MPR Report on Plight of Minnesota Stars’ Quest for Ownership with the Possibility of a Vikings-Owned MLS Team Looming
Tim Nelson is a reporter for Minnesota Public Radio. He has been following the journey of professional soccer in Minnesota since his days with the Pioneer Press as a financial reporter. He was familiar with the Thunder owner Dean Johnson and his WingField corporation when they stepped in in the fall of 2007 to purchase the long-standing Minnesota Thunder.
Since moving to MPR, Nelson has continued to follow the plight of the Stars as they have looked for ownership since the National Sports Center, who founded the Stars in 2010, were not able to continue ownership with the new higher financial threshold for ownership of Division 2 pro teams set by U.S. Soccer.
Nelson files this report this morning exploring the issues that have made it harder to find an owner for the Stars since the Minnesota Vikings have started talking (vaguely) of bringing in an MLS team to the Twin Cities in the future, while providing very few details. In the report Nelson interviews Dave Laidig of the MLS for Minnesota coalition, Djorn Buchholz, CEO of the Minnesota Stars and Lester Bagley, Vice President of the Vikings in charge of Public Affairs. Bagley says the Vikings are 3 to 4 years away from even making a serious decision on whether they will bring an MLS franchise into Minnesota, saying the issue is on the “back burner.”
In the meantime, the Stars are presenting to Minnesota fans one of the best pro soccer teams in recent memory. Without an owner, that could be gone. And if the Vikings decide not to purchase an MLS franchise 3 or 4 years down the line, Minnesota could be a barren landscape for pro soccer. That would be a shame after having a pro soccer team here at the D2 level for 23 consecutive years.
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plight indeed
So the Vikings ownership will always view soccer as secondary to football. Does MLS really need another Kraft?
It sounds like they are becoming a liability. Their pursuit for MLS franchise is harmful for the Stars who are looking for potential buyers and they can ultimately kill off 23 years of pro soccer in the state if they are unsuccessful in being awarded a MLS franchise.
What none of us currently know is if the Wilf’s actually, truly have any interest in a MLS franchise down the road or was it just an interest of convenience during the stadium negotiations.
This is much like the dog catching the bus, once he has caught it, what does the dog do with it?
If i was an stars fan i would be very frustrated with this whole predicament. In a prefect world Wilf would show his commitment to bring MLS to Minnesota by buying the Stars and moving them up. But this isn’t a prefect world. No one knows whats going to happen.
I don’t see any harm that could be done by the Vikings buying the Stars, it would benefit all parties. It would prove to the local government that they are serious about soccer and indeed have a commitment to bringing a team to the new stadium. It would give them operational and organizational experience for when and if they do get an MLS franchise. They could continue building a Stars brand(one that has history with a championship to it’s name) and supporters culture that is growing, playing at the Metrodome until the new place is ready. Operating a D2 team would be a drop in the bucket for an NFL owner. It makes no sense that they seem so disinterested in the Stars, if they do in fact have legit intentions of bringing MLS.
If they are serious about pro soccer, it would be foolish for them to try and blaze their own path, perhaps as noted by BQ ending the 2 decades plus of consecutive pro soccer in the Twin Cities. That would be a real shame.
I hope the Dark Clouds and other Stars fans stand up for their club, making it well known that they want the Stars as the TC’s pro team, regardless of the league.
God forbid there is not soccer in Minnesota what if Zygi Wilf just purchases an existing team like the Crew and moves it. Would he have that right it is his team? Hunt already own to two team not only does he own to MLS team but two teams that are probably losing money and have bad attendance. Zygi Wilf could out right buy them and move them which might be cheaper than the startup fee for a MLS team or he could buy the majority of the share and go into business with Hunt either way it could help out Hunt by taking some of the load off and both parties come out with something. This could work because.
1. They are already in the MLS.
2. it’s probably easier to rebuild then to start from scratch.
3. It wouldn’t count as an expansion and MLS could use that expansion for another city.
4. Minnesota would bring a better attendance
5. Like I said Hunt has two teams anyway.
Just a saying god forbid there is no soccer in Minnesota in 4 years and Zygi Wilf want to bring MLS to Minnesota. (BIG IF)
@F19
seeing as Wilf was willing to throw away $20 million for favre to be worthless in the 2010 season lol… $2 million for an entire team is mere peanuts
plus, playing NASL or MLS at the Metrodome should be able to draw in a larger gate with the centralized location. people could use public transportation, plenty of establishments within walking distance, and would be able to tap into Hmong, Somali, and latino populations better than they do in Blaine
but that all involves Zygi proving that it wasn’t simply a ploy and bargaining chip for his NFL fortress
@footy76
Please don’t throw the Crew under the bus like that.
@ Danwolf
LOL OK OK!! They have a hard time as it is and truth hurts. Just weighing all the options’ even I a MLS watcher and a Sounders fan think it would be best for soccer to have Minnesota in the league and is willing to think of any way to get it done. If New York does not get the 20TH expansion I think Minnesota should just on the fact how long it has been operating in some form or another. I would love to see the Sounders play whatever Minnesota MLS team is named. I get goose bump just thinking about it.
I gust I’m looking at it from the wrong point of view.
@ footy76
It’s understandable, But it is a sensitive subject for us Crew fans.