Steve Apostolopoulos attended Tuesday night's Gold Cup at Ford Field as a fan with the future in mind. It has been 1 1/2 years since Apostolopoulos' father, Andreas, and his Toronto-based Triple Properties Inc., bought the former home of the Lions -- the Pontiac Silverdome -- at an auction for the bargain price of $583,000. Since then, Steve Apostolopoulos, who oversees the sports division for Triple Sports & Entertainment, has spoken often of his plans to renovate the dome to include a soccer-specific stadium with the hope of attracting a Major League Soccer franchise. So where do his hopes stand? Steve Apostolopoulos said Tuesday that he's in discussions with several architects and engineers on the project. He also said that he remains in contact with MLS, which will welcome Montreal as its 19th team in 2012. "I can see us breaking ground in the next six to eight months," Apostolopoulos said of the Silverdome renovation. "We're ready; we don't need any financial assistance from the city. We're very confident that we'll do this renovation. The idea is phenomenal and the MLS has taken a liking to our passion." MLS spokesman Will Kuhns, who said the league's focus is for its 20th franchise to be in New York, said: "We remain in discussions with Steve and his group. There is not a formal bid process at this point for expansion." Kuhns added that there have been ongoing discussions with "multiple markets" but declined to name which ones beyond New York and Detroit. Other markets that have expressed interest, according to reports, are south Florida and Atlanta. "If a New York deal doesn't go through, we think we'll be next in line," Apostolopoulos said. "If New York's not in for 2013, we think that would be our year. I'd say in the next two years, we'll hopefully be in the league." The Silverdome hosted a successful exhibition last summer between international powers AC Milan and Greece's Panathinaikos FC. The indoor match, which was played on a natural grass surface, drew more than 30,000 fans. Apostolopoulos said he had offered the Silverdome as a site for the Gold Cup, but he wasn't surprised Ford Field was chosen. "It's a logical place for it -- it's closer to the border with Canada," he said before Tuesday's Gold Cup matches. "We're happy to have it here in Detroit." PART OF THE JOB: Since soccer isn't as popular in the U.S. as other major pro sports, U.S. midfielder Landon Donovan said it's important that the national team serve as ambassadors for the sport. "I've been involved with this team for 11 years, and it's grown leaps and bounds," he said. "We're still not in a perfect world where we want it to be, but we're trying to do our part and part of it is growing the game. ... We have to keep being successful." TURF WAR: The grass that was installed in Ford Field took a beating Tuesday -- in postgame interviews with players and U.S. coach Bob Bradley. The grass did not allow the ball to bounce much, and some players motioned to the ground when they fell. Bradley noted how hard it was on their legs. "Yeah, it was tough, but both teams got to deal with it," U.S. midfielder Clint Dempsey said. "I don't know why they would schedule it in venues where you have to lay the grass over the turf. But maybe it's a chance to bring soccer to a new area and help the game grow in the states. So I'm all about that." Bradley took a similar tack. "I think when big games and big teams come here, big tournaments like the Gold Cup, the opportunity to play in our big stadiums is important to the sport," he said. "But when we now come to places that we have grass down over the existing surface, hopefully there's technology, there's better ways to do it because it's tough on the players."

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