Seattle to MLS in 2009

   

Major League Soccer's 15th team will be its first in the Pacific Northwest.

SBI has learned that MLS has chosen Seattle as the home for the next MLS expansion team. Sources with knowledge of the deal have confirmed that Seattle will join MLS for the 2009 season, a year after San Jose is set to join MLS as its 14th team. An official announcement will be made in two weeks.

No word yet on what the franchise fee is for the deal but it is believed to be worth approximately $30 million. According to sources from the Pacific Northwest, owners of the USL Seattle Sounders will be involved with the ownership group and the new MLS team will be called the Sounders. I'm still looking for more confirmation on this aspect of the story.

One source is telling me the Seattle Sounders will stop playing after this season in order to give the market a season to build up momentum for the new MLS franchise. I'm not sure what that will mean for the current Sounders roster. I don't really understand such a move since it would make much more sense to keep the current Seattle squad going for a year and building the MLS team from that roster before the 2009 season.

The Sounders are set to play host to the USL final on Saturday against Atlanta.

What's my take? It is a solid decision by the league because there are few, if any other, markets where a built-in fanbase exists like the Seattle Sounders fanbase. I would still like to see Philadelphia get a team but Seattle is a deserving market.

What I am really interested to know is whether the Portland market will embrace a Seattle MLS franchise. Having an MLS team just three hours away sounds like it would make Portland a potential home for new Sounders fans but Portland Timbers fans consider the Seattle Sounders their arch-rival so I'm not sure if the new MLS team could count on drawing fans from Portland.

What do you think of this news? Share your thoughts below.

Comments

[Andrew Murray]

this is great news, but Im confused why do Seattle deem it necessary to take a year off?

[doug]

Great decision, but what about St. Louis. It seems they have done more for US Soccer than most cities and they dont have a pro team to show for it. This is strange. St. Louis is one of the few genuine soccer hotbeds in the US

[Greg]

is this really going to be the same team (players and all) that enters the MLS?

[Dan]

I just hope they add another team with Seattle. Having odd teams for another year means another year of this schedule where teams rotate playing three games in 8 days followed by 2 weeks off.

[James]

This is an honest question, so don't bash me to badly for asking:

What is going to prevent the Sounder's ownership from "promoting" a majority of their currently players (by: increasing the their contracts and the such), and cherry picking a handful of players in an expansion draft?

I always hear about expansion teams diluting the talent pool, but with teams that run great systems (like Seattle), isn't this the most ideal scenario? They already have most of the players they'll need.

[Puhe]

Where will this team play? The seattle NFL stadium?

What happened to the TFC model?

[Speedball]

Are the NY Cos-Mets still a strong possiblity for 2010?

[Duke]

Lame. Lame. Lame. They will play in that over-sized stadium and will kill off Portland and Vancouver USL teams within 5 years. Bonehead move on MLS' part.

[Max]

They must be getting a sweet deal from Qwest for Garber to allow them in without an SSS.

[doug]

is Paul Allen going to have anything to do with this. If so it might be easy to get a soccer specific stadium built pretty quick. If not I wonder where they will play

[Jim]

There are a lot of cities lining up but at some point in the future it would be terrific to see Portland and Vancouver join Seattle in MLS. That would continue and improve what is a great local rivalry/derby. I just don't see Vancouver getting a team as a second Canadian franchise before more US cities join.

Ives, what do you see as the upper limit of MLS teams, say 20 years from now? In a country as big as ours there could easily be 32 teams split into two leagues playing for a title. I know that is decades away but we don't have to be limited by a 20 team league if the interest is there.

[ct]

If they are coming in without an SSS, I'm pissed off.

[Martin]

PERFECT decision by MLS & Seattle ownership. This will be huge. Now the next steps for the PacNW will be to get the Timbers and Whitecaps into MLS too. That would be sensational!

[Martin]

(btw, that was in terms of the teams themselves, not stadium issues....they need to get a SSS like everyone else)

[Nick]

I'm happy that Seattle is getting a team as it seems well deserved, but I would have preferred Philadelphia or Vegas.

As far as the SSS is concerned, I would love to know what the deal is. As much as I love QWest, it is just too big for soccer and like someone else said, I thought you had to have a SSS in your plans to be granted a team.

Needed in MLS soon:
East:
St Louis
Philadelphia
NY Mets team (Metros? ;) )

West:
Seattle
Portland
Vancouver

Cleveland, Las Vegas next round

Phoenix, someone else, etc...after that (we're not stopping at 18/20...eventually it'll be more)

[Tom]

Remain calm people.
For all of the talk of SSS, financial viability, and the opening of a new area/market for television reach/fees is paramount to MLS over pretty much all else.
New TV contract in 2014. To garner more rev they need to be more spread out. A simple truth so to speak. TV money, over all else, will help take this league to the next level more quickly and I am sure this figures into MLS line of thinking. It has to.

As someone posted, I bet the deal they are getting at Qwest must be really, really sweet.

They have local ownership and owners with deep pockets.

They keep their name, one of the most recognizable from NASL days, and one still in operation.

New market/area of country, expansion fee, local owners, presumed sweet deal at Qwest (has to be to show other markets why they are allowing it for now), local history and awareness, plus future SSS plan = good bet for MLS.

Note - MLS does not care about the viability of Vancouver or Portland in the USL and why should they? This will possibly help "motivate these markets to get the ball rolling more quickly" in order for them to get into MLS.

In a growing business you have to take soem chances. MLS did in Salt Lake and it is now paying off. They pulled SJ, and called the cities bluff, and now they have a well supported team in Houston and SJ is coming back, I think stronger than ever.

We are stil a forming/growing league. Do not forget this youngins.
It doesn't happen overnight and we do not have the clout of the bigger leagues. The way it is. The sooner you comprehend this the better.

OK, let's see who steps up for 16. Should be interesting.

[randall]

and seattles starting goalkeeper- a 51 year old kasey keller!

[Tom]

You gonna spend DP money on KK?!

You know he is gonna want it!

Long live the SOUNDERS!

[Adrian]

Le Sounders et mort. Vive le Sounders.

[emanon]

With 15 teams, perhaps MLS will go to a single table with home and away = 30 games

[Trex]

So by 2020 will we look like this?

East:
NY Red Bull
NE Revs
DC United
Toronto FC
Philly
NY #2

Central:
Chicago Fire
Columbus Crew
KC Wiz
Colorado
St. Louis
Milwaukee

South:
Houston
FC Dallas
Atlanta
Las Vegas
Phoenix
Miami

West:
LA Galaxy
Chivas USA
RSL
Seattle Sounders
San Jose Quakes
Portland

I've thought about this before, if we had enough teams for 4 divisions. This would help with travel and scheduling. I know I know, it's fun to dream.

[Joamiq]

emanon: With 15 teams, you'd have 28 games.

I'm glad to have the Sounders "promoted" to MLS, but Ives, if you can tell us what the deal is with where they'll be playing, that would be much appreciated...

[Matthew Kiefer]

The Sounders are actually playing the Atlanta Silverbacks in the USL Championship.