David La Vaque of the Star Tribune has the first interview with new Minnesota Stars FC owner William McGuire, the former CEO of UnitedHealth. Though McGuire has not yet been officially announced as the team's owner, La Vaque was able to cover a few key things we've all been wondering.
McGuire admitted that building the team's fan base, not attempting to get into the MLS club or getting a new stadium, was his first priority as owner. His most telling quote was this one:
Folks who come to the games have a good time, but there are only 3-4,000 of them.
To that end, McGuire said the team would explore playing games next year at sites other than the team's home at the National Sports Center in Blaine. However, with the NASL season split into two halves next season - with the first half beginning in February and the month of July game-free - it was always likely that the team would have to explore indoor options, or potentially face a season-opening nine- or ten-game road trip.
Of course, we encourage you to read the whole interview at StarTribune.com.
The Stars will hold a press conference at 3 p.m. Thursday at Brit's Pub in downtown Minneapolis, and have invited fans and media alike to take part. No doubt it'll be a slightly raucous affair - and, for Stars fans, a slightly joyous one as well.