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MLS should not make the mistake of thinking Seattle and Portland's soccer fans overlap. They do not at all and never have--the number of people in Portland who will cheer for the Sounders in MLS is zero--they are two completely separate and unrelated markets, despite physical proximity, and have been for nearly 40 years.
This is different than other sports where some people in Portland might cheer for the Seahawks and Mariners, and some of us in Seattle are starting to cheer for the Blazers now that we don't have an NBA team. But cheer for the Timbers? Sure, when hell freezes over.
And bring in Vancouver while you’re at it! The soccer culture in all 3 cities is solid—all three teams have retained their NASL names from the 1970’s, and drew traveling fans back then. The Sounders-Whitecaps rivalry goes back as just as far as Seattle-Portland.
One other concern for Portland - while it may be a venerable old stadium that's a massive part of Portland sport folklore, PGE park looks like total shit on TV. I have a suspicion that, as a soccer stadium, it falls short.
Montreal has negotiated with MLS for a few years now, and are so far the only one to say "Thanks, but no thanks" to the $40 Million price tag.
And I'll admit, it remains to be seen just how wise that decision will prove to be. Nevertheless, MLS got too greedy. Not only did they lose an excellent market, they also lost out on the chance to cripple USL (I'm not a fan of that, but MLS wold be well interested) in the process.
A guy like Paul Allen would be acutely aware of the need for a strong rival for Seattle and probably could be tempted to help do something about it. Obviously, his involvement in Seattle is not a stumbling block to potentially assisting Portland.
Maybe in a few years Allen could be tempted to jump from Seattle to Portland and stoke the rivalry even further.
SB
It's reasonable for Portland soccer fans to want their new franchise and a better stadium, and as you suggest, it would be a (probably) no-brainer if that was all we were talking about. It isn't.
At best, once the deal is struck, there will be SOME money from ticket sales that will defray SOME of the public costs. Nobody but anonymous internet posters are claiming that these revenues will pay the entire cost. Don't believe me? Ask Merritt Paulson. He isn't claiming what you're claiming.
Portland's soccer fans are hurting their own credibility on this issue by playing fast and loose with the truth, and people are going to stop listening to you when it becomes clear that you'll say anything, no matter how preposterous, to get the team you want. You need to calm down and try to be a little more respectful towards those who are asking tough questions about this giveaway of public money.
But actually you're the one that's off. Sam Adams said the plan needs to be a net benefit for taxpayers for it to be approved and Merritt supports this goal. Last I checked, most people considered 'benefit' to mean something like the opposite of 'cost'.
You neglected to mention that you were somehow against this plan without knowing what it actually is. Where is your bias coming from?
WHAT?
???? HUH ????
The Sounders attracted loud, passionate and committed fans? Everytime I've seen their supporters section it's about 40 fat dudes with a smoke machine. Compare that with 2,000-3,000 screaming chanting Timbers Army members.