Expansion: St. Louis Priced Out?

St. Louis is usually one of the first cities mentioned when talking about future MLS expansion, but with the league drastically hiking fees for a group to land the rights to a club over the past few years, Major League Soccer may have just priced themselves out of the St. Louis market.

When Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment brought Toronto FC into MLS in 2006, they paid $10 million to the league. Philadelphia’s franchise, which will begin play in 2010, paid three-times that amount, $30 million. And when the MLS held a board of governors meeting in Toronto last month, it was suggested that the expansion fee could be raised to as much as $50 million for the 17th and 18th teams, in light of the league’s growing popularity and competition between cities.

“We’re not going to pay so much,” says Jeff Cooper, chairman of St. Louis Soccer United. “We have to look at this as a business decision. If they’re unreasonable with the price, we can go elsewhere.”

Cooper, a local attorney who has made his fortune through asbestos settlements, has long been the main figure in an investment group trying to bring Major League Soccer to St. Louis. Their idea centers around an 18,500-seat stadium and retail center that would make up the jewel of the $573 million complex in Collinsville, IL, a city 15 miles to the east of the St. Louis.
If the $50 million expansion fee proves too costly, an alternative being pitched by some members of the group would have the new stadium be home to a United Soccer League franchise instead. But all hopes are that MLS will lower their price for a St. Louis team.

“We’re standing ready as soon as MLS is ready,” said Cooper. “I don’t know what else we can do.”

St. Louis Soccer United is planning to submit a formal bid to the league in the coming weeks, ahead of an October 15th deadline set by MLS for potential expansion cities to make their plans known. Other cities suggested to be in competition for the league’s next two spots include: Las Vegas; Portland, OR; Vancouver; Montreal; Ottawa; Atlanta; Miami; and a second team in New York.

A decision on the two newest sites for expansion is expected early next year.