Charlotte Cancels Bid/Project For MLS Team

[Drew]

 

[Drew]

Panthers owner in "ongoing discussions" with MLS on Charlotte expansion

"The owner of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers remains eager to bring Major League Soccer to Charlotte, North Carolina in the form of a future expansion team.

Last week businessman and hedge-fund manager David Tepper told reporters that he’s still highly interested in MLS, as the likes of Miami, Nashville and Cincinnati have captured recent expansion slots.

“We are having ongoing discussions with Major League Soccer,” said Tepper, whose personal fortune reportedly runs about $11 billion. “We’re talking about when they’ll take extra teams and when the time comes, we’ll be [ready]. We’re very much studying, very much focused on it. I personally believe that’s something that belongs in Charlotte.”"

 

[ZooCougar]

may not be dead after all:

Panthers owner is worth twice as much as Arthur Blank. If he wants to spend like Blank then welcome to the league!

 

[UCFBfan]

Panthers owner is worth twice as much as Arthur Blank. If he wants to spend like Blank then welcome to the league!

Sounds like they have zero intent of moving out of the Panthers stadium if given a team. So another MLS team playing in a cavernous, half to 3/4 empty stadium? Pass.

 

[ZooCougar]

Sounds like they have zero intent of moving out of the Panthers stadium if given a team. So another MLS team playing in a cavernous, half to 3/4 empty stadium? Pass.

Atlanta isn’t empty though. Seattle and Atlanta have great attendance. 2 out of 3 ain’t bad.

New England spends nothing on their team. It’s not just the stadium that is the problem. The team is basically Kraft’s afterbirth.

 

[Palatine]

Atlanta averaged 53,000. They have one of the largest fanbases in MLS, and they have set several league records for highest single-match. In 2018, Forbes estimated the franchise was the most valuable in the league, worth more than $300 million.

 

[kibblesnbits]

Atlanta didn't expect this level of success. Atlanta has had a team in just about every soccer league (male and female) over the last 50 years, none of which was very successful on the field or at the gate. I remember watching the NASL Chiefs games on TBS when they needed replacement content during the 1981 MLB strike. To say the stadium was relatively empty would be an understatement.

When the MLS team was granted all of the renderings showed the new stadium with curtains closing off the upper deck. In fact, the stadium was designed specifically with the goal of being able to create a more intimate setting for non-football uses. Two years of having the best team in the league, combined with a new stadium and smart management have generated more interest than they could have ever expected. Time will tell whether their success extends long-term. Atlanta has a long history of following something for a while and then getting bored with it.

atlanta mls renderings mercedes benz - Google Search:

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

Atlanta didn't expect this level of success. Atlanta has had a team in just about every soccer league (male and female) over the last 50 years, none of which was very successful on the field or at the gate. I remember watching the NASL Chiefs games on TBS when they needed replacement content during the 1981 MLB strike.

2019 - 1981 = ?
Almost 4 decades later, anything changed in the Atlanta metro area, business community, population and related socioeconomic composition, etc.? Yes, time will indeed tell.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

"The owner of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers remains eager to bring Major League Soccer to Charlotte, North Carolina in the form of a future expansion team. Last week businessman and hedge-fund manager David Tepper told reporters that he’s still highly interested in MLS, as the likes of Miami, Nashville and Cincinnati have captured recent expansion slots."

From Drew's Charlotte newspaper link:

"The Panthers have in place infrastructure for MLS, with Bank of America Stadium capable of hosting a team and team President Tom Glick an experienced hand in soccer circles. In addition to running the Panthers’ day-to day operations since his hiring last year, Glick spent the previous six years developing the City Football Group, a multi-national soccer organization that includes six clubs including 2018 English Premier League champion Manchester City FC. The Group also owns MLS’s New York City FC."

