Another Stadium to Kick Around

Soccerball with USA flag (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you believe the media reports, Major League Soccer is close to deciding whether to put a new franchise in the Twin Cities come 2018.  Once that's done, all they have to do is to find a place to play, and who's going to pay for it.

According to those same reports, the front-runner appears to be Bill McGuire, a former executive at United Health Care who currently runs Minnesota United FC, a pro team based in the lower-level North American Soccer League which would transfer to MLS as an expansion squad.  In McGuire's corner are Timberwolves and Star Tribune owner Glen Taylor and Twins owner Bill Pohlad.  The plan, though McGuire hasn't said anything publicly, is for a new team to play in an outdoor stadium next to Target Field and Target Center in downtown Minneapolis.

That would rule out the Minnesota Vikings, who had promoted their under-construction indoor stadium as a future MLS home.  However, the league seems to prefer smaller outdoor venues that seat at least 20,000.  Only two of their franchises--Seattle and New England--currently play in NFL-sized stadiums.

This is not a done deal, of course.  Minnesota is in competition with Sacramento, San Antonio and St. Louis for the next available franchises.  MLS currently has 20 teams across North America, having welcomed Orlando and New York City this season.  In the next couple of years Atlanta, Los Angeles and Miami are scheduled to join the league.

What this means is that there's going to be another push to build yet another sports stadium in Minneapolis, with the proceeds most likely coming from taxpayers' pockets.  Only this time, there's no hysterical threats to move out of state if a team didn't get what it wanted.

Governor Mark Dayton, the Minnesota Legislature and the city of Minneapolis don't seem to be too thrilled at the prospect of lining the pockets of another billionaire owner who could easily have funded his own stadium, but chose not to.  And why Minneapolis, again?  How has United FC survived all these years at its current home, the National Sports Center in Blaine?  Wouldn't St. Paul or any other suburb have been a better--and less expensive--alternative?

Unlike other pro sports leagues, having MLS in the Twin Cities would be a nice thing for Minnesota's quality of life, but not really necessary.  If, as soccer enthusiasts predict, their sport becomes more than just a short-term obsession in which casual fans only pay attention during World Cup and the Olympics, then great.  If not, an abandoned soccer park would make a really nice parking ramp.

UPDATE (3/25/15):  MLS announced with great fanfare that Minnesota United FC will indeed become an expansion franchise come 2018, which would become the league's 23rd.  They should have said it was granted on the contingency that the new stadium should be ready by then, but they didn't.  Is MLS about to repeat the mistake they made in awarding a franchise to Miami (in which one of the owners is soccer legend David Beckham), only to watch it sink because of resistance to funding for a new stadium?

Also, the Minnesota franchise may have to have a new name.  MLS already has a team in Washington called DC United.  Would FC Minnesota do?