For the past couple of years Major League Soccer commissioner, Don Garber has stated that MLS will stop and/or reevaluate expansion after the league hits 28 teams. At the 2018 MLS Cup final, the commish dropped a hint at what we all knew was happening, Major League Soccer is looking at expanding past 28. Well...duh! We all knew that, Don!
With the addition of Nashville SC, Inter Miami and FC Cincinnati, and a saved Crew SC, MLS currently sits at 27 teams. But this begs the question, does anyone really think MLS is stopping at 28?
The Case For 30+
In February of 2017, 12 ownership groups submitted bids snag four potential MLS expansion slots. By November of 2017, the league had whittled down the finalists for the next two expansion slots: Sacramento, Cincinnati, Nashville and Detroit. When the dust settled, Nashville and Cincinnati had emerged as teams 25 and 26 respectively. Miami, of course, having been announced as team No. 24 in what feels like a geologic epoch and Columbus Crew was saved from relocation with slot No. 27.
Eventually, MLS will pass the 30-team mark. Of that, I have no doubt. Locking in 32-36 teams will cover nearly every major metro market in the nation and will be more in line with other major leagues in the US. This will allow MLS to garner more lucrative TV and sponsorship deals as well, which the league desperately needs. At the moment, though, there are three strong bids on the table that MLS will most-likely go with to put the league at 30 teams in the near future.
The Columbus Conundrum
Unless you've been in a coma for the past 18 months you'll know that the ownership group of the Columbus Crew, Precourt Sport Ventures, tried to move the venerable club to Austin, Texas. Long story short, MLS found a solution. PSV would move their franchise to Austin and a new expansion team led by the owners of the Cleveland Browns, Dee and Jimmy Haslam and team physician, Pete Edwards Jr. would continue play in MLS under the Crew brand. Basically the Cleveland Browns/Baltimore Ravens solution.
While many in the media and MLS itself has tagged the new Austin franchise as team No. 27, it's actually the Crew that are the newest MLS expansion team. In my opinion, it was the salvation of the Crew that forced MLS to go from toying with the idea of 30 teams to actually planning for it. I think that MLS was set on the Crew moving and FC Cincinnati replacing them as Ohio's team. The Modell Law suit that was brought forth by current Ohio governor Mike DeWine threw a wrench in the proceedings and forced MLS and PSV to find the best possible solution to the issue. With MLS now forced to keep the Crew in Columbus, expansion was open to more than 28 teams.
Let's Meet the Contestants!
Soon after the Crew's salvation was announced, the scuttlebutt around the league settled on three top candidates for the coveted No. 28 spot. Here's our competitors:
St. Louis - Long a target for MLS expansion or relocation. As "THE HOTBED OF AMERICAN SOCCER AND THE GREATEST SOCCER CITY THAT'S EVER EXISTED ON THE FACE OF THE NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT" it's always been a little surprising to some (not me) that St. Louis hasn't had an MLS team. In late 2018, two prominent St. Louis area families announced that they were working to bring major league soccer to town. With a privately-financed stadium and female-led ownership group, St. Louis looks to be a top contender for No. 28. Another factor in their favor is the existence of the Edward Jones Dome, which could host the team until a new stadium is built.
Phoenix - Seems to have everything MLS could want in an expansion market. Major city, uber-rich owner, a stadium plan that won't have to deal with too much city politics; MLS to the Valley of the Sun makes sense.
Sacramento Republic - In recent years the Republic have been a bridesmaid for MLS expansion but the addition of Ron Burkle (owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins) to the ownership group should give the Republic the whale it needs to claim a spot in MLS.
So there we have it. Our three...wait a minute! BY GAWD THAT'S CHARLOTTE'S MUSIC!!
Hold on now! Is that The Killers I hear? IT'S VEGAS!!! THEY'RE COMING OUT OF THE CROWD! WE'VE GOT A REAL SLOBBERKNOCKER HERE FOLKS!!
Look out! Tampa Bay is running down the ramp! It's climbing the turnbuckle and pouring Jai Alai beer down its throat! Wait! The lights have gone out! What the... By Gawd! It's Detroit! I thought they left town!
Here's How I See It
St. Louis, Sacramento and Phoenix all look like great candidates for expansion and all three deserve to be in MLS. It makes sense to just go ahead and admit all three, go to 30 and move on and that's what I think MLS will do.
In the near future I fully expect MLS to come out and say something along the lines of "since we've had so many great expansion bids, we've decided to expand to 30(2)". The league will then announce Sacramento and St. Louis as the next two with Phoenix waiting in the wings for No. 30. Or you can flip Phoenix and Sacramento but the point remains, we're going to the dirty 30.
League Format
30 teams gives MLS the opportunity to add a Central conference with each of the three conferences housing 10 teams. Each team would play everyone in their conference twice for 18 games and one game against out-of-conference competition on a rotating home-and-home basis for 37 games total.
Playoffs will consist of 10 teams with the top three teams from each conference earning auto-bids and the other spot filled by a Wild Card team which will be determined by overall record among the remaining teams. The playoffs will then be seeded with the Supporters Shield winner earning the No. 1 overall seed. MLS Cup will continue to be played at the home venue of the best remaining playoff team.
Splitting into three conferences give MLS the opportunity to build a schedule that preserves the regional rivalries that make the league great. A sample breakdown of the conferences looks like this:
Conclusion
We're just a few months away from hearing which team will be No. 28. I have no dog in the fight, but if the past is any indication, and considering that every other major American league has 30 or more teams, it's only a matter of time before MLS crosses that threshold.
