The United States came off with a big win over Honduras 6 – 0 on Friday’s game. U.S. soccer fans got to see the young starlet Christian Pulisic take center stage with seasoned National Team veteran Clint Dempsey. It was a spectacular moment for United States' soccer, but not only did Americans get a win, but St. Louisans also got a big win with the entrance of Fulham defender and St. Louis native, Tim Ream, into the game. St. Louis has been a popular soccer hub and developed many great players like Pat Noonan, Chris Klein, and Brad Davis.
MLS is currently looking to add 4 new expansion teams in the next 4 years with 12 major cities vying for a team. St. Louis, Missouri is currently one of the top prospects for an expansion team, but we can only get a team if we can show MLS we can build a stadium. A group of investors, SC STL, plan to shell out a hefty sum of around $200 million dollars in order to create an over 20,000 seat, multipurpose stadium in an empty lot just west of Union Station. The investors still need to acquire $60 million dollars from the city in order to get the stadium up and running. The City of St. Louis votes on Propositions 1 & 2 on April 4th. Proposition 1 is a half-cent sales tax increase in the city for MetroLink funding, namely, expanding it North and South from Cherokee Street to the new NGA site. Prop 1 would also increase MetroLink security. This would allow people greater access to more of the city.
Proposition 2 is a use tax that would primarily affect city businesses purchasing items outside of Missouri. It would be another half-cent increase and Prop 2 is dependent on the passing of Prop 1. If both Prop 1 & 2 pass, then $60 million will be compiled for the creation of a new MLS expansion team. This money will only be used for a stadium if MLS selects St. Louis for an expansion team, which is fairly likely as people like Landon Donavan and the MLS Commissioner, Don Garber, have both stated the incredible potential for St. Louis as a soccer market.
Frank Cusumano, lead Sports Director at KSDK, has said that St. Louis needs to get an MLS team now or else it may not happen ever. So support needs to be drummed up to get Props 1 & 2 passed. How can you support bringing MLS to St. Louis?
The biggest, most important step is to get out on April 4th and vote YES to props 1 & 2.
The next step is to raise awareness. Use the #mls2stl on social media to bring it people’s attention. Saint Louis FC, our current USL soccer team, has a link to sign up to volunteer on their website. Sign up to get a sign for your yard and go to city neighborhoods to encourage voters to vote. St. Louis is one of the biggest soccer cities in the United States and this opportunity to get an MLS team is too big to pass up. Do your duty to bring MLS2STL.
