Minnesota United expected to be named MLS expansion club this week
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Version 0 of 1. Minnesota United are expected to be confirmed as the next Major League Soccer expansion club during a Wednesday press conference at Target Field in Minneapolis. “MLS, Don Garber and Dr Bill McGuire will make an important announcement on the future of soccer in Minnesota,” the league office said in a release issued Monday morning. The commissioner will announce the league has reached an agreement with McGuire, principal owner of the North American Soccer League club, to absorb Minnesota United as an expansion team, Sports Illustrated reported on Monday. United will have beaten out the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings in the contest to operate an MLS club in the country’s No15 media market. The Vikings’ bid involved a prospective MLS team playing in the team’s new NFL stadium, due to open in 2016, with seating downsized to 25,000 for soccer games. But it had become evident in recent months the MLS preferred a soccer-specific outdoor stadium, which favored McGuire’s pitch. Reports have also stated that local investment from the Minnesota Twins and Timberwolves’ owners may be available. Related: Expanding horizons: where will Major League Soccer open shop next? “Our ambition, from the first day of our involvement in Minnesota professional soccer, has always been to build one of the greatest clubs in North America and to jealously guard our position as the pinnacle of professional soccer in our market,” Nick Rogers, club president of Minnesota United, told the Guardian this month. United could begin MLS play as soon as 2017 if use of a temporary home venue like the National Sports Center – the 8,500-seat ground where they currently play home matches – is approved by the league. If not, a 2018 debut is more likely. MLS has committed to adding four more franchises by 2020. The addition expansion clubs in Minnesota United and Atlanta – along with the resuscitation of Chivas USA as a new club in the Los Angeles market – leaves just one vacancy. That slot is expected to go to Sacramento or a much-talked-about Miami proposal underpinned by potential owners David Beckham, Marcelo Claure and Simon Fuller. |