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Major League Soccer is the top level of professional soccer in the United States and Canada. MLS was established in 1993 with 10 teams that began play in 1996. Since then MLS has expanded several times into new markets across the United States, and for the first time, beginning in 2006, into Canada. In May 2013, the league announced that the twentieth team, New York City FC, will begin play as early as 2015.

Major League Soccer considers several criteria when determining where to award expansion franchises: (1) owners that are committed to MLS and have the financial wherewithal to invest in a team, (2) a stadium or approved plans for a stadium (preferably a soccer-specific stadium) that allows the team to control revenue streams such as parking and concessions, (3) the size of the market of the metropolitan area, and (4) an established local fan base. MLS has an Expansion Committee whose duties include reviewing applications from expansion contenders. Expansion committee members include MLS President Mark Abbott and former Real Salt Lake co-owner Dave Checketts.

On July 31, 2013, during the 2013 MLS All-Star Game, Commissioner Don Garber announced that the league planned to reach a total of 24 teams by 2020.

History

Foundation (1993–1996)

Major League Soccer was established in 1993, as part of an agreement with FIFA that the United States set up a professional first division to gain the right to host the 1994 FIFA World Cup. No successful professional outdoor soccer league existed since the North American Soccer League folded in 1985. Due to rapid over-expansion and poor franchise placement, the NASL collapse led future MLS leaders to be extremely cautious of establishing new franchises.

Initially twelve new teams were to be placed in carefully selected cities where a strong soccer market was thought to exist. This was scaled back to ten after potential backers could not be found. Eventually 22 communities submitted formal bids to host an inaugural MLS franchise.

The initial ten teams created were the Columbus Crew, D.C. United, the New England Revolution, the NY/NJ MetroStars, the Tampa Bay Mutiny, the Colorado Rapids, the Dallas Burn, the Kansas City Wiz, the Los Angeles Galaxy and the San Jose Clash. While New York and Los Angeles were awarded franchises, the next four largest American cities—Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, and Detroit were all without a team. Using American football stadiums, the new league kicked off in April 1996.

First expansion: Chicago (1998) and Miami (1998)

In 1998, the league expanded for the first time, rising from ten teams to twelve. The new teams were the Chicago Fire and Miami Fusion. Miami owner Ken Horowitz paid a $20 million expansion fee for the right to join MLS.

Contraction from Florida (2002)

Major League Soccer had reportedly lost an estimated $250 million during its first five years. The league's poor financial condition forced MLS to stop the bleeding. During the winter break between the 2000 and 2001 seasons, reports began circulating that MLS was considering trimming the league from 12 teams back to 10 teams. MLS announced in January 2002 that it had decided to contract the two Florida franchises, the Tampa Bay Mutiny and Miami Fusion. Both teams were withdrawn from the league and folded. The league had chosen to fold the Miami Fusion, in part because the Fusion's ownership reportedly lacked financial resources, had been trying to run the Fusion on a bare-minimum budget, and had asked the League to pay some of the club's expenses. Miami ownership had reportedly experienced $15 million in operating losses since Miami joined the league. The League chose to fold the Tampa Bay Mutiny, in part because the team was operated by the League instead of by an individual owner, meaning that the League had to absorb 100% of the team's operating losses. This contraction left the league with 10 teams, the same number as when MLS began.

Expansion resumes: Chivas (2005) and Salt Lake (2005)

The surprise performance of the US national team at the 2002 World Cup, where they reached the quarterfinal, sparked a recovery in the league’s fortunes, and attendances once again began to rise. MLS began looking to expand once more with a number of cities interested in hosting new teams. The demand for an expansion team grew.

In 2004, Los Angeles became the first city to host two MLS teams when Chivas USA was founded. They were linked to the Mexican powerhouse Club Deportivo Guadalajara and hoped to build a following amongst the Hispanic community. They share StubHub Center with the LA Galaxy, thus creating MLS's first local derby game.

