Local group upbeat after mingling with pro soccer league’s elite

Friday, July 27, 2007 | 7:26 a.m.

The group trying to start a Major League Soccer franchise in Las Vegas moved among exclusive company last week at the league's all-star festivities near Denver.

Mark Noorzai, who heads the Las Vegas Sports & Entertainment Group (LVSEG), and chief spokesman Paul Caligiuri mingled with league executives and team owners to continue their efforts.

They were invited by MLS Commissioner Don Garber, with whom they held private discussions about the league and Las Vegas.

They were among a select group of 40 who attended Colorado Rapids owner Stan Kroenke's low-key reception for David Beckham, the English star whose ankle injury has hampered his start with the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Caligiuri, a Hall of Fame defender who played in two World Cups for the U.S., once played against Beckham.

"It's very exciting right now," Caligiuri said. "We just want to keep this momentum going. We've gained a lot more support from MLS to come into Las Vegas and solidify a local partner. That is the bottom line."

Noorzai and Caligiuri have signed non disclosure agreements with MLS regarding details about their negotiations with Garber and league executives.

Their presence in Colorado, according to Caligiuri, was a big boost.

"They have some interested people, we have some interested people," Caligiuri said. "We're confident we'll come up with the right ingredients for Las Vegas. That's really what it boils down to. The interest is all there. The excitement is there."

Garber wants to expand the 12-year-old, 13-team league to 16 clubs by 2010. Although it does not have a stadium plan, San Jose will be the 14th franchise and will play next season.

Since early this year, LVSEG has been pitching to MLS a $500 million, retractable-roof, soccer-specific stadium with a capacity of up to 40,000. . It will feature additional fields, and an adjacent hotel and casino.

Also in the expansion mix are Atlanta, Cleveland, Miami, Milwaukee, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, San Diego, Seattle, St. Louis and Vancouver, B.C.

Garber might announce the other two expansion cities by the end of the year.

In Colorado, officials from Celtic, the Scottish Premier League team that played the MLS All-Stars, beamed about the prospects of a team in Las Vegas.

Chelsea brass repeated the scene during the weekend, when that English Premier League squad played the Galaxy.

"They all told me that every team in the world would want to come play in Las Vegas," Caligiuri said. "They say it's a great idea, that it would work and it would make all the sense in the world."

LVSEG has also aligned itself with the new Latin American Advisory Board (LAAB), a 16-person group that MLS established at the all-star break.

Caligiuri said it will be vital for the Las Vegas team to tap into the area's Hispanic community.

"For us, it's important to seek the fans who enjoy the sport already," Caligiuri said. "We're looking at Las Vegas for multiple reasons. Ultimately, it's the heart of the world. People in Australia, Greenland, Russia and Argentina want to come here.

"We'll cater to the international crowd, too."

Hugo Salcedo, the president of the Southern California Youth Soccer Organization and a consultant for MLS, the Mexican federation and FIFA, the sport's world governing body, is bullish on an MLS team in Las Vegas.

"It would be a great success," Salcedo said. "There would be a great following in Las Vegas. And I think these are the right people to do it; they're in it for the right reasons and for the long term."