Vancouver to MLS in 2011... News from Garber and Derby County

Well, the worst kept secret in the history of North American soccer was finally revealed yesterday. Vancouver will join the MLS in 2011.

While I'm really happy Vancouver will move forward to "big league soccer" and continue to grow, it still kinda bothers me that it worked out to be a process of elimination. Seven cities, all the way down to four, with two spots open. From the beginning, Vancouver's bid led the way. It's just a shame, that - for example - they didn't beat out Miami, or have a better bid-book than Montreal. I asked MLS Commissioner Don Garber if he had any regrets about all the bids dropping out and not making a decision far sooner than now. He said that time was needed for the process. I say, what else is he supposed to say? I truly believe that had Garber made a decision (say around the MLS Cup in November), then the league would've come across a bit more professional (from a soccer/expansion bid-operations standpoint), and a little more rich (2 franchises at that time would have netted $80 million).

In the end, Vancouver won via last-man standing. The way things shook down, it looked more like the MLS desperately needed Vancouver... far more than Vancouver needed Major League Soccer.

Seven cities, down to four, with three of the four facing big questions. Meaning, the other city selected with the least amount of uncertainty will be chosen. All that being said, Garber basically confirmed that Portland will be announced on Friday (March 20). When I asked Garber about the rumblings coming from Portland, he grinned and said, "Portland remains a viable option...," and then quietly giggled like a little school-girl.

Some of the other things that came up on Wednesday...

- Nobody appeared to care to ask Don Garber how much Vancouver paid for their franchise. The MLS long stated that the $40 million expansion fee was non-negotiable. Montreal and Joey Saputo basically said, "Hey Garbs, you're crazy." Miami and Atlanta bailed because of the fees. Because I felt Vancouver really had the ball in their court, I figured they could have offered the MLS a Starbucks gift-card. No... not to be. $35 million was paid. Vancouver saves $5 million from the original demands.

- Garber says that Montreal remains a possibility down the road... but I really get the sense he dislikes Joey Saputo. Saputo and Montreal called him out. I don't think the commish will forget that.

- All this talk about the franchise not going with the name "Whitecaps" is crap. The name will live. It sounds like the MLS will try and stay away from it (ties to NASL, USL, etc...) for the time being. But at the end of the day (figure of speech, actually months from now), it will certainly be Vancouver Whitecaps FC.

- Vancouver co-owner and former Yahoo! President and COO Jeff Mallett is an incredibly nice guy. He stopped to chat with anybody and everybody. He also promised to join Full-Time in the near future. But Mallett revealed some other big news. He's now one of the newest owners at Derby County of the English League Championship. Of course Calgary billionaire and CBC's Dragon's Den panelist W. Brett Wilson is a part of Derby's ownership group. Mallett wasn't certain, but he thinks the club may now be completely owned by Canadians. The relationship between Derby and the Whitecaps could definitely be something to look for down the road.

- Vancouver's other co-owner and soccer saviour Greg Kerfoot is still unbelievably mysterious.

-MM

Sorry Ottawa, you aren't getting an MLS franchise

So Barcelona seems to wavering on the idea of joining the Miami bid for an MLS franchise. What was once regarded as a 'lock' now seems like it might not even get off the ground. I'm not going to get into whether they will or won't get a franchise -- I still think that they are one of the favourites to secure a franchise -- but what I do want to touch on is the fact that because Miami and Barcelona may be in trouble, people in Ottawa have all of a sudden decided they are the next best thing and Eugene Melnyk's bid is terrific. Well, I'm here to send you back down to earth. Ottawa will not get an MLS franchise, not in 2011, not in 2013 and probably not in 2018.

First off, Ottawa does not have the best soccer tradition. They never had a team in the NASL, and while they had a team in the Canadian Soccer League for a few years, they never really wowed a large crowd. People may try point to the U20 World Cup held in Ottawa as proof that they can bring out a crowd, but the reality is, many of those were tourists from other countries and people who always show up for big events.

Secondly, the government is still deciding if they want to build a stadium, either a new one in Kanata or revive Frank Clair Stadium. Ultimately, that decision will be made by the government, and not just one level of government but 3 different levels. It's tough enough to get one level to agree to something (see Whitecaps Waterfront Stadium) let alone three levels. The other problem is that a recent poll conducted by the Ottawa Citizen showed that most Ottawa residents would prefer to have the stadium situated at the Lansdowne Park location. Only 15% chose the Kanata site. That's a serious blow to the chances of the man behind the Ottawa bid, Eugene Melnyk, assuming the government actually listens to its residents. The people I have talked to who cover sports in Ottawa think that a stadium in Kanata would effectively kill the franchise before it even got off the ground.

The other issue that makes the Ottawa bid a failure is Melnyk's business proposal, which makes no sense whatsoever. According to my sources, Melnyk wants to invest $80 Million in a stadium and $40 Million in a team. Toronto FC, one of the most successful clubs in the MLS, makes $2 Million per year. If Ottawa and Melnyk match that, in order to make their money back, Ottawa's franchise would need a 60-year run before Melnyk even makes his principal back. That's not a smart business decision in any business.

Finally, I'm not much for conspiracy theories, but there are rumours circulating that the only reason Eugene Melnyk is pursuing an MLS franchise is to cut the CFL revival effort off at the pass. According to a source, the Sens would love to own and control all sports entertainment in Ottawa and are trying to pre-empt the CFL group. My source says that they would be "absolutely shocked if Ottawa got a team and even more shocked if they it actually kicked off".

So there you have it -- why Ottawa won't be getting an MLS franchise. I don't think the Melnyk bid will pass. Sorry Ottawa fans.

-TG