Ben Frederickson
ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ columnist
Carolyn Kindle Betz calls it the roller-coaster feeling.
“You get that little excitement in your stomach,†she said. “Wow. This really can happen.â€
The leader of the latest ownership group working to bring Major League Soccer to St. Louis was not referencing the sausage-making that happens when the Board of Aldermen meet.
She was describing the energy that struck her as she spent parts of the past month on an “eye-opening†tour of MLS stadiums. If you were wondering what Betz had been up to since that surprise press conference in October, a big part of it was this. Call it a crash course in MLS ownership.
Good luck finding a more eager and diligent student.
Ownership group members visited the home of the New York Red Bulls, the Los Angeles Galaxy, Los Angeles FC and Sporting KC in Kansas City. Some came and went depending on availability. Betz, the group’s leader, was a constant.
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“We were able to see both coasts and the Midwest,†she said. “We asked, what are things they would do differently? What are things they would keep? Really, it was an opportunity to start gathering information. Our main question was, tell us everything you can about stadium, team ownership and so on.â€
The field trip included home work.
“I am becoming a big soccer fan,†Betz said, sharing her study guide. “I have now learned about the EPL (English Premier League), the German soccer league I can’t pronounce, and the Asia-Pacific League. Also, the MLS playoffs. What a great opportunity to start preparing for when we have that team that will make the playoffs.â€
No team, but already a postseason expectation. See, she’s figuring this out. And her honesty, straightforwardness and, yes, humor should be appreciated in a place still healing from an ugly divorce with a deceitful football owner.
Like many of the folks she hopes become fans of her team, Betz is learning soccer at warp speed. But when it comes to the business side, the senior vice president at Enterprise knows how to cut through talking points to get to straight talk. It’s refreshing.
Betz is not interested in canned comments. She is not relying on a lackey to do her bidding. She is not pretending to be something she’s not.
These qualities should help her now that the timeline is tightening and the first sign of real adversity has arrived.
Betz said it remains unclear how MLS views its expansion race at the moment. The league’s announcement last month that it plans to keep its Columbus-based team and help a disgruntled Columbus owner start a team in Austin, Texas could have limited the available expansion spots to one. But the only news MLS will share is its plan to revisit expansion discussions during the league’s annual meetings next month.
“Realistically, we are expecting it to be the first quarter of 2019,†Betz said when asked when MLS could officially announce St. Louis as an expansion city. A visit from MLS commissioner Don Garber is tentatively targeted for mid-December. Passing the soccer resolution introduced this week by Aldermanic President Lewis Reed would be a major selling point. So would the full clearance to build on the selected stadium site, though Betz hinted stadium design plans could shift some from the renderings revealed by the previous ownership group.
Betz’s group hit its first speed bump Friday, when Alderwoman Christine Ingrassia pushed back against the city’s ownership of the stadium. Ingrassia’s concern about the viability of a fund set aside for stadium renovations is a fair one. Ingrassia’s ongoing payment dispute with Enterprise Rent-A-Car over a billing complaint, however, opens the door for questions about a conflict of interest. Her camp must have decided the side story would be overshadowed by the fact that she is hesitant about a project earmarked for her ward. That matters.
Discussion is a good thing, and now is a time for it. A tweaked timeline can, in the end, lead to a better plan. For evidence, compare this push for a soccer team to the last one. St. Louis must learn from past mistakes. Betz agrees. It’s why the plan included the fund for repairs.
“What do we do to make sure that if it’s 20, 30, 40 years down the line, people are not in another potentially sticky situation?†she said Wednesday, before Friday’s debate about that fund. “We want to make sure there is money being set aside for improvements. I don’t ever want to talk about the word demolition, but that way there is protection for the city and residents of the city.â€
So, you would have to think concerns about the repair fund could be resolved by mature adults. A discussion of what happens 20 years from now is better to have now than in 20 years. But should it derail progress for a project dominated by private funding? No. A solution can be found. The sooner, the better.
MLS is watching.
Betz is “absolutely†confident the league will come if the right boxes are checked.
Do you think the Taylor family would have connected its name to this if there was much uncertainty?
“If we can give them that package with the ownership group secured, the land secured, the community involvement secured, I think it would be very hard for them to say no to us,†Betz said.
For the folks who want to see this happen, she is requesting some help.
“Because the hearings for the Board of Aldermen are public, we are going to make sure and post updates,†Betz said. “If they want to come out and support us, we would certainly love that.â€
The best soccer teams have loud crowds.
The roller coaster is about to get interesting.
Quick Hits: BenFred on STL sports
ARE CARDINALS REALLY IN RACE FOR HARPER?
QUESTION: How much stock should we put in national-level declaration that the Cardinals are already out on Bryce Harper?
BENFRED: Not much at the moment. Is it a smart bet to say Team X is not going to land a free agent? Sure. Because there are multiple teams that are interested, so singling out one that won't is a lot safer than picking one that will. Yes, the Cardinals are looking into corner infield upgrades. Yes, the Cardinals are not determined they need an outfielder just to get a new outfielder. If they don't get Harper, they probably should not add another outfielder. Signing Michael Brantley, for example, doesn't really change much. That's like trading in your car for one with 5,000 fewer less miles. Better? Maybe. Probably. But worth the hassle? Probably not. But Harper is not any outfielder. He's the exception. He checks a ton of boxes for the Cardinals. I would not bet on the Cardinals signing him. History suggests betting against it. But I don't feel comfortable saying they are out of it. I've yet to see convincing evidence of that. Winter meetings are coming. A better picture should be available then.