With the addition of Nashville SC, Inter Miami and FC Cincinnati, and a saved Crew SC, MLS currently sits at 27 teams. But this begs the question, does anyone really think MLS is stopping at 28?
The Case For 30+
In February of 2017, 12 ownership groups submitted bids snag four potential MLS expansion slots. By November of 2017, the league had whittled down the finalists for the next two expansion slots: Sacramento, Cincinnati, Nashville and Detroit. When the dust settled, Nashville and Cincinnati had emerged as teams 25 and 26 respectively. Miami, of course, having been announced as team No. 24 in what feels like a geologic epoch and Columbus Crew was saved from relocation with slot No. 27.
Eventually, MLS will pass the 30-team mark. Of that, I have no doubt. Locking in 32-36 teams will cover nearly every major metro market in the nation and will be more in line with other major leagues in the US. This will allow MLS to garner more lucrative TV and sponsorship deals as well, which the league desperately needs. At the moment, though, there are three strong bids on the table that MLS will most-likely go with to put the league at 30 teams in the near future.
The Columbus Conundrum
Unless you've been in a coma for the past 18 months you'll know that the ownership group of the Columbus Crew, Precourt Sport Ventures, tried to move the venerable club to Austin, Texas. Long story short, MLS found a solution. PSV would move their franchise to Austin and a new expansion team led by the owners of the Cleveland Browns, Dee and Jimmy Haslam and team physician, Pete Edwards Jr. would continue play in MLS under the Crew brand. Basically the Cleveland Browns/Baltimore Ravens solution.
While many in the media and MLS itself has tagged the new Austin franchise as team No. 27, it's actually the Crew that are the newest MLS expansion team. In my opinion, it was the salvation of the Crew that forced MLS to go from toying with the idea of 30 teams to actually planning for it. I think that MLS was set on the Crew moving and FC Cincinnati replacing them as Ohio's team. The Modell Law suit that was brought forth by current Ohio governor Mike DeWine threw a wrench in the proceedings and forced MLS and PSV to find the best possible solution to the issue. With MLS now forced to keep the Crew in Columbus, expansion was open to more than 28 teams.
Let's Meet the Contestants!
Soon after the Crew's salvation was announced, the scuttlebutt around the league settled on three top candidates for the coveted No. 28 spot. Here's our competitors:
St. Louis - Long a target for MLS expansion or relocation. As "THE HOTBED OF AMERICAN SOCCER AND THE GREATEST SOCCER CITY THAT'S EVER EXISTED ON THE FACE OF THE NORTH AMERICAN CONTINENT" it's always been a little surprising to some (not me) that St. Louis hasn't had an MLS team. In late 2018, two prominent St. Louis area families announced that they were working to bring major league soccer to town. With a privately-financed stadium and female-led ownership group, St. Louis looks to be a top contender for No. 28. Another factor in their favor is the existence of the Edward Jones Dome, which could host the team until a new stadium is built.
Phoenix - Seems to have everything MLS could want in an expansion market. Major city, uber-rich owner, a stadium plan that won't have to deal with too much city politics; MLS to the Valley of the Sun makes sense.
Sacramento Republic - In recent years the Republic have been a bridesmaid for MLS expansion but the addition of Ron Burkle (owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins) to the ownership group should give the Republic the whale it needs to claim a spot in MLS.
So there we have it. Our three...wait a minute! BY GAWD THAT'S CHARLOTTE'S MUSIC!!
Hold on now! Is that The Killers I hear? IT'S VEGAS!!! THEY'RE COMING OUT OF THE CROWD! WE'VE GOT A REAL SLOBBERKNOCKER HERE FOLKS!!
Look out! Tampa Bay is running down the ramp! It's climbing the turnbuckle and pouring Jai Alai beer down its throat! Wait! The lights have gone out! What the... By Gawd! It's Detroit! I thought they left town!
Here's How I See It
St. Louis, Sacramento and Phoenix all look like great candidates for expansion and all three deserve to be in MLS. It makes sense to just go ahead and admit all three, go to 30 and move on and that's what I think MLS will do.
In the near future I fully expect MLS to come out and say something along the lines of "since we've had so many great expansion bids, we've decided to expand to 30(2)". The league will then announce Sacramento and St. Louis as the next two with Phoenix waiting in the wings for No. 30. Or you can flip Phoenix and Sacramento but the point remains, we're going to the dirty 30.
League Format
30 teams gives MLS the opportunity to add a Central conference with each of the three conferences housing 10 teams. Each team would play everyone in their conference twice for 18 games and one game against out-of-conference competition on a rotating home-and-home basis for 37 games total.
Playoffs will consist of 10 teams with the top three teams from each conference earning auto-bids and the other spot filled by a Wild Card team which will be determined by overall record among the remaining teams. The playoffs will then be seeded with the Supporters Shield winner earning the No. 1 overall seed. MLS Cup will continue to be played at the home venue of the best remaining playoff team.
Splitting into three conferences give MLS the opportunity to build a schedule that preserves the regional rivalries that make the league great. A sample breakdown of the conferences looks like this:
Conclusion
We're just a few months away from hearing which team will be No. 28. I have no dog in the fight, but if the past is any indication, and considering that every other major American league has 30 or more teams, it's only a matter of time before MLS crosses that threshold.
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