Real Salt Lake were created in 2004, owned by Dave Checketts. They initially played out of Rice-Eccles Stadium at the University of Utah before moving to the Rio Tinto Stadium in October 2008.

Relocation: Houston (2006)

In 2005, the San Jose Earthquakes were put on hiatus because of a failure to secure a soccer-specific stadium. The players and the coach were moved to an expansion team in Houston, Texas where they became the Houston Dynamo playing out of Robertson Stadium. The number of teams in the league did not change.

Toronto (2007)

In 2005, the league announced the creation of a Canadian franchise to be based in Toronto. This was confirmed on May 11, 2006 when the new team name Toronto FC and logo were announced. The club played their first season in MLS in 2007, finishing at the bottom of the table. The introduction of the MLS into Canada took MLS into a separate country for the first time, mirroring the set-up in MLB, the NHL, and the NBA, which involve teams from both nations.

San Jose (2008)

After a two-year hiatus, the San Jose Earthquakes were reactivated in 2007 and resumed play in the MLS in 2008.

Seattle (2009)

Seattle was awarded a franchise in 2007 in spite of the fact that the city did not have a Soccer-specific stadium or any plans to construct one. However, they would play at Qwest Field, now known as CenturyLink Field, which was built as a combined football/soccer stadium with an MLS team in mind, including soccer-specific features. They are sharing CenturyLink Field with the National Football League's Seattle Seahawks. Following a vote by supporters, the team chose the name Seattle Sounders FC, because of its heritage in Seattle soccer.

Philadelphia (2010)

On February 28, 2008, MLS announced that the sixteenth franchise would be awarded to Philadelphia. There had been a strong campaign to bring a team to the city with intense lobbying by supporters groups such as the Sons of Ben.

Philadelphia had remained one of the largest Metropolitan areas in the US without an MLS franchise. On May 11, 2009 it was announced that the team name would be Philadelphia Union. The new team announced their intention to construct a 18,500 seat stadium in Chester, Pennsylvania, which ultimately became PPL Park.

Vancouver (2011) and Portland (2011)

One of three Canadian cities in the running for 2011 MLS expansion, Vancouver's bid was led by local businessman Greg Kerfoot, at that time owner of the Vancouver Whitecaps FC in USSF D2 Pro. NBA star Steve Nash was also involved as a minority stakeholder. The city's bid was boosted by the proposed construction of the Whitecaps Waterfront Stadium, with an initial capacity of 20,000 and the potential for further expansion. Don Garber called the bid presentation by Vancouver "one of the best I've ever seen." On March 18, 2009, MLS commissioner Don Garber announced that Vancouver had been awarded one of the two 2011 expansion spots. Vancouver continued to field the second-tier Whitecaps until the MLS team made its debut in 2011. The MLS Whitecaps began the 2011 season at Empire Field, sharing it with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League, before both teams moved into the renovated BC Place in October 2011.

On July 31, 2008, Merritt Paulson announced that he would apply for an MLS franchise for Portland as an MLS continuation of the Portland Timbers. Paulson further outlined his plan by launching a website. The MLS Timbers would play in a renovated PGE Park, which was renamed to Jeld-Wen Field by the time the team made its MLS debut in 2011, sharing with the Portland State University football team. On March 20, 2009, commissioner Don Garber confirmed in a news conference that Portland would receive the 18th franchise.

Montreal (2012)

The city of Montreal has been a consideration by Major League Soccer for a club since the league's founding and planning stages in 1993. In the fall of 2008, the Joey Saputo group was on a short list for the next round of expansion. On May 7, 2010, Commissioner Don Garber announced that Saputo and the Impact group would join the league as its 19th club for the 2012 MLS season with Stade Saputo being renovated to increase the seating capacity to around 20,000.

New York City (2015)

In May 2010, league commissioner Don Garber announced the league's desire to place its 20th team in New York City On June 27, 2012, MLS announced plans to build a new soccer-specific stadium in Queens, New York, with a seating capacity of 25,000 and located near the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows.

