MLS Expansion 101

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https://orangeandbluepress.com/2017/01/21/mls-expansion-101/

MLS Expansion 101

2017 will be an important year for FC Cincinnati both on and off the field. Off the field, MLS expansion will be at the center of the conversation throughout the year. In light of this, Orange and Blue Press sets the stage with the basics of the current MLS expansion picture to reference as the race unfolds.

How Did We Get Here?

MLS was founded with ten teams and played its first season over 20 years ago in 1996. The league has gone through ten expansion cycles since and has 20 teams as of the close of the 2016 season. This article provides a summary of these expansion cycles: History of MLS Expansion
Planned Expansion

The next few rounds of expansion are already planned.

2017 – MLS will expand to 22 teams with the addition of Minnesota United FC and Atlanta United FC. It’s the year of the “United” teams. For a little more on the historical use of United in team names, see this article.

2018 – Los Angeles Football Club (LAFC) will begin play next year, adding a second team to Los Angeles, and bringing the league to 23 teams.

Timeline Unclear – “Miami Beckham United,” the David Beckham led expansion project, will bring the league to 24 teams. This bid has been plagued by problems but MLS seems committed to making it work due to the size of Miami’s market and David Beckham’s influence and appeal.

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http://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/sports/MLS-Targeting-San-Diego-for-Expansion-410864725.html

MLS Targeting San Diego for Expansion in New Mission Valley Stadium

With the Chargers gone, Major League Soccer is ready to pounce on the market

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http://fox5sandiego.com/2017/01/22/229475/

Proposed joint-use stadium would bring Major League Soccer to San Diego

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http://ballparkdigest.com/2017/01/21/reno-1868-fc-building-pro-soccer-on-a-baseball-blueprint/

Reno 1868 FC: Building Pro Soccer On a Baseball Blueprint

In the past several years we’ve seen MiLB teams add professional soccer to their schedules. This season sees the Reno Aces (Class AAA; Pacific Coast League) add a United Soccer League team, Reno 1686 FC, to the mix at Greater Nevada Field.

The move to add USL soccer to the mix was spearheaded by Eric Edelstein, our 2015 Ballpark Digest Executive of the Year. A soccer fan, Edelstein attended plenty of soccer matches both in Great Britain and the United States before beginning work on establishing a minor-league soccer franchise. The USL is now on the second level (provisionally) of the United States soccer pyramid, alongside the NASL. (The whole NASL-USL situation is covered in some depth on our sister site, Soccer Stadium Digest.) Reno joins Louisville Slugger Field, Tulsa’s ONEOK Field, the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville, Yankee Stadium and perhaps Brooklyn’s MCU Park as homes of MLS/NASL/USL teams.

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http://www.espnfc.com/north-american-soccer-league/2330/blog/post/3042114/nasl-commissioner-qa-rishi-sehgal-talks-division-ii-the-cosmos-and-more

NASL commissioner Q&A: Rishi Sehgal talks Division II, the Cosmos and more

LOS ANGELES -- After serving as the North American Soccer League's Director of Business Development and Legal Affairs, Rishi Sehgal has taken on the role of interim commissioner for the NASL.

These have been difficult times indeed for the NASL. For much of the back half of 2016, the league teetered on the brink of extinction. Two clubs, the Ottawa Fury and the Tampa Bay Rowdies, left for the USL. Others folded or flirted with bankruptcy. But thanks in part to the U.S. Soccer Federation's decision to let the NASL retain its Division II sanctioning, the league has survived and is hoping to eventually thrive.

There are numerous challenges ahead, however. But it's something that Sehgal was more than willing to discuss.

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http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/2017/01/20/indy-eleven-play-first-home-game-april-1/96831572/

Indy Eleven to play first home game April 1

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http://www.bigapplesoccer.com/teams/cosmos2.php?article_id=46881

HE'S THE NEW JUAN

Cosmos sign Venezuelan midfielder Juan Guerra

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http://www.wbtv.com/story/34300281/sources-charlottes-mls-deal-may-cost-more-than-150-million

MLS proposal will cost $175 Million, public input wanted

CHARLOTTE, NC (WBTV) -

The new Major League Soccer (MLS) deal will cost $175 million, the Mecklenburg County Manager confirmed on Friday.

“Charlotte-Mecklenburg has a winning model when it comes to sports stadiums," said Dena Diorio, the county manager. “The franchises in the future will be more expensive than what it will cost today, and the cost of the stadiums will only go up.”

