We have progress on a new Minnesota United stadium in St. Paul: the team has chosen Populous, architects of Sporting Park and the new Orlando City FC stadium, to design the new privately financed Midway facility, planned for a 2018 opening.
The new 20,000-capacity stadium will house Minnesota United upon the team’s move from NASL to MLS.
“We are very pleased to formalize our relationship with Populous, a global leader in stadium design,” said Nick Rogers, president of Minnesota United FC. “We have been having conversations with Bruce Miller and his team over the past two years and have every confidence that they are the right group to help us realize our vision of a world-class soccer stadium in the Twin Cities.”
The Kansas City-based sports architecture firm – recognized for its focus on environmentally sustainable projects – is a world leader in stadium design and event- based projects. Populous has created world-class soccer stadiums for top-tier clubs throughout the world, including Sporting KC (MLS), Olympique Lyonnais (FRA), Tottenham Hotspur (ENG), Arsenal (ENG), C.F. Monterrey (MEX), and the 2010 World Cup Final stadium in Johannesburg.
Populous was the lead architect on local several local stadium projects – including Target Field, home of the Minnesota Twins, and TCF Bank Stadium, home to Golden Gopher football – which have received national recognition for enhancing sporting events by creating environments that draw people and communities together. Some of their other projects include Wimbledon’s Main Stadium, the stadiums for the 2000 Sydney and 2012 London Olympic Games, the new Yankee Stadium in New York City, and renovation projects for Texas A&M’s Kyle Field, Camden Yards in Baltimore, and Wembley Stadium in London.
“It’s an honor to have the opportunity to design another memorable sports experience for the Twin Cities,” said Bruce Miller, Senior Principal at Populous and lead architect for Minnesota United’s new stadium. “Major League Soccer has found a great home in St. Paul and our design team is excited about the opportunities to create a mixed-use entertainment destination that will thrive year-round. The site’s central location, access to public transit and exposure on I-94 make it a model site for a Major League Soccer venue. As a building block in growing the Minnesota United brand, the stadium will become the heart and soul of soccer in the northern Midwest.”
In addition to the state-of-the-art completed projects, Populous is currently in the process of designing the new stadium for Orlando City SC (MLS).
The new Minnesota United stadium site is in St. Paul’s Midway area, between downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul. It’s an area on the rise: the new Green Line train runs along University Avenue north of the stadium site (running, interestingly, between the new St. Paul Saints ballpark and Target Field, as well as the new Minnesota Vikings stadium and the aforementioned TCF Bank Stadium), while there is also good access from I-94 and Snelling Avenue. And there’s plenty of new development south of I-94 as well.
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