MLS in Charlotte - 2021

[elrodvt]

8 minutes ago, JBS said:

Ybor City is the latest proposed location and likely a good one.  However, it's far from a sure thing.  I assume you were looking at renderings (which might explain the plain interior).

I have no idea who would be responsible for BB&T but compared to knocking down BofA it would be a breeze.  I'd assume whoever buys the land from the city for development will handle demolition.  Maybe it becomes the new MLS stadium (don't know if you could get a soccer field in there and we are obviously getting way ahead of ourselves here).

Yeah, I hope you are right. Usually it goes the other way here. Fancy drawings and plain results.

[Hushpuppy321]

OMG - downloaded and was just reading the Bid Book for the North American bid for the 2026 World Cup.  Nashville (and Atlanta) are amongst a lot of other Host Cities for the 2026 World Cup.  I guess CLT will always play 2nd fiddle to Nashville and Atlanta.

[deleted]

On 7/17/2018 at 2:09 PM, Hushpuppy321 said:

OMG - downloaded and was just reading the Bid Book for the North American bid for the 2026 World Cup.  Nashville (and Atlanta) are amongst a lot of other Host Cities for the 2026 World Cup.  I guess CLT will always play 2nd fiddle to Nashville and Atlanta.

Because we didn't get to host World Cup games we always play second fiddle to Nashville and Atlanta?  Are we just talking about soccer?  

[Hushpuppy321]

Probably talking about playing 2nd fiddle in every way possible.   Only been in CLT a few years now (4) and seems like we get passed over a lot.

[SouthEndCLT811]

28 minutes ago, Hushpuppy321 said:

Probably talking about playing 2nd fiddle in every way possible.   Only been in CLT a few years now (4) and seems like we get passed over a lot.

Technically this weekends Liverpool/Dortmund game was first announced for Nashville but they moved it here.  We also have a good history of hosting the CONCACAF Gold Cup  in 2011, 2015 and will do so again in 2019.  Had the city ponied up $275M for a close to city center MLS stadium as Nashville did for their fairgrounds I think we'd be announced for expansion too.  Don Garber loves that subsidized money

Edited July 20, 2018 by SouthEndCLT811

[Hushpuppy321]

That's very true - I think it was a missed opportunity.  The Memorial Stadium upgrade.  Hopefully D. Tepper will have a better business plan/model for an MLS Expansion team.  I think the Midtown site is best also because it's besides a dedicated rail line.   Hopefully the stadium will be renovated in a way that allows future expansion into an MLS worthy stadium.

[deleted]

2 hours ago, Hushpuppy321 said:

Probably talking about playing 2nd fiddle in every way possible.   Only been in CLT a few years now (4) and seems like we get passed over a lot.

DNC/RNC?  NBA All Star Game?  I like Nashville a lot and Atlanta is fine for a big city.  I think we get our share of nice things/events and personally don't feel we are "second fiddle in every way possible" to those two cities.

[Crucial_Infra]

28 minutes ago, JBS said:

DNC/RNC?  NBA All Star Game?  I like Nashville a lot and Atlanta is fine for a big city.  I think we get our share of nice things/events and personally don't feel we are "second fiddle in every way possible" to those two cities.

.... Final Fours, NCAA Regionals, ACC championships, PGA championships

[elrodvt]

2 hours ago, Crucial_Infra said:

.... Final Fours, NCAA Regionals, ACC championships, PGA championships

I don't get this. The first two don't happen because spectrum is too small. Is that historical? Looking forward to ACC being back next year!

[Crucial_Infra]

27 minutes ago, elrodvt said:

I don't get this. The first two don't happen because spectrum is too small. Is that historical? Looking forward to ACC being back next year!

I didn't realize regionals required a domed stadium now but if that's correct, you're right. (Yes, CLT had the FF in '94 and has hosted the regionals before too.) 

Edited July 20, 2018 by Crucial_Infra

[elrodvt]

I spent 5 minutes looking for regional requirement but could not find them anywhere. I'm almost certain Spectrum is not large in some aspect but cannot prove it. Isn't that why ACC left for a while but have now changed their rules? These things are held tight to the vest I guess. Don't even get me started on the greed and mismanagement in the NCAA!

