Merritt Paulson pushing the MLS to Portland miracle
By: Bob Kellett | March 18th, 2008
Who has the tougher task ahead of him? The father who is trying to prevent the global economy from a further meltdown or the son who is trying to get a Major League Soccer franchise in Portland? If they gather for Easter dinner this year, the conversation around the Paulson family table sure will be an interesting one. While Papa Paulson is knee deep in a recession as the Treasury Secretary, his son is knee deep in trying to create a buzz that will eventually lead Portland’s political leadership to jump on the Bring MLS to Portland bandwagon. I wish them both luck with that.
The Trib has a front page profile of Timbers owner Merritt Paulson today. The relevant snippet:
Paulson says he believes MLS “would be terrific in Portland. The league is white-hot. I think it would be one of the most successful franchises in the league. But the city is going to need to want it.”
And that is the long and short of Portland’s MLS ambitions. You have an owner who is enthusiastic about it, but not enthusiastic enough to pony up the money to upgrade PGE Park and move the baseball Beavers out. That requires city funding, city involvement and it requires city leaders who are convinced it is a good idea. The mayor and the City Council members aren’t at this point and it is hard to imagine them getting on board while the city’s economy slows down and resources are needed elsewhere. It is hard to imagine anything happening during an election year.
The window of opportunity for an MLS franchise is closing and things are moving at a much faster pace than that in which Portland’s government operates. Things are moving at a faster pace than Paulson is, he hasn’t even talked with City Hall about MLS. Other potential expansion cities are ahead of Portland in terms of planning, funding and political leadership. If Paulson somehow pulls it off he will have worked miracles – the type of miracles a certain Treasury Secretary could use right about now.
Category: Portland MLS Expansion
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Paulson is playing the political game by going on record saying he needs public funding. Unlike the MLB movement in Portland a few years ago this hasn’t generated a lot of discussion in the press or in the government. I think he is going to find a lot of resistance to the idea from the city council. I wonder whether Dozono would be more open to the idea than Sam Adams.
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If anyone is interested in hearing Merritt Paulson talk a bit more about his vision for the Beavers/Timbers, I just received this from the City Club:
New Leaders Council
Evening with Merritt PaulsonEvening with Merritt Paulson
Monday, March 24
6 PM – 8 PM
Bridgeport Brewing Co.
1313 NW Marshall St.
$20 per person, includes beer, wine and heavy appetizers
Limited seating
Pre-payment required
RSVP to: 503-228-7231 or kim.Last spring, when 34-year-old Merritt Paulson bought the Portland Beavers Triple-A baseball team and the Portland Timbers minor-league soccer squad, he vowed to be a hands-on owner, taking over as president of the teams and making bold moves to re-brand the franchises.
Join an evening conversation with the young sports entrepreneur and find out what drew him to Portland, what he hopes to accomplish with the franchises and whether he sees major league baseball or soccer in Portland’s future.
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He can’t go to the city until he has some hard numbers and a distinct plan. The key thing I took away from that article was the comments about him doing a feasibility study and economic plan. Those things need to get done first. And fast. Like, yesterday. Once that’s done and he’s digested the conclusions, then he can go to city council and outline a specific plan forward, including hard numbers of what he will pay for certain actions/costs, and what the city would pay for certain other actions/costs.
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[...] 18, 2008 by Mike Bob Kellett provided us with some grade-A commentary regarding the tribune article today, reigniting the possibility of MLS expansion in [...]
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MLS just would’nt fly in PDX because of the ludicrous beer prices at the concession stands. Oh wait…
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[...] and greet 1: I posted this in the comments yesterday, but in case you missed it you can listen to Merritt Paulson speak about the future of [...]
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