Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

MLS in Vegas sets soccer fans abuzz online

The thought of a Major League Soccer team in Las Vegas has fans buzzing on a popular soccer Web site.

They've been dissecting the dream on BigSoccer.com since the Las Vegas Sun reported May 9 on Las Vegas Sports & Entertainment Group's proposal to draw an expansion team.

The thread - "Las Vegas MLS plan ($35 Million on the Table)" - has been one of the most popular of the hundreds on the site, drawing 386 posts and attracting more than 16,000 views through Tuesday .

Fans post smart dialogue on the plan, discussing migration patterns, population projections, median housing prices and the fallacy that a third of gaming industry employees work at night .

"The city is twice the size of Salt Lake City, and it's expected to pass Denver by 2010," writes monster from Hanover, Pa. "That's not counting tourists. It's not a slam dunk, but it's not dire, either."

They toss around potential nicknames for the new football club - FC Vegas, Red Devils, Las Vegas Aces, Sin City FC - and even produce uniform designs. Several suggest Las Vegas should be the permanent home of the MLS Cup.

Some of the discourse is just plain silly.

"I just hope they serve cheap, giant margaritas at the Silver Spurs Dome," scott47a writes from somewhere on the West Coast. Nebraska Addick envisions a section of Elvis impersonators who yell "Viva!" at every good play by the home team.

MLS expansion is a hot topic on Bigsoccer.com with MLS officials planning to add three teams by the 2010 season. There are threads on potential cities including San Jose, Phoenix, Kansas City, Portland, Montreal, Vancouver and New York, where the owners of the Mets baseball team want to add a second soccer franchise.

But the Las Vegas proposal, which includes a $500 million, retractable-roof, soccer-specific stadium next to a hotel and casino, beckons fans like neon.

It " could succeed if it's a spectacle of a facility," writes Illinois-based RogueFC. "The stadium has to be a sight, and that will bring in visitors as well as locals."

FC Stalinists from Toronto marvels about the stadium: "They bring in teams from Europe (for exhibitions), and think of all those fans flying in spending cash. If Red Star Belgrade were to play FC St. Pauli, I'd fly to Vegas for four days."

Others applaud Mark Noorzai, head of the Las Vegas Sports Entertainment Group, and its main spokesman , Paul Caligiuri, a Hall of Fame player who scored the goal that put the U.S. team in its first World Cup in 50 years.

"It looks like 'the shot heard round the world' won't be Caligiuri's only lasting contribution to American soccer," Syoshonis writes. "Bravo."

"My respect for Caligiuri has increased significantly," DC United Fan writes. "This is really exciting!"

Some criticize the plan - and others come to its defense.

Some write that MLS Commissioner Don Garber needs to publicly acknowledge Las Vegas Sports Entertainment Group. MLS President Mark Abbott, in charge of expansion, spoke to the Sun about LVSEG and the Las Vegas market.

"It's not (Garber's) call," monster writes. "It's the owners' call. But that fact escapes many people on (the thread) with great regularity."

Others question whether Las Vegas will support a team with season tickets and corporate sponsorship.

"There was no fan base for Toronto FC before the team was announced," FC Stalinists writes. "The city drew less than 2,000 for its (United Soccer League) team. If the MLS can work in that environment, it can work anywhere." The Toronto club has a season-ticket base of more than 14,000 in its first season.

"The marketing know-how in (Las Vegas) is beyond belief," monster writes. "It they want to pump it up, they can."

Scotty47a doesn't comprehend any of the negativity.

"There is nothing wrong with Vegas. If someone wants to use their money to build an expensive, air-conditioned, retractable-roof stadium in Vegas and show an allegiance to soccer in this country, I'm all for it."

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