However, if you look at the 2018 sites it is somewhat contradictory. Spectrum supposedly seats 20 for college basketball but centurylink seats 18. Centurylink is a lot bigger overall that all those club seats... Dunno but it almost always in places larger than Spectrum.

• Final Four. Alamodome (San Antonio) -- Tickets. March 31. ...
• West Regional. Staples Center (Los Angeles) -- Tickets. ...
• South Regional. Philips Arena (Atlanta) ...
• East Regional. TD Garden (Boston) ...
• Midwest Regional. CenturyLink Center Omaha (Omaha, Nebraska)  "It is the largest arena in the state, seating over 18,000. It contains 32 luxury suites and over a thousand club seats. "

[Squid7085]

17 minutes ago, elrodvt said:

I spent 5 minutes looking for regional requirement but could not find them anywhere. I'm almost certain Spectrum is not large in some aspect but cannot prove it. Isn't that why ACC left for a while but have now changed their rules? These things are held tight to the vest I guess. Don't even get me started on the greed and mismanagement in the NCAA!

However, if you look at the 2018 sites it is somewhat contradictory. Spectrum supposedly seats 20 for college basketball but centurylink seats 18. Centurylink is a lot bigger overall that all those club seats... Dunno but it almost always in places larger than Spectrum.

• Final Four. Alamodome (San Antonio) -- Tickets. March 31. ...
• West Regional. Staples Center (Los Angeles) -- Tickets. ...
• South Regional. Philips Arena (Atlanta) ...
• East Regional. TD Garden (Boston) ...
• Midwest Regional. CenturyLink Center Omaha (Omaha, Nebraska)  "It is the largest arena in the state, seating over 18,000. It contains 32 luxury suites and over a thousand club seats. "

I am pretty sure Spectrum is large enough to hold a Regional. However, I will say, just based on what cities are available in the "Midwest" to host, there is a reason Omaha and KC are able to land it easier. There are a lot more options (larger ones at that) able to host the East and South regionals.

[kermit]

Slightly different subject: the midday train from Raleigh today was mostly full of fans headed to the game on Sunday.

[dylansukkert]

14 hours ago, kermit said:

Slightly different subject: the midday train from Raleigh today was mostly full of fans headed to the game on Sunday.

 Looks like they are expecting a pretty big crowd, probably lots of Liverpool fans. Wish we could get more soccer and events at BofA.

[elrodvt]

It's great to have so many soccer fans. I wish it was Rugby though!

Some people have talked about BofA being perfect for MLS. I can't see it myself. Didn't MLS make it clear they wanted soccer  stadiums or am I dreaming that? Too lazy to look back in the thread tonight. 

[JoshuaDrown]

12 hours ago, elrodvt said:

It's great to have so many soccer fans. I wish it was Rugby though!

Some people have talked about BofA being perfect for MLS. I can't see it myself. Didn't MLS make it clear they wanted soccer  stadiums or am I dreaming that? Too lazy to look back in the thread tonight. 

MLS Commissioner Don Garber has stated that soccer specific stadiums are preferred, but the actions of the league clearly show that they will overlook this if the other boxes of the ownership group are checked off.

The last two expansion teams to begin play, Atlanta United and Minnesota United, started play in college football stadiums. Atlanta moved into their multi-purpose stadium they share with the Falcons and Minnesota are building a soccer specific stadium. New York City FC play in Yankee Stadium, Seattle plays in multi-purpose Century Link that they share with the  Seahawks, Vancouver play in a multi-purpose stadium they share with the Canadian Football League's BC Lions.

Atlanta United have set the MLS attendance record 5 times since joining the league, including again last weekend against Seattle where they had 72,243 in Merceds-Benz Stadium. Their 2018 average attendance will likely land them in the top 20 in the world, and ahead of clubs like PSG, Atletico Madrid, and Inter Milan. It is an incredible success story. If done right, the multi-purpose stadium can be a huge win for MLS.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Soccer_attendance#Individual_game_highest_attendance

 

 

 

Atlanta United's soccer setup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium:

 

Seattle Sounders soccer setup at CenturyLink Field:

Edited July 22, 2018 by JoshuaDrown

[elrodvt]

I wonder if they all have handshake deals to build dedicated later? I see some do or did. Cities with no room near their core could also be a special case (NYC, Seattle?)?

