WHAT THE METS LACK Garber: stadium plan needed for expansion
Don Garber said the Mets "need a comprehensive stadium plan. That would be expensive but should we be able to make it work. It will transform the sport in this country." Linda Cuttone/Sports Vue Images
By Michael Lewis
BigAppleSoccer.com Editor
The Mets are still quite interested in running an MLS team in Queens, but the baseball club needs a "comprehensive stadium plan," according to commissioner Don Garber.
In a recent interview, Garber called a second team in the New York City market "one of the more important teams -- expansion projects."
There is huge interest from both sides, but Garber said that wants any new team in this market to be done right.
"They remain very interested in the league," he said. "To go forward, they need a comprehensive stadium plan. That would be expensive but should we be able to make it work. It will transform the sport in this country.
"The Red Bulls are going to have an incredible facility that will open up next year. I have been really impressed with the way they have been operating their team lately and I have been very impressed with Marc de Grandpre and the commitment Dietrich Mateschitz has made for his team in the league."
De Grandpre is the Red Bulls managing director. Mateschitz, whose company produces the energy drink, is the owner of the soccer team.
"Having a competitor across the river will be good for the Red Bulls as it's good for Chivas and the (Los Angeles) Galaxy and as it's good for Arsenal and Chelsea. It's an important development for us."
But Garber will not rush things.
"Like everything, we don't need to do it too quickly," he said. "We need to get it right and wait for it to happen for it to naturally to be able to come to fruition."
The league will add Seattle in 2009 and Philadelphia in 2010 with sights on 18 or 20 teams eventually.
Garber's No. 1 priority is a team in St. Louis.
"My goal is to try to everything we can to move the St. Louis project ahead," he said. "We like Jeff Cooper a lot. Jeff needs a need a stronger financial partner to round out his ownership group so he could stand toe-to-toe with the rest of our ownership. He's got a great facility plan in place and I am hopeful that we can move something forward there."
Other top expansion possibilities include Montreal, Atlanta, Portland, Las Vegas and Miami, Garber said.
"We have all these hot prospects," he said.
There is no timetable for the next expansion team(s). So, the league won’t necessarily add a team in 2011.
"We are taking a step back in our long-range plans to figure out how many teams will ultimately have in the league," Garber said. "We never had a specific number in the long range.
"We have to determine when 17 and 18 come in. It's not a change in plan. But it is a bit more comprehensive in terms of what the impact is on the next couple of expansion rounds. This is a big country with 300 million people. There will be more teams coming into the league. There's no rush.
"I've always said we don't need teams to fund operations. We want the right owner in the right market with the right facility plan. Those are things that will drive the success of Major League Soccer."
