I think the distance between Central and John Streets isn't big enough to accommodate a stadium. It is about 400 feet - for comparison sake, Columbus Crew's stadium is about 500 feet wide. You could close Central Avenue and John Street, but then the stadium would be butting up against the theater and Laurel Homes in a pretty odd way. I think it's more likely the theater would have to come down, Central Avenue would be chopped off, and the playing field would shift to the east of its current position.

^While the location looks good, I agree that the dimensions are not adequate for a full MLS stadium. The sidelines offer the best sightlines and the most raw number of seats, so it's likely impractical to build a stadium that only has seats on one sideline. Either buildings would need to come down, or it can't be built there.

Here's a quick and dirty copy paste of Crew's stadium laid overtop the location - the theater and adjacent buildings would have to go, you might be able to squeeze it in without removing the buildings on Wade but they would likely have to come down as well:

 

The one issue I have with copy and pasting another stadium onto that site is that you may be able to work creatively with the site to compact the width of the stadium. Mapfre is built on an open site with almost no restrictions, so it might be more sprawling than FCC could come up with. Perhaps decking the second level over the first level instead of behind it (kind of like Wrigley Stadium) could confine it to that site, but I don't know.

 

That being said, I still think it's too narrow to accomplish without significant demolition.

^^So technically it's big enough, but where's the parking for 30,000 people?  Yeah, I know it's walking distance to tons of housing in OTR and the West End, but the MLS isn't going to see it that way.  They're going to want garages or a sea of parking lots for people driving in from Mason and West Chester.  And they'll want them right next door if they're building a new stadium, not a few blocks away.  That just makes me too nervous about the fate of the surrounding area.

Thee is the music hall garages in place already.

 

You could build  new garage or so across the street, plus there looks like there are fields for parking there.

 

You could extend the streetcar or build light rail to help wth the crowd. Parking should not be a major concern.

I think sites that no one mentions but are possible are:

 

1) the old Kahn's facility on Spring Grove in Camp Washington. It's big enough, isn't desireable for housing or commercial use. It's been advertised for industrial, but nothing has happened yet.

 

2) The old Hudepohl and jail site. It's big enough, some cheap land could be purchased for parking, is technically walking distance to downtown (shuttles would help), and they could re-purpose the Hudepohl smokestack for the stadium.

Thee is the music hall garages in place already.

 

You could build  new garage or so across the street, plus there looks like there are fields for parking there.

 

You could extend the streetcar or build light rail to help wth the crowd. Parking should not be a major concern.

 

I hope you're right, but I don't think MLS is going to share our love of transit and historic preservation.  Look at Mapfre in Columbus on google earth.  The amount of parking surrounding that is ridiculous.

None of the sites is big enough to fit a stadium and enough parking, so let's quit talking about it.  Even if a new soccer stadium were built entirely with private dollars, it's still a waste, since a perfectly good stadium already exists. 

None of the sites is big enough to fit a stadium and enough parking, so let's quit talking about it.  Even if a new soccer stadium were built entirely with private dollars, it's still a waste, since a perfectly good stadium already exists.

 

Regardless, MLS will want a Soccer specific stadium for any chances of FCC to jump to the MLS.

 

I'm fully in favor of keeping nippert as FCC main venue, but there are indications from Don Garber that this will only be a short term solution rather than a solidified long term plan.

 

There is also talks about the IRS site in Covington as a potential area of interest. I wouldn't be totally against a MLS stadium in Northern KY with Cincinnati as the backdrop.

 

Cincinnati NEEDS MLS. The length of the season is the longest in any pro sports. There season starts from early March till Mid December. With 34 weeks of games, and 5 rounds of playoff matches, and an All Star game that cities host in the Middle of the summer. To have these people come to our urban core and come to these games (especially when the bengals/reds aren't at home) and in turn ride the street car to go to bars or restaurants after the games will be a boon to our cities vibrancy and economy.

 

I would love for Clifton and the UC area to experience this boon, but alot of signs are pointing that this simply won't be the case. If building a stadium means more vistors coming to cincinnati and exploring downtown (on days when they would have probably stayed at home or done something else in there suburb community) then so be it.

 

 

I'm down with the Stargel Stadium site.  There doesn't appear to be much going on between Central Ave. and Central Parkway right there, so if you had to bend Central Ave around a new stadium you could.  The Music Hall garage means you could get away with a smaller dedicated garage.  Good highway access via Liberty or Ezzard Charles, too (and even the Western Hills Viaduct or 50/Freeman for westsiders). 

