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Message: [QUOTE="DarthGrumpy, post: 3322120, member: 2141"] It's clear that MLS has simplified the criteria for expansion teams - money, money and show MLS owners the money. That's it. [URL unfurl="true"]https://www.espn.com/soccer/major-league-soccer/story/3984951/charlotte-at-the-front-of-the-line-for-mls-expansion-don-garber[/URL] [I]"It's fair to say that Charlotte has done a lot of work, to move their bid really to the front of line," Garber said. "It starts with David Tepper, the owner of the Carolina Panthers. He's a very passionate guy about sport, he's very passionate about Charlotte."[/I] Tepper is indeed passionate about Charlotte; but, he has not done the work to build a fan base and development program in the Charlotte area (Raleigh has) and he seems to be using the MLS carrot as a way to get public financing to renovate his football stadium instead of investing in an actual soccer pitch. Without an existing, strong fan base (Seattle and Atlanta has such before MLS arrived), its crazy to think a city with a metro area of 2.57 Million (#23 in the US) will be able to pack a NFL-sized stadium of 60K for an entire season of MLS soccer as Seattle with 3.94 Million (#15) and Atlanta with 5.95 (#9) can. That's why comparable metros with MLS stadiums (Denver with 2.93, Orlando with 2.57, Portland 2.48, Sacramento with 2.48, Cincinnati with 2.19) all have soccer venues int he 20K to 30K range. As for NFL owners in MLS, how's that new stadium for the New England Revolution coming? [/QUOTE]

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