Does Sacramento Now Have An Ownership That Meets MLS Expansion Specs?

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Does Sacramento Now Have An Ownership That Meets MLS Expansion Specs?

Don Garber and the owners can take another look.

Add the name Ron Burkle to the list of people who might interest Major League Soccer as a possible expansion team owner. Burkle helped keep the National Hockey League’s Pittsburgh Penguins in town by investing in Mario Lemieux’s group when the team was going through a bankruptcy proceeding in 1999. Burkle is now involved in the ownership of the Sacramento Republic FC soccer team. That franchise plays in the North American second tier United Soccer League. But that Sacramento soccer franchise has been looking to move into Major League Soccer. Sacramento soccer backers entered into the MLS’s expansion sweepstakes two years ago when the league decided to add four teams. The MLS found just two cities that had the right stuff, Nashville and Cincinnati, to enter the league. A third city, Austin, Texas, landed a team by accident. The Columbus ownership decided to move the franchise to the Texas capital but an Ohio law governing franchise movement out of Ohio required the team owners to look locally and find local owners. That happened as Anthony Precourt sold the team to the owners of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns. Precourt then was giving an expansion team in Austin. Politicians in Nashville, Cincinnati and Austin paved the way for teams by providing money for stadiums and infrastructure.

Burkle gives Sacramento backers want was lacking. A major cash infusion into a local ownership that lacked the cash to join the MLS.  There is competition for the fourth expansion slot. St. Louis was shut out of the MLS’s plan in 2017 because voters said no to putting up municipal funding for a St. Louis soccer venue. But St. Louis is back in the picture. Phoenix also has returned and Detroit, despite being passed over, is still around. MLS Commissioner Don Garber has not ruled out going beyond 28 franchises. After all, money talks.

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https://www.bizjournals.com/triad/news/2019/02/12/pnc-arena-proposed-mls-stadium-seek-600m-in-public.html

PNC Arena, proposed MLS stadium seek $600M in public funding

Two massive sports projects are seeking up to $600 million in public funding over the coming decades – and the decisions could have major implications for the future of professional sports in the Triangle.

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Neill Collins & Lee Cohen in the studio w/ Ronnie & TKras | 95.3 WDAE

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Tampa Bay Rowdies Kick Into The Studio w/ Ronnie & TKras

Tampa Bay Rowdies Kick Into The Studio w/ Ronnie & TKras as they ramp up for the Suncoast Invitational against Wayne Rooney!

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953wdae @tampabayrowdies COO Lee Cohen & HC Neil Collins joined Ronnie & TKras w/ @zaconthemic in-studio today... tickets for the Suncoast Invitational are still available for next week. Wayne Rooney is set to come to town w/ DC United!

zaconthemic Rowdies will be runnin’ like coyotes are chasing them in 2019! Haha, thanks for coming in fellas- excited for another season of Soccer in St. Pete!

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https://www.dw.com/en/world-cup-1966-english-goalkeeper-gordon-banks-dies-aged-81/a-47473664

World Cup 1966 English goalkeeper Gordon Banks dies aged 81

England's goalkeeper in their successful 1966 World Cup final against West Germany has died aged 81. Gordon Banks is best known for a save against Brazil's Pele in the 1970 World Cup.

Gordon Banks played in every game of the 1966 World Cup in England which finished with the 4-2 victory over West Germany in the Wembley final.

"It is with great sadness that we announce that Gordon passed away peacefully overnight," his family said on Tuesday.

Geoff Hurst, who scored a hat trick in the World Cup final in 1966, tweeted: "Very sad to hear the news that Gordon has died. One of the very greatest."

Between 1963 and 1972, Banks won 73 caps for England and made nearly 200 appearances for his team Stoke, a city in the English midlands.

He made what was later called the "save of the century" against Brazilian star Pele at the 1970 World Cup.

His professional career began with Chesterfield in 1958 before he moved to Leicester City the following year. He won his first England cap in 1963, four years before he joined Stoke. He lost an eye in a car crash in 1972, which put an end to his career.

Swan song in America

However, five years later, Banks made a comeback, signing on with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers of the North American Soccer League (NASL), which at the time featured a number of international stars, including Pele and West Germany's Franz Beckenbauer, both of whom were playing with the New York Cosmos.

Despite only having sight in one eye, the then-40-year-old Banks was named NASL Goalkeeper of the Year in 1977 after conceding just 29 goals in 26 matches, which was the best defensive record in a league in which there were a number of rule changes to encourage offense. Banks retired for good after playing 11 games for Fort Lauderdale the following season.

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https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffbenjamin/2019/02/12/mls-taps-prince-royce-tokimonsta-for-2019-multicultural-focused-our-soccer-campaign/#903653842241

MLS Taps Prince Royce, TOKiMONSTA For 2019 Multicultural-Focused 'Our Soccer' Campaign

The world of professional soccer continues expanding and honoring its multicultural reach with helps from other sects of the entertainment world.

Major League Soccer launched its 2019 season campaign today, Feb. 12, with the latest iteration of their "Our Soccer" message led by Prince Royce and TOKiMONSTA. Ahead of MLS' return on March 2, the Latin-pop superstar as well as the SoCal producer/DJ take lead in newly launched campaign spots that aims to showcase the diversity present not only in the league's athletes, but also its fans.

In a newly revealed 30-second spot, Prince Royce narrates a clip that sees him donning a jersey for Inter Miami CF, the forthcoming expansion team co-owned by David Beckham due to debut in 2020. The Bronx-born singer-songwriter watches a game with friends alongside TOKiMONSTA repping her hometown in Los Angeles Football Club gear. Notably, the spot will air in English, Spanish, French-Canadian and Spanglish, further catering to the league's multicultural fanbase, while airing on  ESPN , FOX Sports, Univision, TSN and TVA Sports, plus international and digital platforms. The campaign comes via The Fader's creative agency Cornerstone.

"I think it's one of the sports that has the most passion," Royce said in a statement. "You see so many cultures, languages—that's the great thing about music and the great thing about soccer. I'm from New York, where we have two teams, and I moved to Miami, and having a team coming to Miami is super dope. As a fan, I think we're all excited. It's great to see MLS grow and for all of these cities to have more sports, more passion, more laughter and more soccer."

Meanwhile, TOKiMONSTA shared how having LAFC as one of Los Angeles' two soccer clubs adds to its culture. "Being born and bred in L.A. is kind of few and far in between, not very many people are actually from here," the 2019 Grammy nominee said in a behind-the-scenes video interview. "Which is fine because that creates the culture we're in so you can gain influences from all these different people; the things that they do, the sounds that they make. LAFC being in L.A., they're a part of this landscape."

With more than 70 countries represented through the league, MLS has claimed to be the most diverse sports league in the world. Davie Bruce, MLS' vice president-brand and integrated marketing says the campaign "captures the unique spirit, confident attitude and diverse environment that embodies MLS...the campaign also showcases how cultural influencers view the league as an authentic representation of themselves and a place to more deeply engage with fans."

Previous to Prince Royce and TOKiMONSTA, MLS' 2018 "Our Soccer" campaign featured 2 Chainz and Miguel.

Sheck Wes was also slated to take part in the 2019 campaign, but MLS cut ties with the New York City rapper and pulled the spot last minute following allegations of domestic abuse by singer-model Justine Skye. According to USA Today, the MLS issued a statement via email saying, "In light of the recent news regarding Sheck Wes, he is no longer part of the campaign."