 

And if the team got big enough, I could also see constructing a "game day loop" for the streetcar that uses 14th, Central Ave, and Wade.

None of the sites is big enough to fit a stadium and enough parking, so let's quit talking about it.  Even if a new soccer stadium were built entirely with private dollars, it's still a waste, since a perfectly good stadium already exists. 

 

I agree it would be a waste, but I think it's what MLS is going to push for. If it becomes inevitable and people push for tax dollars, I think we should figure out a way to trick Butler County or someone else into paying for it. "Voice of America Stadium" has a nice ring to it.

What people aren't considering is that a purpose-built stadium won't be perfect, just like how Nippert and Paul Brown aren't perfect.  The tennis stadium in Mason isn't perfect.  Great American isn't perfect.  Shoemaker Center 5/3 Arena isn't perfect.  People are envisioning perfection in their mind and that won't happen, and even if it did, it wouldn't be that great.       

 

In the unlikely event that The Bengals leave Cincinnati after expiration of their lease in 2026, then this team (assuming it happens) could have Paul Brown to itself.  As has been stated here and ignored, PBS was built with corner cut-outs of the sort that have just been built in Nippert.  As a renegotiation of the 2026 lease, The Bengals could probably leverage sharing PBS with a soccer team to their advantage, although they've already gotten pretty much there is to take in the 1996 lease!

No stadium will be perfect, but there are a lot of problems with PBS that would make me hesitant to accept a deal to move the team there.

 

That stadium is way too big for an MLS team in Cincinnati. It has a capacity of 65,535. The highest attendance in 2016 regular season was 60,147, followed by 53,302. The highest mean attendance was 42,636, followed by 31,324. I understand that you can tarp off the top sections, but it would be really demoralizing to have 20-25,000 people in such a large stadium. The atmosphere of soccer games helps drive attendance, and going into a stadium like PBS is a nonstarter for a good atmosphere. I know you'll say "who cares?", but it matters. Skepticism of this fact doesn't make it any less true.

 

Nippert is small enough where a crowd of 17,000+ looks pretty good with the top section tarped off, but allows for a crowd of 35,000 if demand is great for a particular game. They have to either stay at Nippert or build a new stadium somewhere. The club doesn't want to move home games to the suburbs and has stated this multiple times. They don't think they will be successful in Mason, and won't take the risk.

Thee is the music hall garages in place already.

 

You could build  new garage or so across the street, plus there looks like there are fields for parking there.

 

You could extend the streetcar or build light rail to help wth the crowd. Parking should not be a major concern.

 

I hope you're right, but I don't think MLS is going to share our love of transit and historic preservation.  Look at Mapfre in Columbus on google earth.  The amount of parking surrounding that is ridiculous.

 

Mapre was built in the late 90s on fairgrounds parking and part of the fair complex. it was essentially wasted space in Columbus and not too far from where they were playing already. Interstate access was probably a concern for them but parking was an afterthought because they had all this unused land sitting there waiting for development. Mapre came at the right time for that. Not many cities have such large swaths of surface parking available though. ALso, when Mapre was built, It was a different era and league then. Mapre reminds me of Dolphins stadium in Miami. It is in a field with nothing nearby to walk too. The league has said it sees the benefit integrating itself with the city. So I think the league would care about those issues now.

What people aren't considering is that a purpose-built stadium won't be perfect, just like how Nippert and Paul Brown aren't perfect.  The tennis stadium in Mason isn't perfect.  Great American isn't perfect.  Shoemaker Center 5/3 Arena isn't perfect.  People are envisioning perfection in their mind and that won't happen, and even if it did, it wouldn't be that great.       

 

In the unlikely event that The Bengals leave Cincinnati after expiration of their lease in 2026, then this team (assuming it happens) could have Paul Brown to itself.  As has been stated here and ignored, PBS was built with corner cut-outs of the sort that have just been built in Nippert.  As a renegotiation of the 2026 lease, The Bengals could probably leverage sharing PBS with a soccer team to their advantage, although they've already gotten pretty much there is to take in the 1996 lease!

 

Jake, Nippert is the ideal location for Cincinnati, but not for MLS standards. SO something has to live.

A LOT of people want the new Crew stadium Downtown or close to it once the lease with the state fairgrounds is up. That way fans can hang out in bars before and after games, engage in soccer hooliganism etc. instead of being out in auto dependency next to a Lowe's and some '50s restaurant.

