The ownership group looking to bring an MLS franchise to St. Louis received a lift on Wednesday when officials from local giant Anheuser-Busch announced that it would sign over their Soccer Park complex in suburban Fenton, Mo., as a potential stadium site.
Despite having already reached a deal for a proposed stadium and youth soccer complex in nearby Collinsville, this new option gives Jeff Cooper‘s St. Louis Soccer United group “something it didn’t have in its original bid – a stadium site closer to the team’s primary fan base in west St. Louis County, ” writes Tom Timmerman.
In addition, Budweiser agreed to use its leverage as one of the league’s primary (and only original) sponsor to lobby MLS on the city’s behalf, although they passed on the chance to come aboard as one of the group’s much-needed major investors, an issue MLS has expressed concern about.