On May 21, 2013, MLS announced New York City FC as the next expansion team. The team's expansion rights were purchased by the Premier League club Manchester City and the New York Yankees baseball team for $100 million, and it will begin play as early as 2015 depending on stadium availability.

Future size of league

In terms of MLS longer-term goals, Commissioner Don Garber noted during a press conference on February 14, 2011 that he saw 22 teams in MLS by 2020. On March 12, 2011 MLS Commissioner Don Garber said, “I believe we will be larger than 20 teams,” and “I can’t say when that will be."

However, league president Mark Abbott said in September 2011 that the league didn't see the need to grow beyond 20 teams, where it would be with the addition of New York City FC. While other markets could be considered, Abbott said, "We feel good about the size we're at". League president Mark Abbott said in October 2012 that the league had "not made a determination about the timeline for expansion beyond " at the time.

In April 2013, in response to a question about future expansion plans, Garber posted on his Twitter account, “30 seems like too many.” And on July 31, 2013, in his interview during halftime of the 2013 MLS All-Star Game, Garber said the aim was to have 24 teams in the league by 2020.

Further expansion contenders

On March 12, 2011 MLS Commissioner Don Garber said, "I can’t imagine that when this league is fully expanded that we don’t have teams in the Southeast, that we don’t have another team in the Midwest, that we’re not even expanding to the southern part of California." In October 2012, Garber said MLS would continue to look at Minneapolis, Atlanta, and Miami as expansion contenders. During his annual "state of the league" conference call on November 26, 2012, Garber announced that possibilities for expansion beyond New York include Atlanta, Orlando, Miami and Minneapolis.

In April 2013, MLS Executive VP Dan Courtemanche stated that MLS's goal is to have at least one team in the Southeast. In May 2013, following the announcement of New York City FC, Garber said that "There's still a lot of activity going on in a lot of different markets. There's activity in Miami, there's activity in Orlando, Atlanta and a handful of other places." In an interview for Bloomberg's Sportfolio on July 5, 2013, Garber confirmed that Miami, Atlanta, and Orlando were all candidates for the next round of MLS expansion, and added that MLS was also looking at Texas. On July 29, 2013, Commissioner Garber stated that MLS was impressed with Orlando's strong ownership and incredible turnout for the club, but with Miami, MLS would first need to ensure there is strong ownership, stadium, and business plan in place.

Also, former Los Angeles Galaxy player David Beckham received an option to purchase an expansion team at a fixed price of $25 million in any market except New York City, when he signed joined the Galaxy in 2007. The league has held preliminary discussions with Beckham's advisers about several expansion targets including Miami.

For the following cities, an MLS official has recently publicly stated that MLS is considering placing an expansion team in that location:

Orlando

On October 25, 2010, Phil Rawlins and his investor group of Orlando City Soccer Club, announced their intentions of joining Major League Soccer within the next 3 to 5 years. On February 28, 2011, Orlando City announced it met with commissioner Don Garber and league officials concerning expansion. Topics covered included the demographics of the Orlando marketplace, the local corporate and fan support for soccer, and developing a roadmap for a future MLS franchise in Orlando. Orlando City team officials met with Commissioner Don Garber again on November 10, 2011 for further discussions about joining the MLS as its 20th club - which ultimately went to New York City - in 2013.

On March 1, 2012. Garber visited Orlando to meet with city and county officials. He stated, “It’s not a matter of if, but when,” when addressing Orlando’s chances of joining MLS. On August 31, 2012, Rawlins told the Orlando Business Journal the team could get the Major League Soccer approval as early as fall 2013, and be ready to play in the league by 2014 or 2015. Rawlins said to make that happen, the league had asked the team to explore building a 22,000-seat soccer-specific stadium. “They didn’t say we had to have a stadium built before we could join, but they at least would like a plan that it’s happening.”

