CHARLOTTE – As he was getting ready for the press conference, David Tepper drop-kicked a soccer ball from the stage with Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber looking on in amazement.
Tepper, as he’s been known to do, then belted out a song for the assembled crowd after the formal announcement was made Tuesday that Charlotte was now home of the league’s 30th franchise.
And then he took a shot at Atlanta, kicking off what’s sure to be an intense rivalry.
“Charlotte is HOT! We’re the hot city,” Tepper said. “Screw that other city!”
MLS, the life of the party has arrived. Well, let’s just say there’s been a lot of new life injected.
And he plans to do a lot of partying.
“Charlotte, you ready to party? We’re going to have one big party all season long,” Tepper told the fans who packed the Mint Museum, which served as the announcement venue. “Every game. Every game a party.”
That’s what makes soccer special. The pageantry. The fans creating an atmosphere that pours onto the pitch. The songs, the chants. All of it.
And Tepper got the ball rolling.
“I will say it’s the first time we’ve ever had (an owner) sing at a team announcement,” Garber joked.
But Tepper is serious is about his commitment to, as he said, “build something great” for the city.
That came through loud and clear throughout the bid process.
“What is so striking about David is his ambition and his commitment to community. And as I thought about what to say today, it is very much what defines Major League Soccer,” Garber told reporters. “We are an ambitious professional sports league trying to change the dynamic of the professional sports business – not just here, but around the world. David’s vision is very aligned with what has been driving the success of MLS.”
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles commended Tepper and said she believes this is a testament to the city and an opportunity for the community to come together as one.
That’s been Tepper’s plan all along.
And as Garber said, now the real work begins as the franchise takes shape.
Tepper knows it’ll be a process, albeit a speedy one. And it’s never too early to make the goal clear.
“I want to win that MLS Cup.”
[INSERT TEPPER CELEBRATES VIDEO]
