Major League Soccer won't be coming to Queens: Councilman

Provided by Major League Soccer

Major League Soccer was in talks to build a 25,000-seat stadium in Fluishing Meadows-Corona Park. The league is now looking at other options for a new city home.

A loss in Queens could provide a big score for the Bronx.

Major League Soccer - which was in talks with the city to build a $340 million stadium in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, - won't be coming to Queens, said a local politician.

'The location doesn't work,' said City Councilman and Queens Borough President candidate Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans), who chairs the Council's Land Use Committee. 'There was no real benefit for Queens residents to site it in that location.'

MLS officials had planned to build the 25,000-seat stadium on up to 13 acres in the park.

But following months of highly publicized opposition, the new owners of the New York City Football Club publicly - which will start play in 2015 - backed away from the site in abrupt about-face.

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The announcement that the Yankees will own 20% of the team, along with Manchester City, have fueled speculation that the soccer stadium could be built near the Bronx Bombers.

Comrie, who said he opposes putting the stadium in the park, pointed out there is land available near Yankee Stadium.

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. said the site makes sense and will meet with soccer officials later this month to urge them to build a new stadium in the Bronx.

'It's my understanding, that for whatever reason, they've walked away from the conversations they were having in Queens,' said Diaz Jr, noting the area has 'an abundance of land.'

Team officials said they are considering various sites all over the city - and Queens is not off the table just yet.

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'[The team] is looking for a home, not simply a place to play,' said NYC FC spokeswoman Risa Heller. 'We will continue to pursue Flushing Meadows while we also review other sites around the city.'

The new soccer stadium is expected to bring jobs and increased revenue to local businesses in whichever borough it is built in.

'If they don't come to Queens, we'll lose a great opportunity to not only have world-class soccer, but to boost economic activity in the borough,' said state Sen. Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst), who opposed putting the stadium in the park. 'We want to revitalize the borough.'

But local park advocates, who launched a campaign to stop the stadium from going up in Flushing Meadows, said the team needs to find a new site.

'A stadium inside the middle of the park would destroy the usefulness of the park for the community,' said activist Will Sweeney, of the Fairness Coalition of Queens. 'It's the only large open space for hundreds of thousands of Queens families.'

With Irving DeJohn

ctrapasso@nydailynews.com