M.L.S. in Midst of Stadium Games in N.Y.C. For nearly all of his 13 years as the commissioner of Major League Soccer, Don Garber has evangelized in all corners of North America for what he likes to call "soccer-specific stadiums." And in nearly ever city from Toronto to Houston, and hamlets in between like Chester, Pa., and Frisco, Tex., the drill was basically the same: award a franchise, then get a deal done for a stadium ... eventually ... by cajoling local governments to foot at least part of the bill. But as most folks know, New York City is not just any other place, and getting big public/private projects executed in the land of planning commissions, community boards and bare-knuckle politics is never an easy task. M.L.S. is a 19-team league that is dying, positively dying, to plunk its 20th team in any of four of the city's five boroughs (sorry Staten Island). On Thursday, Garber presided over his annual State of the League conference call with reporters two days before the start of the league's 17th season. There were the usual words about attendance (growing), television deals (increasing) and perception (on the up). And when you have a handful of ink-stained wretches from New York on the line, the talk will inevitably turn to what is going on in the league's backyard. And although Garber could not, or would not, discuss potential ownership groups (Sela Sports, which owns the Cosmos name, is No. 1 on everyone's hit parade), the commissioner did drop a bombshell of sorts when he said that the league has been in discussions with city officials to try and locate a suitable site for a stadium in what Garber called the "urban core." In other words, Belmont Park is out. Long Island is out. Did we already mention Staten Island? Out. The financially challenged Wilpon family and the Mets? Did someone whisper Pier 40 on the Hudson River? Bet that would go over big with local residents! Willets Point, the tumbledown area near Citi Field in Flushing is targeted for redevelopment, but any plans there could be delayed years by litigation. Garber said: It's premature to talk about any specific site, but the league is taking the lead on developing a stadium. It's the first time we've ever done that as part of the expansion process. There have been nine teams over last 10 years to build stadiums, but this is the first one where the league is driving most the important aspects. Architecture, consultants and environmental all work for the league. We will put together a project and then we hope to be able to deliver to a potential owner. We've been working with the mayor's office and it has been a great resource for us, helping to steer us to sites that can be developed and where there is enough community support and to achieve success. There's still work to do. When the Cosmos were run by the British investor Paul Kemsley, the club official Joe Fraga worked closely with city officials for several years on locating a suitable, privately held site for a stadium. The group was close on a plot of land on the Brooklyn waterfront in Greenpoint, across the river from lower Manhattan. There has been talk of redeveloping the Kingsbridge Armory in the Bronx or building at Aqueduct Race Track (where the State of New York recently proposed a huge convention center). Of late, talk of building on the West Side railyards, which had been a prospective site for the ill-fated Olympic bid, has re-emerged. All three of those locations have a key element Garber spoke of - access to mass transportation (the West Side site will soon have subway access via an expansion of the No. 7 subway line). Garber added: We want to ensure that when this project is complete we have the perfect site for a stadium. It will take as long as it takes to make sure we have the right site, that's how important a second New York team is. The Red Bulls are supportive, and believe the rivalry will help build more momentum for the club and create one of great soccer rivalries in the world. Over the past 18 months, Garber said that league officials had inspected 19 different sites and have now winnowed the number to between 8 and 10. He said that Belmont Park was out of the running because of its location on the border of Queens and Nassau County, near major highways but with no subway access (there is a Long Island Railroad spur). "We're getting more focused on fewer sites," Garber said. We've made the decision to get focused on getting the stadium done. When that's done, there won't be any shortage of owners willing to pay $100 million for a team in New York. Garber gave no indication of a timetable to get a stadium deal, but bear in mind that the clock is ticking on the administration of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, and dealing with a new roster of politicians would certainly delay matters even more. He also did not address the cost of a new building and who would bear it. By most estimates, a new building in New York would probably cost more than $200 million. "We are focused on locations that have strong public transportation access and as close to the urban core as possible," he said. Location, location, location ... where would you like to see a stadium built?