The final four contenders for MLS’ two expansion slots pled their cases in NYC on Thursday, as Sacramento, Nashville, Detroit and Cincinnati all made formal presentations on Wednesday to MLS Commissioner Don Garber and the league’s Expansion Committee at MLS headquarters in New York City.
Cincinnati’s case was made by FC Cincinnati owner and CEO Carl H. Lindner III leading a group that included FCC President and General Manager Jeff Berding and Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley. “We had the opportunity to discuss the special things that are happening in our hometown,” Berding said, per MLSSoccer.com. “What’s transpired over the last two years in Cincinnati has been remarkable, and we owe our supporters the credit for really the tremendous excitement and energy that has occurred in a city not too many thought possible two years ago. We’re very proud of Cincinnati – it’s a major-league town.”
Detroit’s presentations included Cleveland Cavaliers owner and Quicken Loans CEO Dan Gilbert, Palace Sports & Entertainment Vice Chairman Arn Tellem (representing Pistons owner Tom Gores) and Detroit Lions President Ron Wood (on behalf of the Ford Family), as well as Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan.”We believe we’re going to be like Atlanta,” Tellem said. “We believe that there is such strong interest in Detroit and the region, we’re going to be able to support crowds of 30-to-40,000 once we have an MLS team.”
For Nashville, executives heard from Nashville2MLS Committee chairman Will Alexander, who was accompanied during the presentation by John Ingram, CEO of Nashville Soccer Holdings; Mary Cavarra, EVP and CFO, Ingram Industries; Eleanor McDonald, EVP and General Counsel, Ingram Industries; Jay Turner (Managing Director) and Dirk Melton (Development Director) of MarketStreet, as well as Mark Wilf, President and Co-Owner, Minnesota Vikings. Alexnander stated that his group believes Nashville would fill a geographic void for MLS, potentially serving as the closest league club for 13 million fans across nine states. “One thing we pointed out is that Nashville as an entertainment hub has a global brand, and that’s unique, really – very few cities around the world are recognizable like that, and we talked about how we’d leverage that,” he said.
Finally, Sacramento’s bid was supported by Chairman and CEO Kevin Nagle, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, his predecessor, Kevin Johnson, and Sacramento Soccer & Entertainment Holdings COO and Chief Advisor Ben Gumpert, who announced that Meg Whitman and Griffith Harsh would be investing in the bid. “We knew that this was a step along in the process, and a step far along in the process,” Gumpert said. “And our goal and commitment from Day One, from Mayor Steinberg and Kevin’s leadership, has been to sprint through the finish line, and that’s what we are going to continue to do.”