A LOT of people want the new Crew stadium Downtown or close to it once the lease with the state fairgrounds is up. That way fans can hang out in bars before and after games, engage in soccer hooliganism etc. instead of being out in auto dependency next to a Lowe's and some '50s restaurant.

I'm sure fans *want* a downtown staidum... but is there any actual chance they're going to build another, new, dedicated stadium for the Crew?

Yes. This is Columbus. We have the space with our gigantic Downtown full of surface lots and tumbleweed filled razed train station sites.

 

 

Jake, Nippert is the ideal location for Cincinnati, but not for MLS standards. SO something has to live.

 

Raise the field level and take out 3 rows of seats.  Problem solved. 

 

 

 

 

 

Jake, Nippert is the ideal location for Cincinnati, but not for MLS standards. SO something has to live.

 

Raise the field level and take out 3 rows of seats.  Problem solved. 

 

 

 

Jake,

MLS says no sharing of the Stadium. So they can't stay at Nippert unless an exception is made, and as of right now they are not making the exception. If we have to find a site, what about something around the new MLK exit?

 

I would love to stay at Nippert.

A LOT of people want the new Crew stadium Downtown or close to it once the lease with the state fairgrounds is up. That way fans can hang out in bars before and after games, engage in soccer hooliganism etc. instead of being out in auto dependency next to a Lowe's and some '50s restaurant.

 

But that stuff isn't really that great.  There is actually a culture of tailgating for college and NFL games that goes back generations whereas the push for neighborhood bars by major league baseball was a foil to convince the public that they should unload tax money to publicly finance stadiums.  There is a lot more stuff around Wrigley and Fenway now than there was back in the 90s.  I remember there being absolutely nothing around old Yankee Stadium and precisely one bar across the street from Tiger Stadium. 

 

Stadiums just plain do not motivate nightlife and hotel construction on their own.  They are a part of the formula, but many people opt to stay at cheaper hotels far from stadiums anyway. 

 

A LOT of people want the new Crew stadium Downtown or close to it once the lease with the state fairgrounds is up. That way fans can hang out in bars before and after games, engage in soccer hooliganism etc. instead of being out in auto dependency next to a Lowe's and some '50s restaurant.

I'm sure fans *want* a downtown staidum... but is there any actual chance they're going to build another, new, dedicated stadium for the Crew?

 

Yes. This is Columbus. We have the space with our gigantic Downtown full of surface lots and tumbleweed filled razed train station sites.

 

Stop f**kin with the Cincy folk, GCrites.  We've already discussed that a new Crew stadium is not only possible, but also probable just west of the Arena District in this post:

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,7699.msg824545.html#msg824545

 

Jake,

MLS says no sharing of the Stadium. So they can't stay at Nippert unless an exception is made, and as of right now they are not making the exception. If we have to find a site, what about something around the new MLK exit?

 

I would love to stay at Nippert.

 

 

New York FC is playing at Yankee Stadium.  So add Great American to the list of potential sites.

 

http://www.nycfc.com/tickets/pricing/

 

 

^No offense, but I don't think you know anything about the stadium situations in MLS.

 

Or you're just trying to get a rise out of people (probably more likely).

 

Jake,

MLS says no sharing of the Stadium. So they can't stay at Nippert unless an exception is made, and as of right now they are not making the exception. If we have to find a site, what about something around the new MLK exit?

 

I would love to stay at Nippert.

 

 

New York FC is playing at Yankee Stadium.  So add Great American to the list of potential sites.

 

http://www.nycfc.com/tickets/pricing/

 

 

 

and it's temporary.

 

The New York City FC Stadium is a proposed soccer-specific stadium to be built in New York City for the expansion franchise New York City FC of Major League Soccer. The team currently plays their home games at Yankee Stadium.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_FC_Stadium

A LOT of people want the new Crew stadium Downtown or close to it once the lease with the state fairgrounds is up. That way fans can hang out in bars before and after games, engage in soccer hooliganism etc. instead of being out in auto dependency next to a Lowe's and some '50s restaurant.

I'm sure fans *want* a downtown staidum... but is there any actual chance they're going to build another, new, dedicated stadium for the Crew?

 

Yes. This is Columbus. We have the space with our gigantic Downtown full of surface lots and tumbleweed filled razed train station sites.

