Mayor Of St. Paul Hoping To Land Soccer Stadium
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Back in March it was announced that Major League Soccer would be coming to Minnesota. Just a few months later, however, that plan could be in jeopardy with a stadium site yet to be decided.
Now, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman is hoping to sway the league east of the Mississippi River.
Coleman is hoping an area at Snelling and University at the St. Paul's Midway could be the home to a new major league soccer team. The proposed area is a 10-acre chunk of land just north of Interstate 94.
Coleman held a press conference Tuesday afternoon, along with the Major League Soccer President Mark Abott. Coleman said he chose the location to show what the city was capable of building.
The Minnesota United FC soccer team was originally looking at a site near Target Field in Minneapolis, but the legislature didn't approve the necessary tax breaks.
Coleman said he would be showing Abott a proposed Midway site for the stadium. Coleman said the site's close proximity to the light-rail and bus lines would make for easy access on game days.
At the press conference, Coleman said he's not competing with Minneapolis but simply wants to find a home for Major League Soccer in Minnesota.
There is no official proposal yet for the Midway site. Abott said there is no deadline for when they will choose a site.
Any proposal will have to go before the legislature in March.
