MLS commissioner Garber confirms advanced discussions about expansion team in Minneapolis
MLS commissioner Don Garber confirmed the league is in advanced discussions to bring an expansion team to Minneapolis.
Minnesota United owner Bill McGuire partnered with Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor and Minnesota Twins owner Jim Pohlad to mount an expansion bid to compete with the Vikings to land a potential team in Minneapolis during this round of expansion.
McGuire and his partners faced strong competition from Vikings owners Mark and Zygi Wilf to earn the nod, but their desire to build an outdoor, soccer-specific stadium in Minneapolis -- likely on a parcel of land next to Target Field -- and transition the existing NASL side to MLS appears to have won the race.
"We are in advanced discussions with Bill McGuire and his partners in Minnesota to bring a Major League Soccer expansion club to the Twin Cities and are particularly excited about their plans for a new soccer-specific stadium that will serve as the club's home," Garber said in a statement released on Monday afternoon. "We remain on track to announce the next MLS expansion market in the next 30-45 days, though no specific date for an announcement has been set."
Minnesota United said the club remains hopeful of landing a franchise during this round of expansion, according to a statement. United has already received a letter of intent from the league in support of its bid to build its new ground, according to a SI.com report last week.
"As you may be aware, MLS executives have stated their plan is to announce the next expansion market in the 30-45 days," United said in a statement. "MLS leadership is well aware that the passionate soccer fans in Minnesota combined with a world-class, soccer-specific stadium make the Twin Cities and our state a perfect home for the next MLS expansion team.
If Minnesota secures an expansion team as expected within the next month and a half, then the landscape will shift toward the potential 24th team quickly.
Garber and other league officials have visited Las Vegas and Sacramento in recent months and have held discussions with San Antonio and St. Louis about potential bids. Las Vegas is already ruled out for this round, according to a previous statement from the league.
The landscape essentially leaves Sacramento -- another side with a strong existing club in USL side Sacramento Republic and a potential soccer-specific stadium plan at the core of its bid -- and Miami vying for the next berth.
Garber did not mention Miami by name in this statement as Miami Beckham United continues to sift through potential stadium options in South Florida. Beckham obtained a $25 million option to invest in a MLS team as part of his agreement to join the league back in 2007, but he has encounter significant resistance to his plans to build a downtown stadium in Miami.
Both markets will take some encouragement from the league's apparent willingness to contemplate additional teams. Garber said league officials "plan to evaluate potential expansion beyond 24 clubs" over the course of this year.
