New York City FC plans on building soccer arena next to Yankee Stadium

It looks like the New York Yankees will soon have a new neighbor in the Bronx as the New York City FC soccer club plans to build a new stadium in close proximity to Yankee Stadium. It all makes sense since the Major League Soccer (MLS) team is owned by Manchester City of the English Premier League and the Yankees Major League Baseball club.

New York City FC (NYC FC) has submitted a proposal to the city regarding a new 25,000 to 30,000 seat venue which will be used for soccer only. The plans call for the facility to sit just to the south of the new Yankee Stadium. The reasoning behind the stadiums being close together is that the public will be able to use the same transportation options to reach the venue. In addition, the new arena won’t disturb any existing park land and the local area is filled with soccer supporters.

Randy Levine, the president of the Yankees, said that preliminary discussions have already taken place, but there’s still a lot of work to be done on the project and nothing has been set in stone as of yet. He admitted that NYC FC has also been investigating other areas in New York for a new stadium including Brooklyn and Queens.

New York Yankees team up with Manchester City to form new MLS franchise

Two of the world’s richest sports franchises have decided to join forces. It was announced on May 21 that Major League Baseball club the New York Yankees are going to partner up with English Premier League soccer club Manchester City to form a brand new Major League Soccer (MLS) team that will become the 20th franchise in the North American league. The new club hopes to be in action in the 2015 season.

The New York City Football Club will have Manchester City as the majority partner. The English team is owned by Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Mansour, who is one of the richest men in the world. The Yankees will reportedly be a very active member of the team’s ownership group. Don Garber, the commissioner of MLS, said this is a huge day for his soccer league and for America and he can’t wait for the new team to get started. New York already has an MLS club named the New York Red Bulls.

Garber said a lot of work has gone into forming a new expansion team and he can’t think of better owners than Manchester City and the Yankees. Reports said the new club cost approximately $100 million in franchise fees. While the Red Bulls are named after New York, they actually play their games in Harrison, New Jersey. The new club will play out of New York City where the market is about 19 million people.

Soccer: Sporting KC to host MLS All-Star game

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Major League Soccer will bring its All-Star game to the home of Sporting Kansas City.

MLS commissioner Don Garber announced Thursday that Livestrong Sporting Park would host the July 31 game between MLS All-Stars and an international club still to be determined. It will be the 10th time MLS All-Stars have played an international opponent.

“This market has just been so incredibly exciting for all of us at Major League Soccer, and really for soccer fans throughout the United States and North America,” Garber said. “This has been one of the great, great success stories for our sport.”

Will Beckham's Departure Mean Decline in MLS Relevance?

How important was David Beckham to Major League Soccer?  Was he so big that the sport will suffer without him?

During the offseason, MLS has made almost no noise to get the attention of sports fans.  It's just crickets for MLS.  (Exception:  One huge credit goes to MLS for hosting Soccer night for Newtown, Ct. children.)

It seems every offseason, MLB, NFL and the NBA are making all kinds of moves and are somewhere in the media spotlight.  Whether it's baseball's winter meetings, football's rules committee or basketball free agency, something seems to always be going on for fans to relate to.

American Soccer fans have to be disappointed to have reached the end of the line with Beckham.  He was producing and he made a significant difference in attracting fans to MLS.

Mission Accomplished: Beckham is Pele's Equal.

So, what is there to look forward to in MLS, from a national standpoint?

David Beckham leads Los Angeles Galaxy to second straight MLS Cup win

David Beckham’s final season with the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer (MLS) was arguably his best. Beckham scored seven goals and added nine assists this season and helped the club win its second consecutive MLS Cup. Beckham left the field for the last time in a Galaxy uniform on Dec. 1 after the team beat the Houston Dynamo 3-1 at Los Angeles’ Home Depot Center to wrap up the championship. The Galaxy also beat Houston last year to win the title. It was Los Angeles’ fourth league championship in eight cup final games, which equals a MLS record.

Beckham announced recently that he was leaving the team after this, his sixth season in MLS, and will be looking for a new adventure to finish off his career. There are numerous teams interested in his services and he’s been offered the chance to play in places such as China, Australia, France, Russia, and England. The 37-year-old former Manchester United, England, and Real Madrid midfielder said he would likely make up his mind by January at the latest.

The win over Houston took place in front of about 31,000 lively fans at the Galaxy’s home field. It was a back and forth affair which saw Los Angeles fight from behind to grab the victory. Houston had taken a 1-0 lead in the 44th minute when Calen Carr scored from the right side of the pitch after breaking free of Galaxy defenders. Houston came out n the second half looking to add to their lead, but Los Angeles turned the table on them in the 61st minute when defender Omar Gonzalez, the man of the match, scored n a header to tie the game 1-1.