Major League Soccer (MLS) will hold their annual amateur draft in Baltimore on January 13th at the Convention Center. The MLS Draft will be held in-conjunction with the National Soccer Coaches Association of America convention. (13th through the 16th)
Will the City of Baltimore take advantage of this opportunity, and meet with the leadership of the MLS?
You will recall that in Fall 2009, former Mayor Shelia Dixon asked the Maryland Stadium Authority to consider building a Soccer Specific Stadium (S.S.S.) in Baltimore to lure the DC United.
http://baltimoresportsandlife.blogspot.com/2009/10/dc-united-to-baltimore.html
In April of 2010, the Commissioner of MLS Don Garber, publicly swiped at the District of Columbia for failing to bring plans for a S.S.S. to fruition.
The City of Baltimore should meet with MLS leadership for the following reasons:
1) Meeting with MLS would crystallize exactly what would be needed from a facility stand-point to ever house a MLS team. I believe MLS would state Baltimore would need a S.S.S. capable of 17 to 20k seats, and the requisite number of corporate boxes.
2) The DC United has been one of MLS’ premier franchises. It would be in the best interest of the league for that franchise to continue. If getting an existing team to move to Baltimore was not a legitimate option, will expansion to Baltimore ever be considered by the league?
2a) It has been stated that MLS would like to expand South, and West and is concerned of saturation of teams in the East. I would argue that expansion to Baltimore makes sense. There would be an opportunity for natural rivals in Washington, Philadelphia, New York, and New England. At a minimum, away game travel costs for those organizations would be lowered with a team here.
2b) Many European Soccer leagues operate a system of promotion and regulation. From an American baseball point-of-view, the equivalent would be the AAA Norfolk Tides winning the International League and being promoted to Major League Baseball, with the Pittsburgh Pirates heading back to AAA.
In the hierarchy of American Professional Soccer, MLS is considered Division 1.
Baltimore currently has a ‘AAA’ soccer team in Crystal Palace Baltimore of the North American Soccer League (NASL).
http://palacebaltimore.com
http://www.nasl.com/
The NASL spent this past season in the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) Division 2 Professional League (comprised of 12 teams between the NASL and United Soccer League 1 (USL).
The NASL lost their 2010 bid to the USSF to be certified as a Division 2 league. They have reapplied and will likely be certified as such for 2011.
The 2011 NASL will be comprised of:
AC St.Louis
Atlanta Silverbacks
Carolina Railhawks FC
Crystal Palace Baltimore
FC Edmonton
Miami FC
Montreal Impact
NSC Minnesota Stars
Puerto Rico Islanders
FC Tampa Bay
There are those that say NASL promotion to the MLS might one day be possible. I believe MLS would state that promotion from the NASL would never be possible without proper facilities in-place. However, there is a much larger difference between AAA Baseball and Major League Baseball, than there is between AAA Soccer and MLS. Additionally, as evidenced by Portland, and Vancouver joining MLS (from the NASL) in 2011, the opportunity is there for promotion / expansion.
3) Also last-fall, it was announced by Crystal Palace Baltimore, that they were close to finalizing a deal to build a 7,000 seat stadium by 2012 in the Carroll Camden Industrial Area near M&T Bank Stadium.
If CPB moves forward with building that stadium, the cost associated with the venture is estimated at $25M. When it was created, I believe MLS would state it is an attractive stadium that would never be suitable for the highest level of US Professional Soccer. I think the City of Baltimore should confirm that with MLS.
With that confirmation, I believe the City of Baltimore would agree that it would be a mistake to spend the money building a stadium that will never be good enough.
3a) This is an opportunity for Baltimore to state their case to MLS of what makes us attractive as a City. I’m sure MLS is aware, but remind their leadership of the tickets sold these previous two years for the European soccer exhibitions. Remind them of the 7,500 people that regularly attend the indoor soccer games for the Blast.
The City of Baltimore should work for that meeting, and make sure that everyone local that should be at that meeting is in attendance. That includes the Crystal Palace ownership, Ed Hale, and the Maryland Stadium Authority at a minimum. It would be beneficial if it also included Under Armour / Kevin Plank, Steve Bisciotti, and Peter Angelos.
4) What you would be looking forward from a meeting with MLS, is a path forward for Baltimore.
I have no illusion about Baltimore building a $200M Soccer Specific Stadium similar to what was recently built for the New York Red Bulls:
http://www.redbullarena.us/
Most-likely, even something closer to the $120M SSS opened this year for the Philadelphia Union is very unlikely in the near-term:
http://www.philadelphiaunion.com/content/about-stadium
What absolutely should be discussed is finding the middle ground between the Stadium CPB would like to build, and what would be needed to house a team in MLS. To me, the logical compromise would be a Stadium that would be built with the corporate boxes necessary to eventually house the MLS, with a seating bowl capable of being expanded to the required 17 to 20k seats.
Only by meeting with the MLS, will Baltimore be able to determine how logical that path is.
Owner
Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.