Soccer Fans Rejoice, MLS is Expected to Land in Minnesota
By Nick Fritz
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It’s looking like the passion of Minnesota sports fans was just too good to pass up for Major League Soccer.
The soccer-world has been hinting at it for weeks if not months, and it looks like Minnesota will be the home of the next MLS expansion team. Bill McGuire, the owner of Minnesota United, along with the MLS have scheduled a “major announcement” for sometime this week. All signs, and I mean all, point to the United being granted the 23rd franchise in major league soccer.
Just arrived in the inbox: "MLS, Don Garber and Dr. Bill McGuire will make an important announcement on the future of soccer in Minnesota."
— Thomas Floyd (@ThomasFloyd) March 23, 2015
The Minnesota Vikings had proposed the MLS to join them in their new stadium scheduled to be completed in 2016. So I figured something was up when, about a week ago, Vikings Owner/President Mark Wilf released a statement saying the Vikings are no longer in the running. It rang with disappointment, but Wilf finished the statement with, “At the same time, we commend MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Deputy Commissioner Mark Abbott for their continued success in building the MLS brand, and, most importantly, we are pleased to see they believe in the Minneapolis-St. Paul market.”
The plan is to build an outdoor stadium near the downtown Minneapolis Farmer’s Market. I get the idea that the MLS wants to put their new franchise in a stadium that looks, feels and embodies the game of soccer. Playing on artificial turf in a 70,000 seat behemoth-stadium didn’t fit the bill.
Instead, they’ll partner with Minnesota United. The next question is what kind of a timeline are we looking at here?
It really comes down to getting the stadium built. Right now, United plays at the National Sports Center in Blaine, which has a seating capacity of 8,500. Most MLS stadiums have a capacity of 20-30 thousand.
The United finished second in the NASL in attendance in the fall of 2014, averaging 9,234 spectators a game. They won the spring championship with a record of 6-2-1.
If everything goes smoothly and the shovel hits the ground as soon as possible, we could be looking at 2018 for the United’s first full MLS season.
This is big news both for the MLS and for the state of Minnesota. Coming from someone who, like many, only watches soccer when the world cup comes around, I can’t wait.
Neither can Minnesota United, as evidenced by this recent statement:
“MLS leadership is well aware that the passionate soccer fans in Minnesota combined with a world-class, soccer-specific stadium make the Twin Cities and our state a perfect home for the next MLS expansion team.”
Are you excited about MLS in Minnesota? Leave your thoughts below!