 

Stop f**kin with the Cincy folk, GCrites.  We've already discussed that a new Crew stadium is not only possible, but also probable just west of the Arena District in this post:

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,7699.msg824545.html#msg824545

 

Oh, I thought the Jager site was the site of the former West Downtown train station, which is actually just NE of the Jager site. There were actually 3 Downtown train stations at one time, plus ones at Franklinton and one near Leonard Ave.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_FC_Stadium

 

Looks like they're either moving to the suburbs or sharing a stadium with a college if they want into Manhattan.  Hmm.

 

 

 

 

Jake - Raising the field and designing it to soccer specifics does not fix the issue. the issue for MLS is being able to tap into the stadium revenue that ownership or control of the facility provides. Also being the primary tenant too. At Nippert, FC Cincy will never be the primary tenant. That is the concern for MLS

Jake - Raising the field and designing it to soccer specifics does not fix the issue. the issue for MLS is being able to tap into the stadium revenue that ownership or control of the facility provides. Also being the primary tenant too. At Nippert, FC Cincy will never be the primary tenant. That is the concern for MLS

 

New domed stadium (replacement for the Georgia Dome) will be shared by the Falcons and their MLS team:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercedes-Benz_Stadium

^The Falcons and Atlanta United have the same owner...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_United_FC

 

Looks like the owner of the Falcons is also the owner of the new MLS franchise.  So it's no coincidence that Jeff Berding has been leading FC Cininnati -- it's pretty obvious that the Lindners and the Browns are going to want own a Cincinnati MLS franchise and might use dual ownership to force Hamilton County to build yet another stadium or we'd risk losing two teams. 

 

But in a much-better scenario, The Bengals will sign a lease extension in Paul Brown Stadium and have the other team they own also enjoy ridiculous benefits at the teat of taxpayers. 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta_United_FC

 

Looks like the owner of the Falcons is also the owner of the new MLS franchise.  So it's no coincidence that Jeff Berding has been leading FC Cininnati -- it's pretty obvious that the Lindners and the Browns are going to want own a Cincinnati MLS franchise and might use dual ownership to force Hamilton County to build yet another stadium or we'd risk losing two teams. 

 

But in a much-better scenario, The Bengals will sign a lease extension in Paul Brown Stadium and have the other team they own also enjoy ridiculous benefits at the teat of taxpayers. 

 

 

ATL isn't the only MLS team backed by an NFL owner, Seattle and New England are similar. However, I wouldn't use those examples to characterize or assume Mike Brown is going to somehow be involved. I doubt the Bengals have little, if any interest, in pursuing an MLS team. Lindner and his group can stand on their own ownership wise.

 

The Bengals also had the chance to pursue an MLS franchise and PBS was built with soccer in mind. However, aside from a brief mention in the press in the early 2000's, the Bengals never did pursue MLS.

 

Given the cold reaction to US Bank Arena even seeking some sort of public funding when they released "renovation plans," I sincerely doubt that FCC is going to ask Hamilton County for $.

^Agreed.  People are still p***ed off about the Paul Brown Stadium deal.  I don't see any appetite to publicly finance another stadium, especially when PBS was built with Soccer in mind.  As Jake mentioned, the Atlanta teams are sharing a stadium, as are the Seattle teams, and possibly others (I don't know the details of all teams in both leagues).  Yes, those teams share ownership.  I wonder if a swap could be worked out where the Lindners end up owning something small percentage (say 5%) of the Bengals, and the Browns end up owning a larger percentage (say 20%) of FC Cincinnati.  This would make sharing the stadium possible, give the Lindners a small piece of the very successful NFL, and diversify the Browns interests in the event that the NFL fades in popularity in the coming decades for some reason (concussions, increased competition, or something else).  It would also provide a new revenue stream for the Browns from having more events at the stadium and drastically increase the odds of FCC reaching MLS since getting a stand alone stadium is no small feat.  Finally, it would leave both families firmly in the majority shareholder position with their traditional franchise, so neither would have to worry about ceding control to an outside entity.  The contract could even be conditional on FCC reaching MLS, so that if it doesn't happen, the Brown family reverts to sole ownership of the Bengals.

