Major League Soccer

Gibbs chose Dallas to help national team chances; Cleveland expansion in doubt.

(Wednesday, February 04, 2004) -- Defender Cory Gibbs ultimately decided to sign with Major League Soccer and the Dallas Burn to enhance his chances of playing for the United States national team.

U.S. coach Bruce Arena told the Brown University product that his chances of playing in the 2006 World Cup would be jeopardized if didn't compete on a higher level than Germany's third division where he toiled with St. Pauli.

His MLS contract "is a financially good offer and coach Arena advised me to make the move," Gibbs said. "We (the U.S. men) have upcoming games against Holland and Uruguay, and they are important. . . Before World Cup qualifying starts in June, we have important games against Holland, Mexico and Tunisia, and I can play in all of them."

Gibbs left Hamburg and is expected in Dallas soon to formally sign a contract with the Burn.

"He's a young American with a bright future on the national side and, obviously, a bright future in MLS," Dallas general manager Greg Elliott said.

Gibbs, 24, rejected a transfer to Jahn Regensburg in the 2Bundeliga at the last moment. MLS, it was reported paid a transfer fee for Gibbs similar to the $110,000 Regensburg agreed to with St. Pauli.

"I would have been excited to play for Frankfurt in 1Bundesliga, but the club gave me the feeling that they were doing me a favor by signing me. Plus, I wouldn't have made much money there," Gibbs said. "That would have been the same in Regensburg. And they treated me like just another player who was there for a tryout."

Gibbs was popular with St. Pauli, but the club has needed to sell marketable players because of financial problems brought on by its demotion from the Bundesliga and 2Bundesliga. "Bye and good luck, Cory!" the club said in an official statement. "You never completely leave."

The Burn received the first 2004 league allocation because of its last-place finish last season. Dallas also acquired D.C. United's allocation in exchange for the rights to draft 14-year-old striker Freddy Adu.

Garber also announced that Cleveland developer Bert Wolstein had signed a letter-of-intent to join the league and to build a new stadium there. That plan now appears highly unlikely at best.

Wolstein wants considerable help from either the city of Cleveland or a suburban community to build a stadium which MLS has deemed essential for the new franchise. So far, no municipality has stepped up. Now, Wolstein has issued an ultimatum, giving local and state officials 60 days to help him build a $110 million soccer stadium or he will abandon his efforts to bring a MLS team to the area.

Wolstein has said it's not feasible to build the 25,000-seat facility entirely with private money. "I'm flabbergasted by how little momentum has developed," Wolstein told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "I'm not out there begging them to do this. If you don't want it, you won't get it and life goes on. I'm offering them an opportunity for an economic engine."

Wolstein has proposed a stadium that is not quite "soccer specific." He envisions a venue where high school football games would be played, as well as concerts. "You can play football in a soccer stadium, but you can't play soccer in a football stadium," he noted.