means that the minor league does not have to be a thriving to deem a city worthy of a major league franchise.  This is true of the minor league Portland Timbers and the Seattle Sounders.  They were not selling out their home games before they became a major league franchise.  This also shows us that a team in Pittsburgh could be viable.  The other argument that some people throw out is that the formation of an MLS team in Pittsburgh could draw fans away from other MLS teams in the region and doom those already formed franchises.  Lets take a look at the teams that regionally surround the area. There is the Columbus Crew, Toronto FC, DC United and the Philadelphia Union.  All of these franchise are hours away.  The closest being the almost 3 hour drive to Columbus.  This would not draw faithful Crew fans from their team.  It does, however, form immediate rivalries with the Columbus Crew and a cross state rivalry with the Philadelphia Union.  It would increase the appeal of the league and form great heated games.  The big question with the formation of the team is finding an owner.  If one of the owners of the big three teams in the area step up and that is a big if, I believe that Pittsburgh could make an excellent site for an MLS franchise. It should at least be in the discussion of a potential site for expansion.