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http://worldsoccertalk.com/2015/03/19/time-for-mls-to-pull-the-plug-on-miami-debacle/

Time for MLS to pull the plug on Miami debacle

Kartik Krishnaiyer

March 19, 2015

On the subject of local rivalries, internet buzz has begun to circulate about the Tampa Bay Rowdies and the potential of the minor club who shares the name of one of the great professional clubs of a previous era in American soccer to move to MLS.

It is important to note while arguments can be made for Miami as an MLS franchise, the Tampa/St Petersburg TV market is actually larger than Miami/Fort Lauderdale. It is also critical to note that between 1975 and 2014, the Tampa Bay area and Miami/Fort Lauderdale areas have had pro teams in the same soccer leagues for 23 seasons. In that period only three times did the southeast Florida team boast higher attendance than the Tampa Bay-based one. This includes four seasons in Major League Soccer (1998-2001), where Tampa Bay led Miami in attendance three of the years, and nine seasons in the NASL (1975-1983) when Tampa Bay led Miami or Fort Lauderdale every single season.

Miami is more of a global branding opportunity than a soccer-crazed market. Major League Soccer has survived for years without a Miami team, and now is thriving despite the debacle taking place under the palm trees in southern Florida. While I, as a local, would like to see MLS return to southeast Florida, the club in Orlando is close enough to me that my need for MLS in Miami has been minimized. Furthermore, it is important that the health of MLS and US Soccer be considered – MLS does not need another Chivas USA debacle or a club limping along in a huge metropolitan area without any real tangible market penetration like the Chicago Fire. Chances are quite high that a Miami team would represent either another Chivas or Chicago, and either scenario is unacceptable for MLS and the health of the game in the United States.

While the Tampa Bay market “failed” once before in MLS, that was a different time. A fear about cannibalization of the audience from Orlando which is nearby could be real, but the rivalry implications (Orlando City and the Tampa Bay Rowdies already have a robust rivalry fostered at the lower-division and US Open Cup level) probably offset those concerns. A “war on I-4” rivalry would be far bigger for MLS then an organic club like Orlando City battling a manufactured and largely plastic club like Beckham’s Miami entry promises to be.