I only discovered this today. Pretty interesting. Barcelona Makes Bid for Team in M.L.S. Barcelona looks to blaze new U.S. trail Who's next for Euro MLS expansion?
That's interesting, but at the end of the article it worries me about how many teams MLS will have in ten years. They should not exceed 20, ever. I can't imagine a football league with 25+ teams.
I think the plan would be to stop at 20 or 22. 22 might be a bit excessive, but if they start handling youth development better, it could work out. I like the idea of 20. As for the Barcelona bid, I'm a bit worried about the location. If it was a second (and actual) New York City team, then it would work out pretty well. However, Miami has already failed and they were one of the better teams available. If the rumor that Thierry Henry would be coming along with Barca-bucks, then it could work, but only for as long as Henry was dominating the league (as he would).
Ok so points: 1. A lot of the minor Leagues in various countries have over 20 teams. 2. NM needs a team
Colorado Rapids. Its through the ownership. Stan Kroenke has owned the Rapids since 2004 and he bought about 10% of Arsenal's shares from some company in 2007 and he's on the board of directors. I'm not entirely sure what the link includes as Arsenal has never come to the States and I don't think there are any player development or loan deals involved. The Rapids do have a development deal with Pachuca from Mexico.