Being a resident of South Florida, I often wonder when the MLS will venture down south once again. The South Florida soccer fans are quite vocal in their demands for a team and often flood MLS Commissioner Don Garber with hundreds of e-mails a day. They come come back with same. valid, response on why Miami or South Florida is not ready for Major League Soccer:
While South Florida has the fan base and the TV market we, unfortunately, lack the two important items above. So as much as I hate to say it, MLS in Florida is not looking good, at least for the short term.
Currently the MLS has 16 teams with two expansion teams, the Portland Timbers and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, planning to join the league in 2011. The 19th franchise has recently been awarded to Montreal who will join the league in 2012. That leaves just one more spot to reach the domestic league limit set by FIFA and MLS has made it well known that they are looking for a second team in the New York area.
However, recent talk from MLS has suggested an ambition to expand past the FIFA limit of 20 teams. The limit is imposed on domestic leagues to limit excessive amounts of games for league players. The idea is to expand each MLS Conference, East and West, into 20 teams each and limit play to within those divisions to limit how many games a player plays and therefore stay compliant under FIFA rules. The playoffs would then be between the top teams of those two conferences similar to how it is done to today and how other American sports leagues such as the NBA and NFL run their leagues. It appears they may already have FIFA's approval as Chuck Blazer from the FIFA Executive Committee appears to approve the idea, especially since North America is the new frontier of international soccer.
What do you think of this ambitious plan for growth?
- There is no local owner/group with adequate finances to support a team
- No soccer specific stadium plan where the ownership can control the venue
While South Florida has the fan base and the TV market we, unfortunately, lack the two important items above. So as much as I hate to say it, MLS in Florida is not looking good, at least for the short term.
Currently the MLS has 16 teams with two expansion teams, the Portland Timbers and the Vancouver Whitecaps FC, planning to join the league in 2011. The 19th franchise has recently been awarded to Montreal who will join the league in 2012. That leaves just one more spot to reach the domestic league limit set by FIFA and MLS has made it well known that they are looking for a second team in the New York area.
However, recent talk from MLS has suggested an ambition to expand past the FIFA limit of 20 teams. The limit is imposed on domestic leagues to limit excessive amounts of games for league players. The idea is to expand each MLS Conference, East and West, into 20 teams each and limit play to within those divisions to limit how many games a player plays and therefore stay compliant under FIFA rules. The playoffs would then be between the top teams of those two conferences similar to how it is done to today and how other American sports leagues such as the NBA and NFL run their leagues. It appears they may already have FIFA's approval as Chuck Blazer from the FIFA Executive Committee appears to approve the idea, especially since North America is the new frontier of international soccer.
What do you think of this ambitious plan for growth?