Catalan sports paper Sport claims that Barcelona is looking at the option of creating a sister team in the Major League Soccer (MLS), the professional league in the United States and Canada.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta and Barcelona official Joan Olivé travelled to Miami on Wednesday planning to meet with a North-American businessman who wants to apply for an MLS franchise that would carry the name of Barcelona.
Because of the financial implications this could have, Barcelona is willing to listen to the offer. Although the talks are still in an initial stage, the first contacts between the two parties would have lead to certain optimism about the final outcome and to this week's trip.
Laporta and Olivé are also expected to meet with MLS officials to discuss the possiblities and the economic consequences of such a franchise. American television network Univision claims that the new team could be named 'Barcelona USA'. Mexican club Chivas already made a similar move by creating Chivas USA back in 2004.
At this moment there are fourteen MLS teams divided between the Eastern and Western Conferences. MLS plans on expanding to 18 teams by 2011. However, only two of the four new teams (Seattle Sounders and Philadelphia) have been officially announced.
Friday 5 September 2008
Will there be a 'Barcelona USA' in 2011?
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7 comments:
Any clue as to what city would play home to FCB USA? I think Louisville, KY would be an excellent choice. Currently there are no MLS teams in Indianapolis, Cincinnati, Lexington, or Nashville. Louisville is in the middle of all those major cities, and only has one professional sports team in the AAA Baseball Louisville Bats. Stick FCB USA in Louisville and I can guarentee quite a few season ticket sales.
Don't know the MLS but wouldn't Miami be a good choice (since they travelled there)? Aren't there a lot of football fans in Florida (with all the Latino immigrants)? And why did the Miami team disappeared?
I hope it will be Indianapolis caz I go to college in IN :)
It said on goal.com that it would be in miami.
Indianapolis would be good, that's where I be from yo
this is so cool i hope its true plus if theres real talent they can come to the real barca, it seems that miami is the city but if there planning to add 2 teams in the east this could go on being in the west, who knows
They want to do it in Miami or not at all. Oh and the Fusion "failed" because they actually played 30 miles from Miami, the owner wanted to make money and didn't(no club did at that time in MLS), and the league pulled the plug.
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