Don Garber, the commissioner of MLS, believes that a 30th team and MLS expansion will be announced soon. At a media event on February 22 at the brand-new MLS Apple TV studios in New York, Garber expressed his optimism that the league will eventually reveal the 30th club. Favorites to win the 30th MLS franchise are San Diego and Las Vegas. But will that be the last phase of growth?
For a long time, Las Vegas was thought to be the favorite to win what appeared to be the final MLS expansion berth. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, Sycuan and an Egyptian billionaire form the group. The band desires to perform at the brand-new Snapdragon Stadium at San Diego State University. Although it has long been assumed that Vegas has the advantage, it seems to be having trouble getting a workable stadium approved.
MLS Expansion past 30 teams
But, Garber’s comments that the league might not end at 30 teams leave the door open for whichever market misses out on this most recent round of expansion. Also, it maintains the door open for other markets considering MLS franchises. Garber later stated that other major leagues in North America, including the US and Canada, are 30 teams or larger, indicating that MLS may go beyond 30 as well.
Garber stated that once the MLS made the decision to extend the league to include the US and Canada, there is no reason to believe it should not go further; however, at this time, there are no plans to do so. In many large American cities, there is no team. Apart from the fact that MLS includes three teams in Canada, the USA is a sizable nation.
The league continues to find locations like Tampa Bay, Detroit, Sacramento, and Phoenix fascinating, the commissioner continued. So, he believes that 32 is the most feasible cap that any North American league could achieve in terms of a model that is competitive.
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