WEF Special Meeting ends in Riyadh with calls for global peace and prosperity    Tensions grow as China ramps up global mining for green tech    Indian MP's 'sex abuse' tapes spark outrage    Passengers stranded as Australian airline enters administration    US says Israeli army units violated human rights    Columbia students defy deadline to disband pro-Palestinian encampment    Saudi Electricity Company gains regulatory approval for increased weighted average cost of capital    Prince Abdulaziz highlights Saudi Arabia's role in circular carbon economy and energy transition    Saudi minister underscores global cooperation in health at WEF Special Meeting    Saudi Foreign Minister discusses Gaza ceasefire with US Secretary of State    Crown Prince discusses Gaza situation with a number of world leaders    Prince Salman bin Sultan inaugurates Madinah Cultures and Peoples festival    SFDA: Breast-milk substitute products are sugar-free complying with Saudi specifications    Al Shabab overpowers Al Ittihad with a 3-1 victory in Jeddah    Saudi Olympic team exits U-23 Cup in quarterfinals, loses Paris 2024 Olympics dream    Al Hilal triumphs over Al Fateh in a fierce 3-1 clash at Kingdom Arena    'Zarqa Al Yamama': Riyadh premieres first Saudi opera    Riyadh Season announces first overseas event with boxing gala in Los Angeles    Australian police launch manhunt for Home and Away star Orpheus Pledger    Spice Girls reunite at Posh's 50th birthday    JK Rowling in 'arrest me' challenge over hate crime law    Trump's Bible endorsement raises concern in Christian religious circles    Hollywood icon Will Smith shares his profound admiration for Holy Qur'an    We have celebrated Founding Day for three years - but it has been with us for 300    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







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St Louis, Sacramento ‘MLS ready'
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 23 - 04 - 2016

Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber called St. Louis and Sacramento, California, "front-runners" for the next round of expansion, which could occur as soon as 2020.
He said other candidates, in priority order, were Detroit; San Diego; San Antonio and Austin, Texas; and Cincinnati.
"What held us back in St. Louis for 20 years is we never had a viable stadium," Garber said Thursday during a meeting with the Associated Press Sports Editors. "Now we're talking to a group of investors and we're able to capitalize on the Rams have left. So there is a site where it's ready. ... St. Louis is a very, very high potential market, and one of the things that makes it more strategic for us is its proximity to Kansas City."
Garber visited California last week, and the Sacramento Republic of the third-tier United Soccer League released renderings of a proposed 25,000-seat stadium. The team also held a rally to show support.
"Sacramento is MLS ready," Garber said. "They've got 9,500 season tickets, good in any pro sports league. ... There's not a lot of competition there, and we seem to do better in those markets with less competition. There's an ownership group that's solid."
He said he told the Republic "the last piece of the puzzle" was for the team to obtain commercial commitments and sponsorships.
Garber said he received a call this week from Cincinnati FC owner Carl Lindner, whose team started play in the USL this season.
"He said, 'When can we come into MLS?'" Garber recounted. "I said, 'you've got to wait a while. We've been at this a few years. Just two good weekends doesn't necessarily mean you're going to have a sustainable fan base.'"
The league, which started play in 1996, currently has 20 teams, with Atlanta due to join in 2017 and a second Los Angeles team the following the year. Minneapolis-St. Paul also has been awarded a team and could open in 2017, and the league hopes David Beckham's tentative Miami team could start play in 2018.
Owners have voted to expand to 28 teams. Garber said the next round likely will see teams added two at a time.
Garber remains confident Beckham's group will finalize a stadium deal and said it is working to complete its investor group.
"If it doesn't happen, it would surprise us, if not shock us, that they weren't able to cross all the T's and dot the I's," he said.
Still, he added Miami and Los Angeles have "got to get busy fast" with stadium construction to meet deadlines. There were no significant updates on the search for stadium sites by New England and New York City. — AP


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