Without loving NFL stadiums for soccer, it does not hurt for an uber HNW NFL owner and self-described soccer guy to potentially push for a city to further use a reportedly underutilized stadim, to have an NFL team president with a solid-soccer network, actual related experience, etc, and large corporations known to support local professional teams in their other major locations. Geographically, Charlotte would also fit in well with Atlanta, DC, and the Nashville team starting next year.

 

[kibblesnbits]

2019 - 1981 = ?
Almost 4 decades later, anything changed in the Atlanta metro area, business community, population and related socioeconomic composition, etc.? Yes, time will indeed tell.

That was just an example. Look at Atlanta’s more recent history in soccer and other sports. There is nothing anyone can point to that would indicate a massive pent up soccer audience. Certainly the Silverbacks, Beat, etc. were not big draws at the box office.

 

[ZooCougar]

That was just an example. Look at Atlanta’s more recent history in soccer and other sports. There is nothing anyone can point to that would indicate a massive pent up soccer audience. Certainly the Silverbacks, Beat, etc. were not big draws at the box office.

Silverbacks had a nice cult following. But Comparing the Silverbacks to the MLS Team is not apples to apples. They just sold a player for $27M.

I could see a situation where the fad might wear off in Atlanta (kind of like UConn Football) when the team makes a dip, BUT they are all also spending and signing talent better than anyone else in the league. That may not happen anytime soon.

Arthur Blank is one of the best things that ever happened to MLS. He basically shamed Kraft into investing more. The Krafts and the Hunts really need to crap or get off the pot.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

That was just an example. Look at Atlanta’s more recent history in soccer and other sports.

OK, but citing minor league teams versus the commercially-acknowledged major league and Atlanta's changes cannot be ignored

 

[kibblesnbits]

OK, but citing minor league teams versus the commercially-acknowledged major league and Atlanta's changes cannot be ignored

The only available recent data was from minor leagues because nobody in the first 20+ years of MLS thought that Atlanta, one of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas, was a soccer town. Now everyone seems to think they are the ultimate soccer town. Maybe it is, but it’s also the only city where I’ve purchased good playoff tickets at the box office on the day of the game in two different sports (baseball and basketball). Trends have traditionally worn off quickly there.

 

[ZooCougar]

The only available recent data was from minor leagues because nobody in the first 20+ years of MLS thought that Atlanta, one of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas, was a soccer town. Now everyone seems to think they are the ultimate soccer town. Maybe it is, but it’s also the only city where I’ve purchased good playoff tickets at the box office on the day of the game in two different sports (baseball and basketball). Trends have traditionally worn off quickly there.

KC went through a phase where it was the “Soccer Capital”. In truth, outside of DC we really didn’t have any soccer towns. Atlanta will settle in and be like Seattle is hopefully.

I think the better owners are putting a quality product on the field and a good stadium experience and they are getting good attendance and exposure in their markets. With a few exceptions like Red Bull and Dallas.

Atlanta looks to be playing the long game. They have brought in two high profile international managers, spent close to 100M on a training center and want to make noise on the transfer market. I am not going to be an Atlanta fan but they are doing it right.

My only criticism is that their stadium makes for bad TV viewing and I hate artificial surfaces.

 

[UCFBfan]

Atlanta isn’t empty though. Seattle and Atlanta have great attendance. 2 out of 3 ain’t bad.

New England spends nothing on their team. It’s not just the stadium that is the problem. The team is basically Kraft’s afterbirth.

True, forgot about Seattle. I didn't count Atlanta because they built that new stadium to be football and soccer specific. So it adapts to the sport.

Bank of America field does not do that and I just hate seeing massive football stadiums be mostly empty while a soccer game is played on a field.

I also hate watching NYFC at Yankee Stadium. On TV it looks like an amateur soccer field. The sightlines are horrific on TV, can't imagine what it's like in person

 

[Waquoit]

I remember being in San Diego when the Sockers were hottest team in the city. They sold every seat and their coach wore a tux to the games.. Where are they now?

 

[ZooCougar]

I remember being in San Diego when the Sockers were hottest team in the city. They sold every seat and their coach wore a tux to the games.. Where are they now?

