Honestly if you want your town to get a bid for an expansion slot for the MLS, why not use a huge baseball star from that town. That's exactly what St. Louis is doing. Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols is adding his star power to a group working to bring an MLS expansion team to the area.
The announcement on came a day after Pujols won his second NL MVP award. Pujols' reputation, plus a significant financial investment that was not disclosed, is expected to strengthen St. Louis Soccer United's chances of winning a franchise in 2011.
"I am very proud and excited to join the effort to bring Major League Soccer to the St. Louis area," Pujols said in a statement. "This means a lot to me and my family, as we all love soccer and we believe in MLS."
Seven cities are competing for two expansion teams with selections expected by the end of March. Also applying were Vancouver, Montreal, Atlanta, Miami, Ottawa and Portland.
I don't think both Vancouver and Portland could win bids for an expansion team because they are way to close together. Plus Vancouver has NBA star Steve Nash backing that team up, so Vancouver would get picked over Portland. Ottawa is a huge hockey town and somehow I just do not see them switching from hockey to soccer, so they do not have much to offer. Miami has zero chance in my book because Miami did have the Fusion and they only lasted about 3 years. The rest I really am not too sure about.
The St. Louis group believes that adding Pujols, the highest paid player in Cardinals history with two years to go on a seven-year, $100 million contract, will eliminate doubts about its financial footing and encourage area business leaders to become involved. The team would play in an 18,500-seat stadium yet to be built in Collinsville, Ill., near St. Louis.
"This is something that will be great for our community, especially our youth," Pujols said. "St. Louis is an unbelievable sports town and we'll be a great city for Major League Soccer."
The St. Louis group submitted a formal bid for an expansion franchise on Oct. 15.
"It is frankly impossible to imagine a better partner in our effort than Albert Pujols," Cooper said. "Albert's commitment is a testament to the strength of the league, the interest and promise of Major League Soccer in St. Louis and the overall quality of our team, stadium and youth complex plan."
No comments:
Post a Comment