The project will cost $175 million with the county and city each paying $43.75 million and the investment group of Bruton Smith paying $87.5 million. The county will also loan the team $75 million upfront that will be paid back over 25 years. The deal will last 25 years. The team is putting $12.5 million in cash up front as well.

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http://investorplace.com/2017/01/target-corporation-tgt/#.WIWdraVy0vk

Target Corporation (TGT) Inks Multi-Year Deal With Major League Soccer

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http://www.espnfc.com/major-league-soccer/story/3041992/st-louis-mls-stadium-plan-calls-for-land-contribution-from-state

St. Louis MLS stadium plan calls for land contribution from state

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http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/budget-committee-inaction-again-derails-major-league-soccer-funding#stream/0

Budget committee inaction again derails Major League Soccer funding

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http://newsok.com/article/5534989

Morning Roundup

New St. Louis stadium plan calls for state land contribution

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http://www.soccerwire.com/news/business-news/professional/target-pushes-into-soccer-via-mls-mnufc-usys-partnerships/

Target pushes into soccer via MLS, MNUFC, USYS partnerships

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http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2017/01/20/marcus-smith-mls-charlotte-speedway-motorsports.html

EXCLUSIVE: Marcus Smith on how MLS bid for Charlotte could be a winner

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https://ryortho.com/breaking/hss-mls-host-medical-symposium/

HSS, MLS Host Medical Symposium

On January 7, 2017, Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) and Major League Soccer (MLS) hosted the 2017 Major League Soccer Medical Symposium in Manhattan Beach, California. This symposium brought together the nation’s top sports medicine professionals to discuss managing athletic injuries specifically in soccer players.

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http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/01/19/nycfcs-david-villa-mls-interesting-without-promotion-relegation-system

NYCFC's David Villa: MLS is interesting without promotion-relegation system

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http://ussoccerplayers.com/2017/01/what-is-major-league-soccer.html

What is Major League Soccer?

By Jason Davis – WASHINGTON, DC (Jan 20, 2016) US Soccer Players - Excuse the simpleness, but here’s a question: What is Major League Soccer?

Before you spit out what you might think is an obvious answer, stop and think about it for a moment. Yes, MLS is a soccer league, a mechanism for competition that crowns a champion at the end of every season. It’s also an entertainment company, in business to separate fans from their money via the product it puts on the field. As “product”, the games and the players are there to help the business grow. Or so those running the league hope.

To that end, MLS has stepped up its marketing game in recent years. Not just in the amount of money it spends on promoting the league, but in the players its teams have signed. The Designated Player Rule was a conscious attempt to grab the attention of new fans. Bringing David Beckham and every player who followed him who possessed a famous resume to the league had its basis in selling MLS.

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http://www.lasoccernews.com/leagues/mls2.php?article_id=15776

MLS INFORMER

Major League Soccer's second generation

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http://www.thecharlottepost.com/news/2017/01/20/qcfc/it-s-uptown-stadium-location-or-bust-for-charlotte-mls-bid/

It's Uptown stadium location or bust for Charlotte MLS bid

Memroial Stadium is preferred target

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http://wkrn.com/2017/01/20/is-there-room-for-a-major-league-soccer-team-in-nashville/

Is there room for a Major League Soccer team in Nashville?

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http://wfae.org/post/county-leaders-pushing-land-mls-team

County Leaders Pushing To Land MLS Team

Mecklenburg County leaders are promoting a plan to help Charlotte land a Major League Soccer team. It would involve essentially reconstructing American Legion Memorial Stadium near uptown, and it would cost the city and county about $44 million each.

Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio says there’s a small window to pull this off.

“If you want Major League Soccer in Charlotte, this is really the time and the opportunity to take advantage of that,” she says.

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http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/01/20/stejskal-chinese-super-league-rule-change-could-open-doors-mls

Stejskal: Chinese Super League rule change could open doors for MLS

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http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2017/jan/20/shadow-to-join-national-soccer-league/

Spokane Shadow to join national soccer league

Spokane is about to cast a larger shadow in the soccer world.

Spokane’s top-tier club, the Shadow, are joining the National Premier Soccer League, the league announced this week.

“We are very excited to see our Northwest Conference continue to grow,” said NPSL Chairman Joe Barone, who has overseen the addition of 22 new teams for the 2017 season.

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http://napavalleyregister.com/sports/new-men-s-soccer-team-to-be-called-napa-valley/article_c7cf24c5-699a-5044-bc55-7bad62ca81b3.html

New men's soccer team to be called Napa Valley 1839 FC

The local men’s amateur soccer team that will play its inaugural season in the National Premier Soccer League starting in March will be known as Napa Valley 1839 FC, it was announced this week.