In April 2013, the City of Orlando purchased downtown land for $8.2 million to be used towards the construction of a $110 million MLS soccer stadium. But that May, the Florida House of Representatives failed to vote on a bill that had passed the Senate that would have provided up to $30 million in state funds towards the stadium project. Rawlins responded by expressing his intent to find alternative funding and keep seeking MLS expansion. The Orlando downtown soccer stadium moved closer to securing funding on August 8, 2013, when Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer reached an agreement on a deal to provide financial support for a variety of Orlando projects including the new MLS soccer stadium. The last piece in stadium funding appears to be an October 2013 vote on using an existing tourism tax to fund the final quarter of the $80 million stadium project.

Miami

In his annual "state of the league" address in November 2012, Garber confirmed the league's interest in placing an expansion franchise in Miami: "We continue to believe Florida needs an MLS team. At some point, I think, it would make sense for a team in Miami." On June 1, 2013, the recently retired David Beckham, whose Los Angeles Galaxy contract included an option to buy an expansion franchise, along with Marcelo Claure, visited Sun Life Stadium and FIU Stadium as potential venues for a possible Miami expansion team.

Previously, in December 2008, a Miami expansion team led by FC Barcelona and Bolivian billionaire Marcelo Claure announced it was bidding to be one of the two expansion franchises that would begin play in the 2011 season. However, on March 3, the league and Barcelona announced the Miami was no longer a candidate, as market conditions made a franchise in South Florida in 2010 unfeasible. Additionally, MLS expressed concerns about Miami's lack of fan interest in an MLS franchise, the plan to use FIU's stadium and being a secondary tenant in a college stadium with an artificial surface, and the fact that USL team Miami FC was not doing well. Garber added at the time, however, that "at some point we will be a league that will have many more teams than we do now, and one of those teams will be in Miami."

Miami is one of the three “spoken for” expansion sites that MLS Commissioner Don Garber referenced on Wednesday September 11, 2013, according to reports. According to Garber, three of the four MLS expansion teams have been spoken for, to be added between 2015 and 2020, which will expand the league to 24 teams.

Atlanta

With a population of over 5 million in its metropolitan statistical area, Atlanta is currently the largest American television market without an MLS franchise. MLS Commissioner Don Garber has mentioned Atlanta several times over a number of years as a contender for an MLS franchise. Garber indicated that Atlanta was a "serious contender" for a new franchise in 2010.

In May 2012, Garber cited Atlanta as one of three intriguing markets for future league expansion. On May 12, 2012, at the Atlanta Falcons annual "State of the Falcons" meeting, Atlanta Falcons' owner Arthur Blank laid out his case for a new stadium with a retractable roof by saying in part that it could help to attract a Major League Soccer franchise as well as become a potential site for World Cup soccer games. In the Commissioner's "state of the league" address in November 2012, Garber said that if the Falcons could complete plans for a new stadium, MLS would "try to figure out how an MLS team could be part of their plans." MLS Executive VP Dan Courtemanche also said, “We are big believers in the Atlanta market,” and cited the city's growing Hispanic population and corporations that could serve as sponsors. As of April 2013, there were no formal discussion between the league and the Falcons, but the two parties were in contact regularly. In April 2013, Rich McKay, Falcons president and CEO, said that the team was "open to various options, including ownership of a team or someone else owning a team".

In March 2013, the city and the Falcons agreed to financing terms for the construction of the new stadium. In May 2013, the Georgia Department of Economic Development board approved $30 million in bonds that would finance the land purchase. Following the approval of the new stadium, discussions between Blank and MLS accelerated. The stadium is set to open in 2017 and can be configured for professional soccer.

Previously, in October 2008, Arthur Blank's management and investment company, AMB Group, had submitted a bid in for an expansion franchise, but withdrew its bid in early 2009 due to its inability to get a soccer stadium built.

While the Falcons ownership continues to explore MLS expansion, MLS officials have said there were no discussions between the league and the existing Atlanta Silverbacks of the second-tier North American Soccer League. And Silverbacks chairman Brois Jerkunica said the team was not interested in a "promotion" to MLS, but would consider moving to the new Falcons stadium.

