Construction is underway in St. Paul, where Minnesota United FC is planning for the arrival of Allianz Field.
The expansion club joined MLS this season, and is spending the 2017 and 2018 campaigns at the University of Minnesota’s TCF Bank Stadium. That situation serves United FC in the interim while it plans Allianz Field, the new stadium it is constructing in St. Paul’s Midway neighborhood.
It is anticipated that over time, the $200 million privately-financed stadium will anchor a larger development that is planned for the area. For right now, however, there is some progress being made on the development of the actual stadium. According to Untied FC owner Bill McGuire, steel will arrive at the construction site in the coming months, and the club is continuing to plan some of the amenities that it will include at its new venue. More from The Star Tribune:
At the construction site, a central tower crane has taken up residence and the hole for the stadium is about 40 to 50 percent dug, according to McGuire. Most of the soil remediation is complete, and crews have begun to put in walls and rebar in the subsurface.
The steel will arrive in late September or October. “That’ll be the most noticeable thing that occurs,” McGuire said.
Some decisions are still being deliberated, mostly on amenities and design elements, such as colors for the stadium interior. McGuire said the team is considering a roof deck opposite the supporters’ section and several club areas, including one on the north end that would be open to the public beyond just match days and offer a look out onto the pitch. It’s also looking into a scoreboard with a giant clock and hang-up numbers, a throwback to the National Sports Center setup in Blaine when United played in the North American Soccer League.
In recent weeks, one of the more notable developments for the facility was the announcement of a naming rights partner. Last month, United FC revealed that it had reached an agreement with Allianz Life Insurance Company of North America.
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