That might not explain Atlanta but having it under a roof is a huge bonus down here. 

I know I really enjoyed the Rapids purpose built stadium but it's not easy to get to and I half wished they had put it in Mile High.

[J-Rob]

I am not there, but looks like a successful event. Curious if Tepper is in the building.




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[elrodvt]

^Yeah the hotels etc must be very happy too. A ton of people walking around uptown looking lost starting on Friday.

[atlrvr]

55,447 attended...not sure how that compares, but sounds similar to previous ICC matches.

And Dortmund won in a thrilling final 8 minutes, after a mostly sloppy game.

[JoshuaDrown]

It’s was a joy to see so many supporters representing their various clubs... I started out trying to take an informal mental tally of how many club and country jerseys I saw. I lost track, and interest, at around 30... and at around 5 beers in.

The pitch looked good and had me dreaming about Uptown or Center City soccer.

 

[CharlotteWkndBuzz]

6 minutes ago, JoshuaDrown said:

It’s was a joy to see so many supporters representing their various clubs... I started out trying to take an informal mental tally of how many club and country jerseys I saw. I lost track, and interest, at around 30... and at around 5 beers in.

The pitch looked good and had me dreaming about Uptown or Center City soccer.

 

First soccer game I've been to.  It was a lot of fun, however, that sun was outrageous at times.  Wish it could have been cool like this morning (feels fantastic out).  Liverpool had an official pregame party at Rooftop 210 on Saturday and was packed with fans.  But I agree, def think CLT can support an MLS team here and would be successful too. 

[navigator319]

12 hours ago, atlrvr said:

55,447 attended...not sure how that compares, but sounds similar to previous ICC matches.

And Dortmund won in a thrilling final 8 minutes, after a mostly sloppy game.

I did not go, but watched on TV.  The commentators at one point said this was a better showing than when they did the game in Chicago earlier in the week.

36 minutes ago, CharlotteWkndBuzz said:

First soccer game I've been to.  It was a lot of fun, however, that sun was outrageous at times.  Wish it could have been cool like this morning (feels fantastic out).  Liverpool had an official pregame party at Rooftop 210 on Saturday and was packed with fans.  But I agree, def think CLT can support an MLS team here and would be successful too. 

On the Rooftop 210 party I was in Epi unrelated to this and I will tell you there were several unhappy parents and young children as they we not allowing underage in to this.  I think that was too bad.

The city was great yesterday on a Sunday.  My only complaints to this is our abnormally large, but improving, places that are closed on Sundays, looking at you Parliament Coffee, Basil, Devon Blakely, Ally Center salad place, and I'm sure others.  Also they should have bagged the parking meters on Tryon.  With all the roads that are closed/reduced Uptown for the various good reason people that control this should think things through a bit more. 

[wilmore]

On 7/20/2018 at 8:30 PM, Squid7085 said:

I am pretty sure Spectrum is large enough to hold a Regional. However, I will say, just based on what cities are available in the "Midwest" to host, there is a reason Omaha and KC are able to land it easier. There are a lot more options (larger ones at that) able to host the East and South regionals.

Yes, they got rid of the requirement that regionals needed to be in a large football-type stadium, most of them were help in normal basketball stadiums this year, so Spectrum could now qualify again. 

[JoshuaDrown]

More MLS talk from Tepper... this guy is focused and calculated. He hasn’t done that many interviews/press conferences and this is the third time he’s has mentioned MLS.

Quote

“If we do development here, that does new development that keeps people here, not just on stadium day,” Tepper said. “And we open up for other things and I make an investment in MLS and I bring that in here and I bring that many more dollars into the community, that’s businesses in the community and there’s more tax dollars generated, then that makes more sense to split some of those tax dollars.

“That’s not taxing people who aren’t using those facilities, but they’re using things that I’m helping bring here. That’s the partnership.”

https://www.si.com/nfl/2018/07/27/david-tepper-jerry-richardson-statue-carolina-panthers-stadium-mls-expansion