Major League Soccer and Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank are in "significant discussions" to bring an expansion team to the city, the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported September 12, 2013. The newspaper, citing anonymous sources with knowledge of the talks, said talks "accelerated" when the Falcons received permission for a new stadium, scheduled to be completed in 2017.

San Antonio

In late 2011, San Antonio joined the fight to be MLS's 20th team. The San Antonio Scorpions successfully launched their inaugural season in NASL in 2012, leading the league with an average attendance of 9,178. The Scorpions play at Toyota Field, a soccer-specific stadium that was completed in spring 2013 with an initial capacity of 8,000, and an expansion capability of 18,000. Also making the push for San Antonio is the Crocketeers, which boast over 1,000 members.

The previous bids for an MLS team in San Antonio had ended abruptly in 2005.

Minnesota

In 2011, MLS confirmed that it had made contact with the ownership group of the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings regarding their interest in an MLS franchise for the Twin Cities. Vikings owner Zygi Wilf expressed interest in owning an MLS team if he were able to build a new, retractable-roof stadium for the Vikings.

On May 10, 2012, the Minnesota Legislature passed a bill for a new NFL stadium in Minneapolis, projected to open by fall 2016. The bill included a provision allowing for the Vikings to pursue an MLS franchise. Construction of the new stadium is to begin in October 2013.

On September 12, 2013, the Minnesota Vikings' ownership are said to be in behind the scene discussion about becoming a MLS franchise as a part of the current round of expansion.

Failed or stalled expansion efforts

This section includes cities with bids that have failed or stalled, or cities where no MLS official has recently publicly stated that MLS is considering the city as an expansion candidate.

Cleveland

In 2004 MLS announced that Cleveland would be getting an expansion franchise for the 2005 season, as area businessman Bert Wolstein had signed a letter of intent to launch an MLS club in Cleveland. However, Wolstein ran into delays in trying to obtain public financing for a stadium, and died in 2004, thus ending any Cleveland expansion.

On November 30, 2006 the Wolstein Sports and Entertainment Group (the former owners of the Cleveland Force indoor soccer team) promoted the construction of a 20,000+ seat, retractible roof, soccer-specific stadium complex for a Cleveland-Akron area MLS club. "The Summit," as the project was to have been called, was to have been located on a site in Macedonia, Ohio along Route 8 between the Ohio Turnpike and Interstate 271. Eventually, a ballot-initiative to fund the stadium via an increase in "sin" taxes was put to the voters where it failed.

Detroit

On November 16, 2009, a Canadian firm led by Andreas Apostolopoulos purchased the Pontiac Silverdome in the Detroit suburbs of Pontiac, Michigan, and planned to convert the gridiron stadium into a 30,000-capacity outdoor soccer-specific facility. On June 8, 2011, Triple Sports & Entertainment submitted an application to MLS toward acquiring an expansion franchise to play at the Silverdome.

On July 24, 2013, Triple Sports & Entertainment submitted a proposal to purchase a site in downtown Detroit and turn it into a residential and entertainment district anchored by a new MLS stadium. Andreas Apostolopoulos is leading the effort, saying that the league was more interested in a downtown team then one that played in Pontiac.

Las Vegas

During the fall of 2011, Dennis Porter and the Utility Services Director of the City of Henderson expressed interest in moving a new MLS club into a proposed stadium in the Las Vegas area that it could potentially share with an NBA team. On February 10, 2012, Las Vegas National Sports Center and International Development Management announced that they had secured financing for a basketball arena and a separate open-air soccer stadium, but on November 28, 2012, the developer called the deal off stating the stadium/arena deal was not financially viable. The land deal then became the subject of a court battle and a federal investigation.

New York Cosmos

In 2009, the rights to the name of the former NASL side New York Cosmos were purchased, with the new owners announcing their ultimate aim of securing a place in MLS as an expansion franchise. In May 2010, MLS announced the league's desire for a second franchise in New York, although MLS did not endorse the Cosmos as its candidate expansion franchise. Difficulties in the management of the new Cosmos led to a sale to new owners. While club retained its ultimate goal of playing in MLS, it began playing in the second-tier North American Soccer League in the fall of 2013.

