PHILADELPHIA — The list of cities interested in an MLS expansion team is getting bigger, according to MLS Commissioner Don Garber.
The newest market to join the mix is the soccer hotbed of St. Louis, Missouri, which was last involved in an expansion bid that fell through in 2008-2009.
"I’m going to be out in St. Louis in the next couple of weeks," Garber told media between rounds of the 2015 MLS SuperDraft. "St. Louis has got a lot of activity going on with a stadium that they’re trying to get done for the [NFL] Rams. There’s a big soccer community out there and we’d love to see a soccer stadium downtown like they’re thinking about a football stadium.
"San Antonio has been very active," continued Garber. "There’s a lot of stuff going on. There’s a lot of interest in expansion."
Back in November, representatives from expansion bids in Las Vegas, Sacramento and Minneapolis visited MLS league headquarters in New York. On Thursday, Garber was asked specifically about Minneapolis, where two different groups are in discussions with the league.
"It’s very positive that we have multiple owners in an important market that want to come into Major League Soccer," Garber said. "We have got a lot of decisions we need to make. We are bullish on Minneapolis. We think it’s a good market, it’s an important market for us strategically from a geographic perspective.
"We love the two ownership groups. We’ve been spending time with both of them. We have work to do with both groups. But I’m very bullish on the market."
On the topic of stadiums, Garber highlighted recent developments for the San Jose Earthquakes — whose new Avaya Stadium opens in 2015 — and D.C. United, which won approval for a stadium in December from the Washington, D.C. City Council. "I can honestly tell you that 10 years ago we did not think we’d have as many stadiums as we have," he commented.
When asked about a soccer stadium for the New England Revolution, Garber indicated there was "a lot of energy in Boston which we're very excited about" and that "we’re hopeful to get something done there."
The commissioner also gave an update on the quest of 2015 expansion side New York City FC to build a stadium. The club will play its 2015 home games at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.
"We know that they’re active and they’ve had ongoing discussions," Garber said. "It’s a big focus for them and we’re very hopeful that they’re going to be able to be in a position to have a stadium for that club.
"It was part of their expectation coming in, part of our expectation granting them an expansion team and it’s part of what I think our fans are going to expect. It’s just going to take some time. It’s a difficult market."
