Despite hurdles, MLS commissioner wants stadium plan for Minnesota United by deadline
MLS commissioner Don Garber reinforced his desire to see the expansion group in Minnesota present a stadium plan before a proposed July 1 deadline on Thursday.
Minnesota United FC owner Bill McGuire and his partners are in the midst of searching for the right deal to build a soccer-specific stadium in downtown Minneapolis.
Their efforts to build a privately financed, $120 million stadium in the West Loop neighborhood took a hit when the Minnesota Legislature adjourned in May without reaching an agreement on the club's bid for tax relief and economic development tools.
Several communities in the greater Minneapolis area -- including Brooklyn Park and St. Paul -- have expressed some measure of interest in working with the club to build a stadium in the coming years, but McGuire and his partners have not yet confirmed either a new site or a financing plan to build the stadium in time for a potential debut in 2017 or 2018.
Garber reinforced the need for Minnesota to make progress toward reaching a stadium solution in the next week or so as it seeks to firm up its plans for the future.
"They have an upcoming deadline to hopefully finalize something with their stadium," Garber said after New York City FC and New York Red Bulls held a press conference ahead of their match at Yankee Stadium on Sunday. "I'm not going to comment on it until that deadline has passed. I have a lot of respect for Bill McGuire and his partners. We love the market. We want to see something happen there. But we'll wait and see. We really want to have a team in Minnesota, but they have to play in a downtown stadium because that's the deal we cut."
The location of the proposed stadium -- right in the middle of the Farmers Market neighborhood and close to Target Field -- served as one of the cornerstones of the expansion bid.
It is not known what sort of locations the league would find acceptable, but Garber categorically ruled out the possibility of the expansion side following New York City FC's lead and starting its MLS journey in Target Field.
"No, that wasn't the agreement we made with them," Garber said. "We're going to make different decisions in different markets. That's one thing being the boss allows us to do."
Garber expressed disappointment about the inability to navigate the bill through the legislature last month, but he noted he thought the league still made the correct decision to award an expansion team to McGuire and his partners in March.
"In a perfect world, that would have been easier for everybody," Garber said. "You guys have known me for a long time: We don't live in anything remotely close to a perfect world. We were trying to get something done before the end of the legislative session. And we ran out of time. Those things happen. You have to pivot. You have to make the decision now going forward to allow us to go forward in that market."