Soccer Stadium in Minneapolis (cancelled)

[Nick]

I will not rest until we all have our own stadium



Lacrosse is getting p popular

[Didier]

Ultimately stadium subsidies are team owner subsidies, but politicians can't say that.

Yes, the team owners are subsidized. And the reason this keeps happening is because people enjoy watching sports.

[Silophant]

Lacrosse is getting p popular

Tbh, most of the arguments against United playing in the Vikings stadium would also work for the Swarm and the X.

[grant1simons2]

The problem is that the swarm only play about 8-10 games a year. The Loons played 27 just last season

[Nick]

I saw a guy with a "Minnesota Heat" (basketball?) backpack getting off my plane a minute ago do you think they need one too?

[HuskyGrad]

On this basis, soccer is somewhere in between - games are both more frequent and over a greater span of time than football, but less frequent and on a shorter span of the year than baseball, basketball, or hockey.

Major League Soccer runs from the beginning of March to the beginning of December if you include the playoffs.


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[Realstreets]

...Urban stadiums are desirable to the extent that they improve the urban experience and add to the breadth of uses and level of activity...A soccer pitch at this location seems a nice addition, one that won't deactivate a critical part of the fabric while probably increasing urban activities and off-hours uses. That probably means it's worthwhile for the city or county to help them arrange and/or structure their financing. Actually funding it, of course, should be left to the rich people who own the teams, just as all our private-sports facilities should be funded privately.

As much as I would love a downtown stadium, I would say this is not true and the list of evidence as to the contrary is long (numerous economic analyses on the lack of economic benefits and one recent on the impact to urban fabric). Time and time again stadiums are built in urban areas on this basis and most times they do nothing to improve anything other than slightly increasing business on game days. It's just one of the many holes in economic development.

With the exception of some bars, a massive parking facility, maybe a hotel, I would be hard pressed to say what urban activity-type benefit Target Center and Target field have brought to the immediate downtown even if we recognize that the more events the less likely the area is to become a urban wasteland (downtown east around the Metrodome).

Now this all might be a mute point, one mired in the bitter reality of public subsidies for private real estate, because where else would we put stadiums? I sure as hell don't want them in Blaine! I think the best compromise are multi-use stadiums and it's a shame that's not what we got with the Viking stadium...

But I'm really excited that we're getting an MLS team so my vote is for a downtown (nearby) facility, accessible by public transit.

[mattaudio]

I have no idea if it is possible, but you'd think a combination Saints / United stadium would have been a winner somehow... some way to bring the "outfield" in for baseball, but expand it to be a pitch for soccer. Similar capacity, similar non-bruh culture, real grass field, etc. Could have been a winner.

[HuskyGrad]

I have no idea if it is possible, but you'd think a combination Saints / United stadium would have been a winner somehow... some way to bring the "outfield" in for baseball, but expand it to be a pitch for soccer. Similar capacity, similar non-bruh culture, real grass field, etc. Could have been a winner.

The Saints Stadium holds 7,000, whereas a soccer stadium with have a capacity in the range of 18-22,000.

[HuskyGrad]

MLS, Minnesota United FC release statement, Vikings concede.
http://www.startribune.com/sports/296469491.html

[acs]

This is all going to come down to the stadium proposal. This could still all fall apart ala Miami if not handled well.

[BigIdeasGuy]

I think the best compromise are multi-use stadiums and it's a shame that's not what we got with the Viking stadium...

We tried that with the Dome and while it worked this town for 30 years it's time has come and gone, which I would argue is a good thing. With the exception of combined basketball & hockey arenas the entire concept of multi-use stadium is pretty much dead for better or worse

[talindsay]

Of course in theory gridiron football and association football are just about ideal for a shared facility - their fields are almost the same dimensions and are used for roughly similar activities, with the same general field-of-play expectations. The problem, of course, is that the NFL wants such a specific thing, and that specific is so far removed from what's good for our substantially smaller MLS audiences that it becomes unworkable. But in principle the two *do* work together in a way that, say, baseball and football never could. That combination, of course, is about the worst imaginable given the completely incompatible field dimensions, field-of-play expectations, and activity types.

[twincitizen]

So I changed the thread title to "Minneapolis", in hopes that you hardcore soccer fans out there will be lobbying the team's ownership group to change the name to "Minneapolis". For christsakes can we get a single team in this city named after the actual city already! Personally, I think Minneapolis should've/could've at least asked for that with the Vikings, and if not that, I think they could've demanded it from the Timberwolves after contributing $50MM to the (city-owned) Target Center rehab.

Are there any teams in MLS named after a state instead of a city? If not, let's please not allow Minnesota to start a trend.

[acs]

Doncha' know? It's got to be Minnesota so that St. Paul and outstate feel included and all. It's socialism, ya-know?

[Realstreets]

So I changed the thread title to "Minneapolis", in hopes that you hardcore soccer fans out there will be lobbying the team's ownership group to change the name to "Minneapolis". For christsakes can we get a single team in this city named after the actual city already! Personally, I think Minneapolis should've/could've at least asked for that with the Vikings, and if not that, I think they could've demanded it from the Timberwolves after contributing $50MM to the (city-owned) Target Center rehab.

Are there any teams in MLS named after a state instead of a city? If not, let's please not allow Minnesota to start a trend.

This^^^^ Completely agree and it's keeping with the tradition of city football clubs.

Colorado does this with their MLS team. Here are the team/states that do this https://answers.yahoo.com/question/inde ... 604AAR2S4C

Doncha' know? It's got to be Minnesota so that St. Paul and outstate feel included and all. It's socialism, ya-know?

Call them the St. Paul Wild for all I care.

[Realstreets]

If Minneapolis can't have it's own team how about MSP United?

[twincitizen]

RT Rybak would have a second heart attack if they were called Twin Cities United

[VAStationDude]

Insisting on Minneapolis in the name over Minnesota should guarantee support from out state legislators crucial to any public funding. Nothing those people love more than Europhile city snobs. Out state legislators also really like soccer's other big fan base - African and Latin American immigrants.

[Realstreets]

Insisting on Minneapolis in the name over Minnesota should guarantee support from out state legislators crucial to any public funding. Nothing those people love more than Europhile city snobs. Out state legislators also really like soccer's other big fan base - African and Latin American immigrants.

It's not like there isn't any basis for naming a team after the city they are in? Or actually referring to a city by it's name (Minneapolis vs. Twin Cities). In the end, it's a marketing decision by the owners.