Jeff Cooper’s investment group this week crossed “the last of the major hurdles” in its effort to bring professional soccer to St. Louis after the Collinsville City Counsel approved funding for a massive $572.9 million development project that would include a soccer stadium, 240 hotel rooms, several youth soccer fields and nearly 500,000 square feet of office and retail space. Approval for a new stadium is one of the prerequisites for any new club entering Major League Soccer-now that he’s cleared that hurdle, Cooper is “very confident” the league will give St. Louis a team. “Collinsville and our group sent a message tonight,” Cooper told MLS President Mark Abbott after the announcement.
The St. Louis Dispatch points says the St. Louis proposal meets the league’s three expansion criteria: a local owner (Cooper) with sufficient resources, a market that’s attractive to corporate sponsors that has shown support for soccer and other professional sports in the past, and an existing soccer-specific stadium or a plan to build one.
Cooper expects an announcement from the league’s board of governors in anywhere from 60 to 90 days, at the board’s next scheduled meeting, which means an announcement could be made during the MLS Cup final on November 18. It that’s the timing, the Dispatch says that Cooper’s new team could begin play as early as 2009.