And even if the owners were greedy to the point of creating an elaborate ruse, and risking a billion dollar property in the process – there is a significant amount of money on the line with an MLS team. If not from immediate revenues, then from the increase in team value over time. Why wouldn’t the Wilfs want to make money? Other invetsment groups seem willing to put up millions of dollars for the chance to join MLS.

Tax the Suites and the licensed clothing; that is the target audience!

As far as an MLS team coming here, I do not count on it. That was the Viking’s management blowing smoke.

How do you know we could not fill the stadium? Unlike the revs, whose stadium whose stadium is 28 miles away from downtown Boston, this stadium would be in the heart the city where diverse communities (latino, east African, southeast asian) and hipsters (Minneapolis was just named by forbes as one of the top 5 cities for young upwardly mobile professionals) would have easy access to the stadium. The have the populations, the local corporate infrastructure that has made portland and seattle success stories. All that was needed was an owner.

Furthermore Kenn Tomasch, who most of the online soccer community regards as the expert of American Soccer Attendance, found that Minneapolis actually has the highest all-time average of major league soccer teams (http://www.kenn.com/the_blog/) and that was without the marketing power that the vikings would bring.

period. end of.

nobody who has one business that makes them millions upon millions and is worth almost a billion dollars gives two shits about their second business that is likely to barely break even.

and MN in no way deserves to get a soccer team given the pathetic support it has for its current D2 team …

NFL + crap D2 support = no MLS

MN (and ATL) you are not Seattle … you will not put 35K fans a game into your shiny new NFL stadium … get over the delusion. Seattle is a special city with a special passion for soccer that does not exist in Minneapolis or Atlanta … and their ownership group has a core of people who owned the D2 team and/or care SOLELY about soccer. their ownership is only partially by the NFL guy … and a silent part at that.

you want to see what your MLS team owned solely by an NFL owner will look like? take a look at NE and take a look in CLB and Dallas. that is your future MN and ATL if your local NFL owner buys an MLS franchise (which he won’t because he is actually just selling the local soccer fans a line of total BS to get a little more support for his outright theft of public funds to subsidize his private for profit NFL business).

be careful what you wish for … you just may get it. save yourself the trouble and just become Revs fans.

Which leads to me to second the hiring of an experienced Exec from a solid MLS organization. I’d include RSL and KC alaong with Seattle though. And I think bringing on some of the hardest working front office in sports – the MN Stars – is a must as well.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/146494545.html

So, please explain to me why these numbers would make Minnesota….a troubled major league sports market at best….a solid MLS candidate, shiny new NFL stadium or not? I’m just not buying it.

2011 NASL season attendance

Updated: April 6, 2012 – 8:35 PM

Team Attendance

Montreal 11,507

Ft. Lauderdale 3,769

Carolina 3,353

Tampa 3,010

Atlanta 2,866

Puerto Rico 2,161

Edmonton 1,817

Minnesota 1,676

The first two are not a preferred way of doing business for this MLS fan and should be avoided like the black plague.

The second method should be followed as closely as possible.

Should the Vikings get a stadium deal done I think they should start their soccer process by doing two things immediately:
-Hire an executive from within the Seattle organization to run the team.
-Buy the Minnesota Stars FC and get to work preparing them for MLS.