^The problem is though, Paul Brown is likely not an option. Major League Soccer has made it known that they prefer MLS teams to control their stadiums and revenue. I don't see them being very open to a deal between FCC and The Bengals. PBS is also cavernous. Century Link Field (Seattle) and MB Stadium (Atlanta) were designed with MLS in mind (more so Atlanta than Seattle). At Paul Brown it's an afterthought and the extra locker rooms for soccer have been renovated into other things. Could FCC use it? I'm sure they could, but it's probably not in their long term interest do so.

 

Overall, I wouldn't worry about public financing. If anyone's aware of that political climate, it's Jeff Berding. Not to mention, MLS stadia are generally way less in cost than the $1B behemoths the NFL is building. I would place good money on the theory that if MLS said "look, get yourself a soccer specific stadium that meets our requirements and you're in," Lindner and Co. would do it. If any public exchange is involved, I could see it being the county saying "we'll sell you this land for $1, you pay for the stadium," etc.

 

This article from CST today kind of backs that up, if a stadium is needed... FCC is willing to work it out: http://cincinnatisoccertalk.com

 

Also, an employee of the club recently reached out on Reddit and said a suburban stadium is a no go.

Berding wouldn't be working for FC Cincinnati if the Browns didn't have an interest in using MLS soccer their advantage.  These people are smart and patient.  The Browns are pocketing well in excess of $10 million from every Bengals season -- remember that back in 2011 they bought out their last minority shareholder with *cash* for something like $160 million, and almost all of that was retained earnings from 2000 onwards (when PBS opened). 

 

The worst-case scenario is that Lindnders/Browns leverage construction of a new publicly financed NFL/soccer stadium, but the MLS team is only signed to a 5 or 10 year lease.  Then they come back to the city or county wanting subsidies for a new MLS only stadium.  That way they get to control the western half of The Banks plus some other part of town. 

 

The need for vast parking lots has been used to the advantage of many team owners around the country.  As we're seeing all over the country, new stadiums are being built right next to existing, perfectly-good stadiums.  The new stadiums are always excuses to renegotiate the lease of a publicly-financed facility. 

 

 

So far I like two ideas a lot:

1- "The old Hudepohl and jail site. It's big enough, some cheap land could be purchased for parking, is technically walking distance to downtown (shuttles would help), and they could re-purpose the Hudepohl smokestack for the stadium." Re-purposing the smoke stack in a brick and anodized black metal stadium with a real industrial look would be the coolest looking stadium ever, and would have great visibility and access to I-75 as well.

 

2- IRS site in Covington, tons of room, access to downtown arena district of the banks via short bridge walk (similar to the Tenesee titans stadium across the cumberland river from downtown) and would really help Covington's downtown.

Wouldn't it be ironic if a new soccer stadium ended up being built on the former Cincinnati Gardens site?

Lol I was thinking the same thing when reading that interview with Berding where he was vague saying it could "somewhere in the city".

Wouldn't it be ironic if a new soccer stadium ended up being built on the former Cincinnati Gardens site?

 

Not enough room without tearing down nearby buildings and/or shifting the path of Seymour Ave. 

Berding wouldn't be working for FC Cincinnati if the Browns didn't have an interest in using MLS soccer their advantage.  These people are smart and patient.  The Browns are pocketing well in excess of $10 million from every Bengals season -- remember that back in 2011 they bought out their last minority shareholder with *cash* for something like $160 million, and almost all of that was retained earnings from 2000 onwards (when PBS opened). 

 

While I don't disagree that the Browns are patient and strategic businesspeople, I think they would be involved from the get go rather than behind closed doors.

 

The worst-case scenario is that Lindnders/Browns leverage construction of a new publicly financed NFL/soccer stadium,

 

I definitely get where you're coming from and as Paul Brown approaches being 20 years old, I could see FCC/The Bengals coming together for a renovation of Paul Brown Stadium that makes both NFL and MLS a priority. However, Paul Brown has never and is not currently an option being pursued by FCC. Nor would it be for MLS, even with a renovation. At the town hall this past Tuesday, Garber made it quite clear that if a facility happens outside of Nippert, it needs to be controlled by the time. I think they're going to make a strong case for Nippert and if that doesn't work out, I really don't see the Bengals being involved or FC Cincinnati making a push for public dollars. They're aware of their popularity, but also aware of the political climate locally (and nationally) surrounding public stadium funding.

