[Rusty Gull]

Miami is a shoe-in. And I suspect Ottawa's bid is not ready for prime time - at least from the MLS perspective.

So we're looking at a three-way race betwen St. Louis, Portland and Vancouver.

St. Louis and Portland have the advantage of being in the U.S., and both have more corporate muscle. And both have natural rivals located nearby.

But due to the strength of the Vancouver bid (ownership, fan base, the potential to emulate Toronto FC's success, some potential rivalries with Seattle, Toronto) I agree with the above posters that the Whitecaps bid will indeed prevail.

I think we will, however, see Portland and St. Louis be rewarded for hanging around while other cities bailed -- with their being selected in the following league expansion.