Miami expansion bid now in doubt
As a commenter pointed out elsewhere, all of a sudden that Miami MLS expansion bid doesn’t look so sure. At its biannual financial meeting, the powerhouse Spanish club Barcelona that is a key player in the bid is having second thoughts.
“[The MLS bid is] very delicate and we are evaluating if the situation allows for the model planned to be implemented in Miami or not,” said Barcelona’s corporate director general Joel Oliver on the team’s Web site. Oliver added that the economic downturn could force Barcelona to delay its bid to a later date.
“We want to enter the American league, but not at the cost of financial risk [to the club]” Oliver said. “The chances of us not joining are higher than when we announced our interest.”
Barcelona had been insisting on starting in 2010, rather than 2011 as the league wanted. They looked like a sure thing even with an iffy stadium situation in Miami. If Miami drops out, that’s nothing but good news for St. Louis, since I would think it unlikely the league would choose Portland and Vancouver, or Vancouver and Ottawa.
MLS commissioner Don Garber has said emphatically that the league will add two teams this year, even with a bad economy. The league has raised issues about the financial depth of Jeff Cooper’s bid, but they may be fast approaching a time where if they’re going to expand, they may have little choice but to add St. Louis.
A decision will likely come after March 15. That’s the date Portland has been given to getting the necessary stadium deal in place.
Has anyone heard from Jeff Cooper in the last month? It would be nice to hear something specific from him on what he feels the St. Louis chances are for MLS, regardless of Miami. Last I heard, he was still considered too poor for MLS.
Zico,
Cooper remains confident. He has added some investors to the group, but no billionaire that will put him on par with the bids in Miami or Vancouver. Still, it’s not as if he’s coming to the league with empty pockets. There is significant money involved here. He feels he’s done everything the league has asked of him. At some point soon, he’ll likely make an announcement of some sort about the investors. In fact, I would expect all the interested parties to make some late push here in the closing weeks.
Thanks Tom. I think it would be wise, at this point, to share his investors with the St. Louis public. If not, and he doesn’t secure an expansion franchise, it will look like he’s jerked a lot of people around. I don’t believe he’s done that (and has worked sincerely and diligently), but perception is reality.
That said, Cooper’s been “confident” for a while. Not sure what that means anymore, especially when it seemed the effort was all but dead in mid-January. Hopefully, we’ll know one way or the other by month’s end. But, knowing MLS, it’s a good bet we won’t know anything on 3/31.