4 More MLS Expansion Team Candidates
San Diego was awarded with the 30th franchise and are set to become the 30th team in the league in 2025. Here are four more teams that could become the next MLS expansion team cities. Las Vegas, Tampa Bay, Phoenix, Louisville and Sacramento have been considered strong candidates for the next MLS expansion team. Here are another four strong candidates.
10. San Antonio
Is Texas big enough for a fourth team? Austin ultimately joined Dallas and Houston as teams from the Lone Star state but San Antonio still remains a strong candidate to host the next MLS team. The city has a large and passionate soccer fan base and San Antonio FC attracts large USL Championship crowds.San Antonio FC plays out of Toyota Field which could be expanded to more than 18,000 seats. A team wouldn't have a shortage of nearby rivals and the city's growing population would give the team an ever-growing audience.
9. Birmingham
Legion FC represents the city of Birmingham in the USL Championship and they defeated Charlotte FC in the 2023 US Open Cup to reach the quarterfinals. They faced Inter Miami infront of a record Birmingham crowd of 18,418 at Protective Stadium in a narrow 1-0 loss.Birmingham is one of only a few large metro areas in the United States without a major league sports team so an MLS team could potentially thrive in the city.
8. Detroit
Serious talks to bring an MLS expansion team to Detroit began in 2011 and they currently have Detroit City FC playing in the USL Championship. A 2020 bid was overlooked because of the ownership groups reluctance to build a soccer-specific stadium with plans to use Ford Field instead.Detroit is a big city with many immigrants of Eastern European and Middle Eastern backgrounds who love their soccer. Such a passionate and diverse fan base in a major sports market is something potential cashed up owners will be interested in.
7. Indianapolis
Indy Eleven is one of the most well supported USL Championship teams and is why an MLS expansion team in Indianapolis is a possibility. Indianapolis has an enthusiastic soccer community and would no doubt create strong rivalries with fans from Cincinnati and Columbus.The “Eleven Park” precinct which will include a 20,000-seat stadium and include office and residential spaces will certainly keep the door open for MLS expansion into downtown Indianapolis.
The Original List
6. Sacramento
In 2019 Sacramento was awarded an MLS expansion team with Sacramento Republic FC set to join the league in 2022.
Their first season was then pushed out to 2023, until majority owner Ron Burkle pulled the pin on the deal altogether because of financial impacts caused by COVID.
Sacramento Republic FC still remains in the USL Championship and still has one of the best attendances in the league.
With a larger television market than eight current Major League Soccer cities, it still makes sense that Sacramento could be awarded with an MLS expansion team but there's no doubt that momentum has been lost.
5. Louisville
Louisville is one of the favoured cities to get one of the next MLS expansion teams. One of the favorites an NBA expansion team as well, there isn't a major league sports team in Louisville at the moment. That would put a team in a league of its own.
The Lynn Family Stadium is a soccer specific arena and home to Louisville City FC who has the best USL Championship attendances. The 11,700-seat stadium can also be expanded to over 15,000.
Louisville City FC have been competing since 2014 and have a well established support with average attendances among the best in the USL Championship. All that's needed for Louisville is an expansion bid bankrolled by someone who has deep pockets.
4. Phoenix
USL Championship team Phoenix Rising holds the North American record winning streak - a 20-game streak which helped to set Phoenix up to win the 2019 regular season USL Championship title.
The club has a huge opportunity to become one of the next MLS expansion franchises as its bankrolled by Chinese billionaire Alex Zheng, as well as former Chelsea legend Didier Drogba.
Phoenix Rising have had bumper home crowds which has increased from average attendances of 2,300 during their inaugural season in 2014, to almost 7,000 in 2021.
Since then they've outgrown their old stadium and have since moved to the purpose-built 10,000-seat Phoenix Rising Soccer Stadium in 2023, a sign that a team in the Arizona capital could be one of the next MLS expansion teams.
3. Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay is the largest US market without a Major League Soccer team. A franchise in Tampa would be a great rival to Inter Miami and Orlando City SC.
Historically the city has strong soccer links with the Tampa Bay Rowdies one of the strongest teams in the North American Soccer League throughout the 70s and 80s.
After folding in 1993, the Rowdies returned as a phoenix club in 2010. The club have been members of the USL Championship since 2017 and play out of the 7,500 capacity Al Lang Stadium.
2. Las Vegas
An MLS expansion team in Las Vegas would join the Golden Knights, Raiders and Aces in Las Vegas. It's not a matter of if, but when a team will expand into the city.
Las Vegas won't have any issues with funding like Sacramento did. The Vegas bid for an MLS expansion team has been bankrolled by owners of the Golden Knights, the Milwaukee Bucks and Premier League team Aston Villa.
As well as being the favorite city for the next MLS expansion team they're also the favorite for the next NBA expansion team.
The Las Vegas Lights are a very well supported team in the USL Championship with one of the better average attendances. Allegiant Stadium also hosted the 2021 Gold Cup final with the USMNT beating Mexico 1-0 in the final.
1. San Diego
San Diego was awarded an MLS expansion team on May 18, 2023 and will become the 30th team in the league in 2025. It made sense as the city is America's eighth largest, and has a huge sporting community with more people playing soccer per capita than any other city in the country..
Eight of Major League Soccer's top 10 attendance leaders in 2022 were in markets that were missing at least one team from the MLB, NBA, NFL, NBA.
With a similar profile to Cincinnati, Austin and Nashville who themselves have expanded into the league, a San Diego MLS expansion team would only be competing against Major League Baseball’s Padres.
San Diego State University's 35,000-capacity Snapdragon Stadium will be an ideal location to host the team and they should have no troubles attracting media coverage, fans and sponsors.
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