The team’s name and logo were unveiled by the ownership group at RaeSet Asian Grill and Craft Brew on Wednesday night.

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http://www.oc-breeze.com/2017/01/20/95441_orange-county-soccer-club-reveals-new-team-name-new-logo/

Orange County Soccer Club reveals new team name and new logo

The Orange County soccer franchise revealed a new team name and logo on Friday. Formerly, Orange County Blues FC, the United Soccer League team has been rebranded as the Orange County Soccer Club, announced owner and team president, James Keston.

Along with a new team name, the club announced a new logo which was developed with significant fan input. The club’s focus will remain on being Orange County’s team, the club for all of the cities and cultures that make up Orange County.

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https://www.soccernation.com/soccernation-exclusive-with-pdl-director-todd-eason/

SoccerNation Exclusive with PDL Director Todd Eason

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http://www.theledger.com/sports/20170120/tropics-co-owner-rome-wasnt-built-in-day

Tropics co-owner: 'Rome wasn't built in a day'

LAKELAND - With seven games left in Florida Tropics SC's inaugural season, the team is looking very comfortable at home.

The Tropics (6-7) have a 4-2 record in The Lakeland Center and are currently in a playoff position as the second team in the Major Arena Soccer League's Eastern division. The team is 3-0 midway through a seven-game homestand and has enjoyed steady increases in attendance.

Tropics midfielder Marco Rodriguez and defenders Victor Rojas and Rapha Nascimento were named MASL honorable mention picks for Week 12. Victor Parreiras' buzzer-beating bicycle-kick goal on Jan. 14 was featured by FOX Soccer and has been viewed by more than 200,000 people.

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http://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/747885?referrer_id=2364194-news-archive

Rowdies Boost Attack, Add Former Sounder Jones

Forward threat led Sounders FC 2 with seven goals in 2016

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Rowdies announced on Friday the signing of former Seattle Sounders FC forward Darwin Jones, pending league and federation approval. Per club and league policy, further contract details were not disclosed.

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http://www.twiceacosmo.com/2017/1/20/14342446/cosmos-announce-new-signing-home-opener-date

Cosmos announce new signing, home opener date

On April 1st Juan Guerra will be playing for the Cosmos

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http://www.fourfourtwo.com/us/features/nasl-shifts-tone-survival-near-collapse-interview-rishi-sehgal-interim-commissioner

'Let's stop fighting': NASL shifts tone after surviving near collapse

Checks and balances, pragmatism: Interim commissioner Rishi Sehgal tells FourFourTwo about the league's plans to move forward.

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http://www.bigapplesoccer.com/teams/cosmos2.php?article_id=46875

THE CAPTAIN RETURNS

Carlos Mendes signs with the Cosmos


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http://www.socceramerica.com/article/72041/orlando-city-kaka-has-no-plans-of-leaving.html?edition=16716

Orlando City: Kaka has no plans of leaving

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http://sleterfc.com/lier-fernandes-signs-tampa-bay/

LIer Fernandes Signs With Tampa Bay

Former Stony Brook University star Leo Fernandes is headed south having signed a contract with the USL’s Tampa Bay Rowdies.

The deal is pending league and federation approval and per club and league policy, specifics on the contract were not disclosed.

Fernandes, 25, who grew up in North Babylon, joins the Rowdies after spending last season in Major League Soccer with the Philadelphia Union. He had been with the Union since 2013, but had been sent on loan several times including to the New York Cosmos in 2015.

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http://fortune.com/2017/01/19/target-soccer/

Target Is Now a Major League Soccer Sponsor

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http://www.twincities.com/2017/01/19/target-corp-mn-united-major-league-soccer-us-youth-mls/

Target sets major partnership with United, MLS, U.S. Youth Soccer

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http://news.stlpublicradio.org/post/public-funding-proposed-mls-stadium-inches-back-track#stream/0

Public funding for proposed MLS stadium inches back on track

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http://www.sportspromedia.com/news/target_scores_deals_with_mls_and_minnesota_united

Target scores deals with MLS and Minnesota United

Retailer is official partner of US soccer league and new entry.

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http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/target-kicks-a-notch-soccer-deal/307557/

Target Latches On to Soccer With Official MLS Sponsorship

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http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2017/01/19/new-details-on-mls-stadium-plan-as-debate-is-set.html

MLS stadium bill fails to advance

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http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article127464759.html

Mecklenburg County commissioners get revised soccer stadium proposal

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http://www.bigapplesoccer.com/leagues/usl2.php?article_id=46868

SIGNING ON

Ex-Cosmos Leo Fernandes joins Rowdies