(Note: When La Velle E. Neal III isn't covering the Twins, pro soccer is one of the things he's most likely to be following. here are his thoughts on Minnesota getting an MLS franchise.)

This is a great day for the state of Minnesota and the local soccer community as MLS comes to the Twin Cities to award the area its 23rd franchise.

For someone who has been here since 1997, it's somewhat of a stunner.

I was a soccer fan when I moved here, having covered the 1994 World Cup game between USA and Brazil. That event got me curious about where Roberto Baggio, Romario and other stars played. That led to the TV being turned on Saturday mornings to watch games in Europe.

There didn't seem to be much passion for the sport here in the late 1990's. I remember attending the Minnesota Thunder's A-League championship game against Rochester with the one and only Paul Allen. Nice atmosphere, but the game didn't draw much buzz around town.

Something has happened here over the last two to three World Cups. There was a definite spike in interest in the games. My goodness, do people flock to Brit's, The Local, The Nomad, The Sweetwater and other spots to watch Cup matches. Yes, there is a large soccer community here.

MLS has realized its audience is the craft beer drinking hipsters, and they certainly exist in this area!

This market has evolved. Some of my friends have adopted EPL teams to follow just for trash-talking purposes (Paul Fletcher). I follow Everton because of its history of employing American players. My brother follows Aston Villa. He's into torture. And we both keep up with with the homeland team, the Chicago Fire. Pure rubbish at the moment.

I'm just wondering if we are MLS fans here or are soccer fans who prefer following the EPL, La Liga, the Bundesliga and events like the Champions League? Are we soccer snobs here or are we ready to embrace this league? If the elite soccer fans embrace MLS, then it will thrive here.

Many readers are groaning about subsiding another stadium effort. Having talked with people behind this push for nearly a year, the ownership group knows what its getting into here. They will have to pay for the stadium. They might need help with land acquisition or infrastructure, but I was told they were prepared to pay up. And I don't think this day happens unless they are at the point where they can execute the deal.

I'm happy for a lot of people in this town. Amos Magee, Manny Lagos and Tony Sanneh all played in MLS and get to see a team come to their hometown. And I'm really happy for Buzz Lagos, who has always talked of bringing a team here - or taking the local side to MLS. His day has finally arrived.