Soccer and the Stimulus

The Pacific Northwest is in the middle of a two part stimulus package: expansion of Major League Soccer into Seattle, Vancouver and Portland, and the possibility of a high speed railway that connects the three cities. If you consider the connection between the two, the future for this region looks really good.

The Soccer

The first part of this stimulus is already in effect. MLS has seen significant success during its span and thus expanding teams rapidly. But they have been cautious, avoiding the mismanaged expansion that ultimately plagued the former National American Soccer League in the 1970s. There have actually been many smart moves that have kept them in business, and those smart moves led to Vancouver, British Columbia being awarded the 17th team in the league, the Seattle Sounders winning their inaugural match 3-0, and Portland, Oregon being awarded the 18th team in the league.

During the days of both the NASL and the United Soccer League, these three cities featured a storied rivalry. In 2004, fans of the three teams established a derby called the Cascadia Cup which rewarded to the club that finished with the best record in the season series between the three teams. As a young member of the Timbers Army, one of my favorite songs goes a little like this. Starting in 2011, that rivalry will once again be renewed. The Cascadia Cup will be up for grabs, and it should make for some exciting matches.

The Stimulus

Everyone knows about the economy and the stimulus package, and how its hopefully going to help turn this country around. One of the ideas on how to use that stimulus money is to re-ignite the idea of building high speed rail lines in various parts of US.

The Pacific Northwest is one of the proposed regions. And there is support out there to build a high speed rail line that would connect Eugene, OR to Vancouver, BC. One would be able to travel from Eugene to Seattle in 2-1/2 hours, then Seattle to Vancouver in the same time.
There are so many benefits from a project like this: thousands of jobs that would last years, increased ability to travel to work, commerce between cities, and so much more.

But also think about how this could impact the Northwest Derby. Fans would be able to travel in a more efficient way - cheaper than flights and faster than driving. And the effects could be huge: stadiums would have the ability to sell more tickets to visiting fans (games could also sell out easier), hotel reservations would increase, and restaurants could be packed. All three cities could see a huge boost to their tourism revenues because of the high speed rail.

Obviously it would take a while to get there. But if the matters were set in motion within the next year or two and construction started by 2011, so much good could come of this.