MLS to announce new franchise in coming weeks
Major League Soccer is set to announce a new expansion franchise in the coming weeks, sources confirm to 90min.
Commissioner Don Garber previously teased the new team could be confirmed by the end of the year, but the news is now set to be released in May.
The San Diego and Las Vegas markets previously stood as the two frontrunners to receive a new franchise, but Phoenix, Sacramento and Detroit remain of interest to Major League Soccer.
"We have teams across 3 time zones, multiple climate zones, so we do need more teams...the 30th team will come at some point soon, hopefully for media people we’d like to get that announced by the end of the year," said Garber in February.
Major League Soccer has introduced several new franchises in the past years, with Inter Miami making its debut in 2020, Charlotte FC coming in ahead of the 2022 campaign and St. Louis CITY kicking off for the first time in 2023. The league currently managed 29 teams across the Eastern and Western Conferences. But Garber insists more is needed.
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"I never thought we’d be at 28, never thought we’d be at 29, we said we are gonna stop at 30 but the other major leagues are larger than that so we never say never. There are many other markets with opportunities for us, I think San Diego and Las Vegas are the most likely opportunities for 30 but we don’t have a team in Phoenix, we don’t have a team in Sacramento, we don’t have a team in Detroit, all big markets in our country so you never know," he added before the 2023 campaign launched.
"Tampa is another big city, soccer is exploding professionally everywhere on the professional side, on the mens and women’s side, so we’ll see."
But San Diego’s NWSL success alerted Garber to the 'great sports market'. The San Diego Wave debuted as an expansion team in 2022, and saw immediate success both on and off the field to stimulate conversations in MLS.
"I'm a big believer in San Diego," Garber said. "I think there's a view of San Diego, it's too nice there and people are out surfing and hanging out at the beach and I just don't buy it. I think San Diego's a great sports market, it's a gateway city."