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MLS Expansion Announcement Looming, Says Commissioner

July 29, 2016 - Major League Soccer (MLS)
Vancouver Whitecaps FC News Release


SAN JOSE, CA - An announcement on Major League Soccer expansion could be just a "couple of weeks away," commissioner Don Garber told ESPN at halftime of Thursday's MLS All-Star Game.Garber suggested the announcement will reveal which franchise will join expansion side Atlanta United FC in MLS next season. Atlanta already have 31,000 season ticket deposits, as well as "unbelievable" technical development and a training ground, he said.

The addition of Atlanta and its soon-to-be revealed expansion cousin will bring MLS to 22 teams. The league's current expansion plans call for 24 teams by 2018. Los Angeles FC, who are set to break ground on their new stadium in two weeks, are already slated to join the league in 2018.

"And we hope to still get something done in Miami," Garber said.

Eventually, MLS hopes to expand to 28 teams, though there's no timeline in place for that as of yet.

"I can't tell you when that's going to be," Garber said. "We're going to be careful to ensure that we manage the technical aspects of expansion, but there's a lot of interest, probably a dozen cities, for those last four spots."

"You have to ensure that we're growing the soccer nation here, that we're a league of choice," he continued. "In order to do that, you have to have jobs and opportunity, training grounds, and great facilities. And you have to be careful that we're not diluting talent. Unlike other domestic leagues, we have a global market to pick from and we also have great homegrown players. It's the bottom, it's the top ... ultimately our owners are smart and we have to be sure that we expand carefully."

Garber also touched on the efforts to bring video replay to MLS, suggesting "it's going to happen" in some form within "the next year or so."

Watch the full interview at the top of this page.

MLS EXPANSION PLANS

2017: Atlanta United FC, TBA 2018: Los Angeles FC, TBA

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Major League Soccer Stories from July 29, 2016


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