Minnesota United FC will hold a groundbreaking ceremony for their stadium in St. Paul on Monday, a club spokesperson confirmed to MLSsoccer.com on Wednesday.
Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber, United owner Dr. Bill McGuire and St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman will be in attendance at the event, which will begin at 3 pm ET at the stadium site in St. Paul’s Snelling-Midway neighborhood.
McGuire stated in August, after MLS announced that United would join the league in 2017, that he expected the $150 million stadium to be completed “sometime in 2018.” The club will hold their 2017 home matches at the University of Minnesota’s TCF Bank Stadium.
While the ceremonial groundbreaking is set for next Monday, Minnesota soccer website FiftyFive.One reported on Tuesday that actual construction on the 20,000-seat stadium won’t begin until United is able to acquire a parcel of land currently owned by RK Midway that contains a shopping center.
Most of the venue would be located on a site currently owned by the Metro Transit. Part of the site plan overlaps with the RK Midway property, however. The club hasn’t yet been able to acquire that land, creating a sticking point for the construction plans.
The Star Tribune reported that United owners have been in negotiations with RK Midway about how to handle the property. Club spokesman Eric Durkee told the newspaper that more information about the talks and construction would be provided next week.
