Expansion Teams Needed!
MLS’ expansion to Sacramento is now on hiatus after it was announced on Feb. 26 that Ron Burkle, the lead investor in Sacramento Republic FC, has pulled out of the project. Sacramento mayor Darrell Steinberg and city officials are now searching to find someone else who can financially back the process.
And while the stadium plan and infrastructure still remain approved, if the team will ever launch is a valid question worth asking.
It’s also worth asking again which cities are worth expanding to? In July 2020, MLS released a timeline for four expansion clubs, with Sacramento being one of them and eventually joining the league in the 2023 season. With that now in jeopardy, which cities are best suited to possibly take Sacramento’s place?
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Pittsburgh
Eagles vs Steelers. Flyers vs Penguins. Those are two all-time classic rivalries between major sports teams from Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. The two cities do not enjoy each other, and adding another rivalry to that list would just make it more entertaining when they face off.
The USL already hosts the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, and they already have a stadium, Highmark Stadium, which was built for soccer. With only a 5,000 seat capacity, it wouldn’t hold nearly enough people for an MLS game, but it’s already a good sign that they have a soccer-specific stadium. Even more, Heinz Field would be a very attractive location for an MLS team to play at.
Even more, the University of Pittsburgh men’s soccer team reached as high as fourth in the United Soccer Coaches rankings this year. Keeping those players in the city would be a key way to grow the soccer community in the city and help in supporting an MLS expansion team.
Detroit
Detroit already has all the perks to most an MLS expansion team. They’ve shown that they can support the Lions, Tigers, and Red Wings without there ever being thoughts of them leaving the city, and they all play in a condensed area in which all their stadiums are within a 15-minute walk of each other.
Stadium you say? The Ford family has already committed to the idea of if there were ever to be an MLS expansion team in Detroit, Ford Field (the Lion’s stadium) would be where they’d play. They may not have a soccer-specific venue, but Ford Field is more than fitting to host a soccer game (better than Yankee Stadium for soccer).
Unlike Pittsburgh, there’s already a strong soccer community in Detroit as well. There are over 90,000 registered players in the state of Michigan. The MLS should start looking at Detroit more seriously when it comes to expansion.
Louisville
Louisville is one of the most sports-crazed cities without many professional sports teams. The NWSL launched Racing Louisville FC, and they’re set to begin play in the 2021 season, but that’s it for pro sports. The University of Louisville has its share of beloved fans as well, so this city cares about their sports regardless of whether it’s at the amateur or pro levels.
*Hint*... they could just bring up Louisville City FC from the USL too. They don’t even have to make a new team. It’d also be really cool to see Racing Louisville and Louisville FC in the same city as well and to see the two teams support each other. The Houston Dynamo and Houston Dash of the MLS and NWSL share a great relationship, and to see a city with two marketable pro soccer teams is what we need more of.
Louisville City already has its own stadium, Lynn Family Stadium, and Racing Louisville will play there too. It opened in 2020 as well, so it's relatively new and can expand to a little over 15,000 seats. Get Louisville into MLS.
