Major League Soccer says it's only looking for four more teams at this time, and Oklahoma City isn't on the league's short list of expansion cities.
But Energy FC co-owner Bob Funk Jr. still thinks MLS will have more than 28 teams in the future, including one in Oklahoma City. The five cities on MLS’ short list for expansion are Detroit, Miami, Austin, San Antonio, and St. Louis, The Journal Record’s Molly Fleming reports:
All of those metro areas have more people than Oklahoma City. But having the smaller city in a big league doesn’t dismay Bob Funk Jr. He said the city will grow by the time he wants to recruit an MLS team, which is in the next six to 10 years. “We’ve grown consistently regardless of what the rest of the country does,” he said. “In the next six to 10 years, our local economy will be better. While our immediate income is lower (than cities considered by MLS for expansion), so is our cost of living. Our corporate base will be better in the next six to 10 years.”
Funk is working with a group of local investors to purchase the 37-acre Producers Cooperative Plant south of Bricktown. He’s plotting a mixed-use development, which includes a soccer stadium, housing, hotels, and retail.
Soccer America magazine editor Paul Kennedy has his doubts about Oklahoma City getting a team. The cost for getting a team alone is expected to double, reaching $200 million.
“What’s being attempted in Oklahoma City is not common and has never been successful before,” he said. He said MLS is getting more conservative in terms of where is expands. In the past, expansion fees were only $10 million, but some teams have since folded and investors lost money. “A team going forward is going to spend a lot more than it used to on a stadium, expansion fees, and stadium development,” Kennedy said.
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