(Photo Credit: The former St. Louis Rams)
With each passing day, it seems more and more likely that the city of St. Louis will have an expansion Major League Soccer team in 2020. The league is looking to expand, and the commissioner has made it clear in the past he would like having a team in the Gateway City.
If one does arrive, there will be plenty of investors. And a potential one may surprise people.
A former Rams player.
It was only a few days ago that the Rams cut longtime veterans James Lauranitits and Chris Long (along with Jared Cook). On Monday, Long discussed his interest in potentially being a minority investor should the new team contact him.
“I gotta explore it,” Long told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch Monday while at his home. “I think it’d be pretty cool. I think St. Louis has got a good soccer fan base; a good market for that.”
Despite the Rams leaving last month, Long always has had deep love for the city of St. Louis, and once teamed up with former teammate William Hayes in experiencing being homeless in downtown St. Louis for 24 hours, raising major awareness of a serious issue in the area. Nevertheless, he always has felt at home in the city which drafted him, and where he played eight seasons.
“Having felt a real bond with that place, I’m never gonna disappear,” Long added. “I’d like to stay involved off the field in St. Louis. My foundation’s important to me. I’d like to do some stuff every year there. They’re just good people. It was just the right amount of everything.”
Currently, Major League Soccer has been doing a search for potential sites to which a proper soccer stadium could be built. A notable option includes the riverfront site (where originally, a new football stadium would be built).