Still plugging away in the MASL. Which is a bunch of fun. I need to get down to a Comets game again.

 

[DarthGrumpy]

The Raleigh/Durham area has more soccer 'history' and fan support that Charlotte. I see this as a new NFL owner trying to squeeze a few more dollars out of his new investment. Atlanta's Mercedes Benz Stadium was designed to host a MLS team, Charlotte's Bank of America stadium was not.

Overall, as dicussed elsewhere, MLS is drunk off of expansion fees. The league should look into relegation and help some of the teams that are struggling, such as the homeless Revs. If there is an expansion, I do think that Sacramento, St. Louis, and Detroit are likely out in front.

 

[3rdbass]

KC went through a phase where it was the “Soccer Capital”. In truth, outside of DC we really didn’t have any soccer towns. Atlanta will settle in and be like Seattle is hopefully.

I think the better owners are putting a quality product on the field and a good stadium experience and they are getting good attendance and exposure in their markets. With a few exceptions like Red Bull and Dallas.

Atlanta looks to be playing the long game. They have brought in two high profile international managers, spent close to 100M on a training center and want to make noise on the transfer market. I am not going to be an Atlanta fan but they are doing it right.

My only criticism is that their stadium makes for bad TV viewing and I hate artificial surfaces.

Not sure how it looks on TV but it is an awesome atmosphere for watching soccer. The supporter sections are full and have people chanting all game long. Going to the Final was so exciting this year. The best sport to watch in person in Atlanta due the success in the team and the great fan support. The stadium was built with both football and soccer in mind and it shows in the sight lines there.

 

[ZooCougar]

Not sure how it looks on TV but it is an awesome atmosphere for watching soccer. The supporter sections are full and have people chanting all game long. Going to the Final was so exciting this year. The best sport to watch in person in Atlanta due the success in the team and the great fan support. The stadium was built with both football and soccer in mind and it shows in the sight lines there.

The camera angles and the turf are off putting but they are one of the fun teams to watch.

I don’t think Atlanta will be as good this year and they will probably lose to KC again

 

[3rdbass]

The camera angles and the turf are off putting but they are one of the fun teams to watch.

I don’t think Atlanta will be as good this year and they will probably lose to KC again

We just got one of the best young midfielders in Latin America in Pity Martinez and have some great young players like George Bello. We only lost Almiron and replaced him with Martinez. I think we can be just as good as last year or better. Well going to the stadium to watch the game is a great fan experience. Good thing the in game experience can’t be matched with 70,000 rabid fans when they open the upper level. Soccer fever is real here in the Atl. We even have soccer fields appearing at some of our Marta Train Stations.

 

[ZooCougar]

We just got one of the best young midfielders in Latin America in Pity Martinez and have some great young players like George Bello. We only lost Almiron and replaced him with Martinez. I think we can be just as good as last year or better. Well going to the stadium to watch the game is a great fan experience. Good thing the in game experience can’t be matched with 70,000 rabid fans when they open the upper level. Soccer fever is real here in the Atl. We even have soccer fields appearing at some of our Marta Train Stations.

That’s great. I think Almiron is a really big loss. It takes a few months to integrate even really good talent.

You also signed Paul Pogba’s brother.

Also Tata Martino is better than FDB imo.

 

[3rdbass]

That’s great. I think Almiron is a really big loss. It takes a few months to integrate even really good talent.

You also signed Paul Pogba’s brother.

Also Tata Martino is better than FDB imo.

Well hopefully FDB will be good running an existing system like he was at Ajax when they won multiple titles. At least that is the hope.

 

[Drew]

 

[UCFBfan]

Yay.....another soccer team in a cavernous football stadium....just stop MLS....unless they have a soccer specific stadium site secured and stadium in process of being built, you should not be qualified to have a MLS team. At this point, there really is no need for any more MLS teams so if you want to keep adding, at least add with some correct things