 

 

Obviously the biggest unknown in the FC stadium saga is if The Bengals stay or go in the late 2020s. Right now it's fairly safe to say that The Bengals aren't going to move.  LA now has one team, might get a second, and The Raiders are likely moving to Las Vegas.  The most likely city to get an NFL team that doesn't have one is probably Toronto.  Other than there or London (which is a big what-if) there is no metro 2X as big as Cincinnati that wants football but doesn't have it.  So it would generally be a lateral (get it!) move...The Bengals already have the best lease and will get a similar renewal, so TV revenue would be the motivation for a move, since it would raise the value of the team if Brown's daughter wants to sell. 

 

Whatever these guys say publicly now can't be trusted.  They are real estate guys, just like Trump, and they're never going to reveal what their long game is. 

 

Anyone care to speculate where they could see FC Cincinnati building its practice facilities?

 

Columbus Crew's facilities are about 10 miles south of MAPFRE Stadium. My guess is that FCC would want to find something closer to Nippert and in a more entertaining area with a bit more ceremony. I could be wrong... just my hunch.

 

In this age of Public/Private partnership could a questionably ethical deal be struck to place practice facilities in Burnet Woods? Perhaps there isn't a flat enough spot. Could something be accomplished along the river near Lunken Airport or Lower Price Hill?

 

http://www.cincinnati.com/story/sports/soccer/fc-cincinnati/2016/12/13/fc-cincy-has-goals-question-how-many-do/95393868/

 

FC Cincy has goals. Question is, how many will do it?

 

Most moves made by Futbol Club Cincinnati are done with Major League Soccer in mind. The big-picture goal always remains in sight.

 

For now, though, the club is still in the United Soccer League and therefore is knee-deep in prep work for the 2017 season. That means focusing on filling out the club's roster, improving its infrastructure and bracing for a possible shakeup in U.S. soccer's lower leagues.

^Training facilities can be anywhere, really.

 

I would put my money on Mason. The Lindners already own a bunch of land up there where the tennis tournament is. I would bet that's where they are looking. Another possibility would be building a facility in Northern Kentucky. This could help engage people who aren't already following the team. Regardless of where it ends up, they are going to want a lot of room to expand. I don't see them building it anywhere close to Nippert. A vast majority of their activities are likely to be closed to the public anyway, so I don't anticipate them looking too closely at engaging people in this new facility except for open practice sessions, preseason scrimmages, etc.

Burnet Woods is not a good option (as you said, due to topography).

 

Does the Crew have a full-size, indoor training facility? Or is it just an outdoor field?

 

Perhaps along Mill Creek there's some flat, vacant land... though the Mill Creek valley you'd have to compete for industrial/manufacturing uses.

It looks like the Crew just has two fields and a fieldhouse. Do they have more facilities elsewhere that you know of, Ryan?

 

https://www.google.com/maps/place/4175+Alum+Creek+Dr,+Obetz,+OH+43207/@39.8838278,-82.9368057,817m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x8838870ed47c692b:0x5f68d083aa669cbb!8m2!3d39.8838237!4d-82.9346117

 

In the case that FCC doesn't care to be close to Nippert and that they would want growing room, it really becomes a race to the cheapest and vastest land. Recreationally, I would still like to see them in the Little Miami floodplain around Lunken (floods, I suppose, aren't ideal for training). This is where they would be launching their academy? I feel like the northern suburbs are already well served by select soccer teams and FCC's youth program might decimate those programs.

 

 

The City of Obetz just bought the speedway just west of there and tore it down to replace it with a lacrosse and rugby stadium. I don't know if it makes much difference for what the Crew is doing though. The speedway may not have been all that cheap but I bet the rest of the land was 15 or so years ago when the facility was initially built.

^^I don't know a lot about the Crew's development program, but I believe their only facility is the one out in Obetz that you mentioned. I think they partner with a lot of outside organizations and use fields they don't own for development/youth teams, but I believe the main team practices in Obetz and sometimes at Mapfre Stadium.

More fields are a part of speedway property project.

Is it FC Cincy vs. 'silent assassins' for MLS?

 

There's a reason some industry insiders refer to the Tampa Bay Rowdies as the "silent assassins" of the race for Major League Soccer expansion.

 

The Rowdies are a relative newcomer to the mainstream MLS expansion conversation after formally announcing their intent in December, but don't misinterpret that for a hurried and premature MLS pitch.

 

The Rowdies' announcement came after years of behind-the-scenes work and investment from the team and Rowdies Chairman and CEO Bill Edwards, who has his club knocking on the door of MLS.

 

By the way, he doesn't care if you hear the Rowdies knocking or not.

 

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