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Image source: Major League Soccer

We saw this on Gothamist and then took a look at the source article on Soccer by Ives, and we were intrigued by what’s being discussed – Major League Soccer (MLS) has developed a wandering eye in the direction of Florida. We really thought the Flushing Meadows Corona Park location was a done deal, but apparently it isn’t in stone – and MLS is getting twitchy.

On Sunday, MLS commissioner Don Garber spoke to reporters at halftime of the New York Red Bulls/DC United match, and opined that the League needs to finalize the details of the proposed MLS stadium in Queens. He said, “It needs to get done so that we can move on with our expansion plans. I’m not going to put any timing on that but we’ve got to finalize our expansion plan. There’s a lot of activity in Orlando and we’ve got to figure out where that fits in with our expansion timing.”

Orlando City wants soccer, and they are “attempting to finalize a stadium deal of their own that will hinge on entrance into MLS.” Garber also thinks that Florida as a whole is a more attractive spot for soccer. More than one MLS team could make their home in Florida (they likely have more space overall than NYC does) – another city to consider there is Miami, which has a huge soccer loving population. Apparently MLS doesn’t have any representation lower than DC, so that’s an attractive reason for a Florida expansion, too.

Garber and the League continue to meet with city officials and has also said, “I am confident we are going to get this done. It’s been a big project for us, a legacy one for this league.” They do understand the time and energy invested in working out this NYC deal. It will be interesting to see what happens next.

Is Time Running Out For MLS’s Queens Soccer Stadium Plan? [Gothamist]
Garber: NYC2 Efforts Must Pick Up Pace as Florida Expansion Becomes a Stronger Possibility [Soccer By Ives]
MLS weekend in review [Washington Post]
The landscape of the Major League Soccer stadium saga in Flushing Meadows Corona Park [QNYC]


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  1. It’s so obnoxious when sports franchises threaten cities like this. Let ’em go to Florida. If they think the MLS will be better off without a presence in New York City, they can delude themselves straight down to the swamp.