Quote:
Originally Posted by mrjauk
So, it's logical to start your business in the worst possible locations, hanging on by your fingernails, while almost going bankrupt a couple of times along the way, (of which one time the only thing to save you was the generosity of a single, albeit well-heeled, patron), only to add the strongest and most lucrative locations/franchises 15-20 years later? Sounds like a great business plan.
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It was
not 15-20 years later. MLS started play in 1996. Toronto's expansion was announced in 2005, Seattle's in 2007, and Portland's and Vancouver's in 2009. This constitutes 9, 11, and 13 years respectively. Moreover, MLS started to flourish in
2002 after the 2002 World Cup, and charter teams Los Angeles and Dallas began earning profits in 2002 and 2003 respectively, i.e., years
before the above expansions were even announced.
That said, I am not going to defend MLS's specific business plan or its specific choice of charter cities in 1996, except to say that maybe the first 9-13 years of a major sports league can be considered as comprising the
opening chapter of this kind of long-term venture, and the franchises established during this period have included some of the "best soccer cities in North America." Thus, the opening chapter of MLS, on the whole, has been logical.
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