Taylor Twellman, 34, had a distinguished Major League Soccer career that ended in 2010, but his roots in the game go back much further than that. He was born in Minneapolis in 1980, when his father, Tim, was playing professionally for the Minnesota Kicks. Taylor Twellman, currently an ESPN soccer analyst, was in the Twin Cities this week to promote Minnesota as an MLS expansion destination and to discuss the MLS Cup, which he will work Sunday as a color analyst. The Star Tribune's Michael Rand caught up with him on a number of subjects:
Q Why do you think this market is right for Major League Soccer?
A Because for the last 34 years I've heard my entire family, mainly my mom and dad, talk about how this was top five in the NASL days. … Soccer is big here. But soccer is big in a lot of places. It's knowing how to support it in the right way. … It's a no-brainer to me. As long as it's done right and treated as a top sport in the city, it's a no-brainer to me.
Q You were here on behalf of the Vikings and you've seen their renderings for soccer in their new stadium. Are you casting your lot with their bid for a team — because there is, as you know, another group led by Minnesota United that is also working to get a team?
A I just want MLS in Minnesota. That's simply why I'm here and why the Vikings had me come here. If you could grow MLS into any [market], my first answer has always been Minneapolis and my second answer has always been St. Louis. Minneapolis is begging for it. They have a bidding system here. How many markets can say that?
Q You've talked about Portland, Kansas City and Salt Lake City as comparable markets to the Twin Cities, but none of those places has the type of major league sports presence that we already have here. Is there really room for MLS in Minnesota?
A Soccer immediately would give the Wolves and the Twins a run for their money. Anyone who tries to convince me otherwise is out of their mind. … Are they going to catch the Vikings and the NFL? I hate when soccer people try to go that way because what are we trying to do? … The Wild will be the Wild. Hockey in Minnesota will be what it always has been.
Q How do you assess the race for a team between Minnesota and other markets?
A I think Minnesota is in the driver's seat. I think the other ones are up in the air. … Geographically, and the television market being what it is, for some reason when I look at it with no bias, Minnesota always stands out to me.
Q What about Sunday's final between Los Angeles and New England — what do you see there?
A It's interesting. It's an historical moment for the league. You either get the first team to win five MLS Cups [Los Angeles] or the first team to lose five [New England]. It's Landon Donovan's last game. … I think the most important part is that the game will be exciting because of the way both teams play. How often do we go to finals — and I was part of them — where the game is ugly and boring, the players are tight? This one, it's almost impossible.
