Wilfs Bow Out Of Major League Soccer Chase

The good news is that it appears that Major League Soccer is coming to Minneapolis.

The bad news. . .or additional good news, depending on your perspective. . .is that the new MLS team won't be owned by the Wilf family and won't be playing their home games in the new Minnesota Vikings' stadium.

According to KARE-11 in Minneapolis, MLS has decided to expand to the Twin Cities, but has decided to work with the group headed by current Minnesota United owner Bill McGuire, who is teaming up with the Pohlad family and Minnesota Timberwolves' owner Glen Taylor.

The Wilf family released a statement in response to the news.

We have been informed by Major League Soccer of its plans to pursue an outdoor stadium in Minneapolis.

We have been very excited about the possibility of bringing an MLS team to Minnesota fans and deeply committed to providing a phenomenal stadium experience. We offered MLS an ideal situation - a stadium that is certain and will be completed in 2016, a plan that was funded by the public and private sectors to host MLS, and an option that will not require additional government approvals. The new multi-purpose stadium also would have accommodated the length of the MLS season and the growth of the sport in this market.

At the same time, we commend MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Deputy Commissioner Mark Abbott for their continued success in building the MLS brand, and, most importantly, we are pleased to see they believe in the Minneapolis-St. Paul market.

You read that first sentence correctly. With the commitment to Minneapolis from Major League Soccer, there is going to be another new stadium built in the Twin Cities area, which will be the sixth one built in the area since the year 2000. Those stadiums are

-XCel Energy Center (Minnesota Wild)
-Target Field (Minnesota Twins)
-TCF Bank Stadium (Minnesota Golden Gophers football)
-CHS Field (St. Paul Saints minor league baseball, opens in May)
-Unnamed Football Stadium (Minnesota Vikings, opens in August 2016)
-Unnamed Soccer Stadium (Minnesota MLS team, opening unknown)

Oh, and the Target Center (Minnesota Timberwolves) is set to be renovated any time here, too.

On the bright side, maybe the anti-stadium jerks out there can stop whining about the new Vikings' stadium. . .since, you know, it's about half finished already. . .and can focus their attention on the soccer folks. And, frankly, I hope the soccer folks roll over them, too.