MLS awarded the second New York franchise to New York City FC in May 2013. Afterwards, Cosmos chairman Seamus O'Brien acknowledged that the new club made it unlikely for his side to enter MLS for some years, but suggested New York City could handle three teams.

North Carolina

In April 2012, MLS President Mark Abott and NASL Commissioner David Downs met with the NASL club Carolina RailHawks FC and their fans. During the visit to Raleigh and Cary, Abbott said, "We’re not currently in the process of trying to outline a timeline or specific path for clubs coming into the league on an expansion basis." MLS spokesman Dan Courtemanche also said in 2012 that MLS was currently "not in discussions to bring a future expansion team to North Carolina.”

Ottawa

In the fall of 2008, the City of Ottawa was presented with a proposal to revitalize Lansdowne Park and Frank Clair Stadium. In April 2009, the City of Ottawa was presented a report on the merits of the Lansdowne Park proposal. Lansdowne proponents stated that a pro soccer team could play at a renovated Frank Clair Stadium alongside a potential Canadian Football League team. On April 22, 2009, the City of Ottawa Council chose the Lansdowne proposal as its choice for a new outdoor stadium. On June 20, 2011, Ottawa was awarded an NASL expansion franchise to begin play at Frank Clair Stadium in 2014.

Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Riverhounds are a professional soccer team founded in 1999 now playing in USL Pro. In spring 2013, the team began play at Highmark Stadium, its new soccer-specific stadium near downtown Pittsburgh. The stadium seats 3,000 spectators, although it is expandable to 18,500 seats. The Riverhounds contemplate the possibility of promotion to Major League Soccer by 2023.

Sacramento

In December 2011, a group led by former California Assembly Speaker Fabian Núñez is exploring the possibility of landing an MLS franchise for the Sacramento area, with the suburb of Elk Grove as a possible stadium site.

On December 3, 2012 Sacramento was granted a USL Pro team to begin play in the 2014 season. A group of investors, led by local business leader Warren Smith, ultimately plans to convert this Sacramento franchise to an MLS team. Warren previously helped bring the Sacramento River Cats, an MiLB franchise, to Sacramento. Sacramento is the 20th largest television market in the United States, larger than areas with MLS franchises such as Columbus, Kansas City, and Salt Lake City.

On March 13, 2013, the Elk Grove city council voted unanimously to study potential stadium sites for a soccer-specific stadium in the city that could host either a MLS or NASL team.

St. Louis

The Athletic Club of St. Louis was Jeff Cooper's bid to land a Major League Soccer expansion team. With his investment group St. Louis Soccer United, Cooper twice attempted to bring MLS to the St. Louis metropolitan area in 2008 and 2009 only to have both bids turned down in favor of other cities. Despite approved stadium plans to build the $600 million Collinsville Soccer Complex in suburban Collinsville, Illinois, MLS was not impressed with the bid's financial backing and suggested Cooper expand his group of investors.

As the price of the expansion fee rose, Cooper refocused his efforts to building a second division men's club and a WPS franchise. AC St. Louis played one season in the USSF Division 2 Professional League before folding. AC St. Louis' sister-club Saint Louis Athletica folded midway through its second season.

Trenton

In 2001, a group of investors attempted to bring an MLS franchise to Trenton, New Jersey. The centerpiece of their efforts was a proposed $31 million soccer-specific stadium to be built across the street from the Sun National Bank Center and with access to the under-construction NJ Transit RiverLINE. The proposed Trenton MLS team was to have been named "Union FC". However, the MetroStars (now New York Red Bulls) objected that a Trenton franchise would infringe the club's 75-mile competition-free zone guaranteed by the league.

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• Tossell, David. Playing for Uncle Sam: The Brits' Story of the North American Soccer League. Mainstream Publishing (2003).
• Wangerin, David. Soccer in a Football World:The Story of America's Forgotten Game. WSC Books (2006).

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• Major League Soccer
• Proposed sports teams