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This man has just learned to keep his mouth shut, literally.
Thanks again to one of our astute readers, Michael, for pointing these tidbits out.
So, according to Randy Neves at KGW (click here for the original article and all the details) yesterday, some pushback on Paulson’s statements resulted in this statement from Portland City Commissioner, Randy Leonard, who negotiated the soccer deal with Paulson:
“(Paulson) needs an attitude adjustment,” said Leonard “That’s not going to play. He’ll not have either (stadium deal) if he keeps going the route he is.”
Public opposition to a baseball stadium in Beaverton is growing. But the political will to cut the deal there is strong. Leonard, Paulson and Portland’s mayor are scheduled to meet Monday to tie up some loose ends on the PGE Park deal. Leonard says he’s going to cancel that meeting if Paulson doesn’t recant his statement.
Resulting in today’s statements, according to Mark Larabee at the Oregonian (click here for the original and all the details),:
After the meeting, Paulson said he was “100 percent committed” to MLS in Portland and said he and Leonard had worked over the misunderstanding.
Leonard confirmed. “We’re back on track, given his willingness to recant,” Leonard said. “He asked me what he needed to do, and I said, ‘Shut up.’ He said ‘OK.’”
Meanwhile in Portland, the $31 million agreement to renovate PGE Park so far is nonbinding, so either side can back out without penalty. A contract and construction schedule were expected Oct. 1, but negotiations could go into December as the sides work through a handful of unresolved points.
The city wants a written guarantee that Paulson will complete the stadium renovations; confirmation from Major League Soccer that it accepts the delay in the construction project; and approval from the Pacific Coast League to move the Beavers out of Portland.
Additionally, the parties still haven’t agreed on how to share maintenance costs or rents paid by private vendors who may take up residence in PGE Park, such as a proposed medical clinic for soccer players and the community.
What do you think? Portland going to happen or does drama like this make it questionable? As a member of the Timbers Army, do you plan to let Paulson know what you think about this or is it better to let the suits handle the business side and you do what you do best by supporting the team? How do you think this will affect other current bidders? Future bidders?
-Patrick Beatty
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well al least make it nice with grass like bemo field is going for it now.I think it should be remodel like the Chicago Bears stadium, the soldier field. Keep the same model but make it better,Right…… Im from texas, and i cant wait till portland joins MLS, i wish MLS could change to N.A.P.S. North America Premier Soccer, and it will go as NAPS, it will sound better and attract NASL fans to it and it will have a global attention and more USA fans. By the way, finally Garber is talking right, yes make roof covering for all the MLS stadiums and the new ones for the weather and make them more adaptable to the weather. Its so simple……… MLS or NAPS should take action now
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They’re not going to do grass. It’s going to be turf. Every day the news from Portland makes “Soccer City USA” sound like a poorly placed moniker.
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That is an incredible shame that they will be playing on turf instead of grass.
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Be very afraid, Portland.
At the slightest hint of adversity, Paulson is gonna pack up his toys and move them to St. Louis.
You’ve been warned.
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As I said in the last thread, Soccer City USA is a lot to live up to, and it is a holdover from our first NASL season when we thought no one else played soccer. Portland was a much smaller city back then, so our world view or even view of the USA was pretty limited. We are hoping to change that, and the MLS is part of the plan. So don’t give us too much crap for the Soccer City USA moniker, except for the dolts who actually believe it. We probably wouldn’t put that name on ourselves today as it is clear there are so many communities around the country that have done more for soccer. Places like St. Louis come to mind. We are relatively late to the party.
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I’m sure SSFC will let you “borrow” Starfire for a year if you need it. LMAO
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NAPS? Seriously? You are the worst marketer ever.
North American Premier League, eventually. NPL take football/soccer out of the name. United Premier League works too.
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Give their slot to Montreal. Portland only got it because Seattle is such a success.
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Keep on hatin’… We’ll see you in 2011.
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Most people on here don’t know a thing about soccer in the Northwest and that it is truely a soccer hotbed. MLS can’t live without Portland,Seattle, and Vancouver! Got it?
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to Vince….NAPS? ha ha ha, buddy you need to take one. Listen, Its MLS, been that for what 14 years, get over it. Changing the league name just makes it look amateur. We are so beyond the league name now, the league has found stability and success in most markets and cautious expansion and salary cap increases, everything is going well. We dont need to change our schedule to satisfy Europe/FIFA, we don’t need covered stadiums cause we won’t play in winter, and we need grass and not turf. We need more players per team, we need decent wages for our players, we need to attract better quality marquee players, and we need MLS in the Southeast. Portland and Vancouver will join the league, these guys are just having a pissing contest, and looks like Paulson lost.
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