CAN THE CARDS MOVE CARP IN THE LINEUP?
QUESTION: Matt Carpenter needs to suck it up and be able hit other spots in the line-up other than leadoff. This team would be better if he hit third. Is this finally the year? If not, should the Cardinals look to move him?
BENFRED: Getting rid of one of the best leadoff hitters around because he doesn't conform all that well to non-leadoff spots would not make much sense to me. Maybe the team should let the eight-year veteran do his thing and stop trying to make him into something he's not. That sounds like a better plan to me.
CAN SOMEONE EXPLAIN THE BLUES WOES?
QUESTION: Is anyone else pretty much baffled by this Blues team at this point?
BENFRED: A few questions seem to be becoming bigger and bigger as long as the Blues await takeoff. 1) How much did the Blues risk by bringing back Jake Allen after another midseason collapse last season? They changed so much around him, but here we are having the same conversations about a backup playing better than Allen. 2) Why haven't some of the players the Blues committed to -- Pietrangelo, Tarasenko, Allen, Parayko -- taken bigger steps forward in their development while with the team? 3) The inconsistency. Not in results, but performance. A lot of the defensive breakdowns trace back to the other team just working harder and wanting it more. Slowly, they are starting to move in the right direction. But the No. 1 on the list looms large. They have played their best when Allen is not in the net
WILL WONG FINALLY BE EVERYDAY PLAYER?
QUESTION: We have endured how many seasons now of Kolten Wong is the second baseman; Wong is a platoon second baseman; Wong can't hit lefties; Wong needs to play all the time. Can we please get some clarity on whether Wong will be the "everyday second baseman" in 2019?
BENFRED: Under manager Mike Shildt, I think it's safe to bet on Wong playing second base as long as he's healthy. He will get the occasional off days and might sit against a tough matchup here and there, but Shildt has made a point of prioritizing up-the-middle defense AND starting Wong.
WHAT BOWL WOULD BE BEST FOR MIZZOU?
²Ï±«·¡³§°Õ±õ°¿±·:Ìý For Mizzou, what are the best and worst possible bowl outcomes?
BENFRED: Best? Music City Bowl. It's in Nashville. Mizzou fans would make the trip. Worst? Somehow slipping out of the SEC group of six and having to go to the Independence Bowl in Shreveport. It might be the worst bowl game out there, and that's saying something.
WOULD SLU BE BETTER WITH DIFFERENT ROLE FOR ISABELL?
QUESTION: I find it hard to understand why SLU coach Travis Ford wants Tramaine Isabell to be his point guard/playmaker when he has always been a shooting guard. Seems like since he is only here one year, a better use would be to be that shooter?
BENFRED: Isabell can shoot AND run the point. Including Jordan Goodwin, SLU has two guys who can handle the ball and also score. But Goodwin is not a true point guard. Isabell is trying to prove he is, but he is more of a point guard than Goodwin. Limiting Goodwin to point guard keeps him from using the best of his skills. He's big and strong and physical. For example, in one of the early exhibitions they moved him down into the post for mismatch. Can't do that very often or easily if he's running the point. Isabell came here to prove he can run the point, because he's going to need to do that if he plays at the next level. SLU is happy with him scoring, and the Billikens will need that. But he has to look to create for others first. And he needs to make his dang free throws.
WHAT IS MIZZOU'S OFFENSIVE PLAN?
QUESTION: Does Mizzou hoops have an offensive philosophy? There are no more outside shooters (although Mark Smith may be one) so last year's "pass until a senior gets open behind the arc" won't work. What's the plan?
BENFRED: Without Jontay Porter, they want to play through Jeremiah Tilmon. Get him paint touches, let him create double teams, then have him kick it out for guard to drive and shoot. If he does not handle that role well, it's going to be ugly.
DOES IT MATTER THAT MU ALMOST LOST TO VANDY?
QUESTION: What do you make of Mizzou football's near-loss to Vanderbilt?
BENFRED: When it's an SEC game, a win is a win. The Tigers didn't get participation points for keeping it close against South Carolina and Kentucky. The should not get dinged for finding a way against Vanderbilt. In fact, what they did to beat Vanderbilt -- the fourth-down stop, the defense on Vandy's final play, the final Tigers scoring drive -- were examples of the kind of big plays they could not make against South Carolina and Kentucky. So, good win, all things considered.
WHAT WOULD REAX TO DONALDSON BE?
QUESTION: If the Cardinals sign Josh Donaldson, would you be excited for what he can do, or depressed they signed a declining player?
BENFRED: I would be excited for the story. He is, to me, the most interesting player in this free-agent class. Huge success not very long ago. Big red flags at the moment. But he did hit the ball hard and looked good in the smallest of sample sizes upon his return in Cleveland. If he crushes it with his new team, how many teams will kick themselves? If he can't stay healthy, how many teams will feel lucky they said no thanks? He's really interesting. If he's a 32-year-old somewhere in between those two extremes, I'm not sure if he's the upgrade -- on his own -- that this Cardinals lineup needs. And I worry a little bit about his defense. Those reviews are all over the board.
