The New York Mets are still interested in buying a Major League Soccer team once they’ve completed their new $600 million Citi Field stadium, according to David Howard, the team’s executive vice president for business.
“We’re not resting,” Howard told Bloomberg Radio in a segment to be aired Sept. 13. “Before even Citi Field is completed [in 2009], we’re looking to see what might be next for us. There’s a lot of opportunity and potential.”
Howard said any MLS team purchased by the Mets would play in a different venue to the baseball team, allowing the soccer venue to host other events. “Our vision is not to be just a successful baseball team, but to be a world-class sports and media entertainment company,”‘ Howard said. “We’re a lot closer to that goal than we were five years ago.”
In Forbes magazine’s most recent rankings, the Mets’ value rose 12 per cent to $824 million. MLS will expand to 16 teams by 2010 (adding Seattle in 2009 and Philadelphia in 2010), while an announcement on which two expansion franchises will bring the league up to 18 teams by 2011 could be made as early as next year.