August 8, 2007 by Jeff Cooper 

Hello.  My name is Jeff Cooper and I am chairman of St. Louis Soccer United.  In simple terms, St. Louis Soccer United is an investment and development group whose purpose is to secure a Major League Soccer expansion team for the St. Louis region.  And that effort starts with building a state-of-the-art, soccer-specific stadium.  Without it, MLS soccer will not be possible in St. Louis.

Luckily, the idea of MLS soccer in this area is very possible.  And that's because we have the perfect location for a new soccer stadium in Collinsville, where the combination of space, services, accessibility, and proximity to downtown St. Louis make all things possible.  Our financing package for the stadium and surrounding development goes to the Collinsville City Council this Monday night, Aug. 13, and to that end I would like to thank Mayor Stan Schaeffer, city attorney Steve Giacoletto, city manager Bob Knabel, and community developer Paul Mann for the long hours and hard work they've dedicated to the project in advance of our presentation.  We are appreciative for the opportunity to appear in front of the City Council on Monday, and throughout the review process we will be happy to address the questions or comments of the City Council and people of Collinsville.  Like you, we want this to work.

St. Louis Soccer United also represents an ideal and mission, one that is more than to return the highest level of professional soccer to the St. Louis area.  As the name suggests, we truly believe this project has the potential to unite us as a community.  Not that we are divided here in St. Louis, by the river or anything else.  But as World Cup and other international soccer competitions have proven for decades, soccer has more of a galvanizing effect on a nation, state or community than virtually any other sport on the planet.  That's what we envision unfolding here in our community.  A St. Louis team will call Illinois its home, and the benefits to the entire region will be too many to count.

We plan to keep this Web site updated, and I plan to drop in on this blog page to share our group's thoughts as the process plays itself out.  After all, if we are really "united," we feel a responsibility to keep you in the loop.  So, I hope you'll visit us again here soon.  Until then, please share the news of our efforts with friends and family by forwarding our Web address.  And thanks for standing behind us.