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Major League Soccer is the top level of soccer in the United States and Canada. It was established in 1993 with ten initial teams. Since then it has expanded several times into new markets across the United States, and for the first time, beginning in 2006, into Canada. MLS has announced a further rise to 19 teams by the year 2012 and has signaled a long-term expansion goal of 20 teams by 2014. On February 14, 2011 at a Vancouver press conference, Commissioner Don Garber, noted that he sees 22 teams by the end of the decade, but isn't in a hurry to expand. In October 2012, in regards to the next expansion team in New York City, MLS President Mark Abbott said "The league is in preliminary discussions with a number of ownership groups and indicated that a likely timeline will see the new owner identified in 2013 with play to begin in 2016."

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 five largest American cities—Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, San Diego, and Detroit were all without a team. Using American football stadiums, the new league kicked off in April 1996.

First expansion (1998)

In 1998 the league expanded for the first time rising from ten teams to twelve. The two expansion teams were based in Chicago and Miami. The new teams were the Chicago Fire and Miami Fusion.

Contraction from Florida (2002)

In January 2002, the league announced the end of its two Floridian teams: Miami Fusion and the Tampa Bay Mutiny. This was for financial reasons. Both teams were withdrawn from the league and folded. No new expansion franchises were granted that year—so the number of teams fell to ten once more.

The surprise performance of the US national team at the 2002 World Cup, where they reached the quarter–final, 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, which eventually allowed MLS to command an expansion fee of $40 million.

Second Los Angeles franchise (2004)

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 The Home Depot Center with the LA Galaxy, thus creating MLS’s first local derby game.

Salt Lake City (2004)

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.

Houston (2006) and San Jose (2008)

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 league insisted they had plans to return to San Jose. After a two-year hiatus, the San Jose Earthquakes were reactivated in 2007 and resumed play in the MLS the following season.

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.

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)

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.

Portland (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 on September 3. 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)

Montreal has been a consideration by Major League Soccer since the league's founding and planning stages in 1993. On May 7, 2010, Commissioner Don Garber announced that Joey Saputo and the Montreal Impact would join the league as its 19th club for the 2012 season in the renovated 20,000-seat Saputo Stadium.

Further expansion

As of 2011, the nine largest metropolitan statistical areas in the United States by population without an MLS franchise are Miami, Atlanta, Detroit, Phoenix, Minneapolis–Saint Paul, San Diego, St. Louis, Tampa Bay and Baltimore. In addition to these, the cities of Buffalo, Charlotte, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Nashville, New Orleans, and Pittsburgh all have multiple major league franchises in other popular sports, but do not have MLS teams.

On March 12, 2011 MLS Commissioner Don Garber cited several markets that are involved in discussions with the league office about future expansion: San Diego, Arizona, Las Vegas, Detroit, San Antonio, South Florida and Atlanta. Garber said. “I believe we will be larger than 20 teams,” and “I can’t say when that will be. But 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."

It is reported that a second New York team is the frontrunner for the 20th spot, likely scheduled for 2016. Don Garber's focus has been on a second New York team as the 20th expansion team. Garber has said “If we can get it done in a reasonable period of time, then we’re going to go down a path to really focus on New York as a priority.”

Atlanta

In October 2008, Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank's management and investment company, AMB Group, submitted a bid for an expansion franchise. Garber indicated that Atlanta was a "serious contender" for a new franchise, however AMB withdrew their bid for a team in early 2011.

In May 2012, Garber cited Atlanta as one of three "intriguing" markets for future league expansion. Atlanta is currently the largest American TV market without an MLS franchise.

May 12, 2012, Falcons owner and chairman Arthur Blank laid out his case for a new stadium with a retractable roof that could open in five years in the team's annual "State of the Falcons" meeting with season ticket holders at the Buckhead Theatre on Wednesday by saying in part that it could help to attract a Major League Soccer franchise, help the city host Super Bowls, as well as become a potential site for World Cup soccer games.

Minnesota

MLS has confirmed that there has been contact with the ownership group of the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings regarding their interest in an MLS franchise for the Twin Cities. The Wilf family, owners of the Minnesota Vikings, have indicated their interest in owning a MLS team if they are able to build a new stadium for the Vikings. “With the event of a full retractable stadium, our goal is to bring Major League Soccer ... to Minnesota,” Zygi Wilf said.

Don Garber's focus has been on a second New York team as the 20th expansion team. However, Garber has said “If we can get it done in a reasonable period of time, then we’re going to go down a path to really focus on New York as a priority. But if we can’t get it done, we’ll continue to look at all those other markets that have been noisy about soccer, whether that’s all the ones I’ve mentioned in the past, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Miami.”

On May 10, 2012, the Minnesota Legislature passed a bill for a new NFL stadium in Minneapolis, and including a provision allowing for the Vikings to pursue an MLS franchise, significantly increasing the probability that professional soccer will come to the Twin Cities.

New York City

It is reported that a second New York team is the frontrunner for the 20th spot. Years ago, New York Mets owner Fred Wilpon was looking to bring a team in to the borough of Queens. According to reports, the team would play in a newly constructed stadium near Citi Field. However, this interest has waned in recent years; with the Wilpon family having lost a lot of money in the Madoff investment scandal, their financial backing for a soccer team is seen as unfeasible. Citi Field itself held two national team soccer friendlies (exhibition matches) in the summer of 2011, but playing regular league soccer matches on an active baseball field (as opposed to former baseball fields such as Jeld-Wen Field or Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium) is not practical in the long run.

On November 6, 2011 It was reported that the New York Cosmos was changing ownership. Sela Sport of Saudi Arabia, a Saudi Arabian company, bought out the shares of former owner, chairman and CEO Paul Kemsley. A statement from Sela Sport said, "It is unequivocally the goal of this ownership group to become an MLS team in the most expedient manner possible, and decisions for the club will be made with this in mind."

On June 27, 2012 plans to build a new soccer-specific stadium in Queens, New York were made public by Major League Soccer. The new stadium would have a seating capacity of 20,000–25,000 and be located near the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows.

On July 12, 2012, this version of the Cosmos announced that it was joining the new second division North American Soccer League (NASL) for the 2013 season. In the announcement, Cosmos management stated their goal was to eventually join Major League Soccer.

In Late November, 2012, New York politicians approved the stadium plan for Queens. The stadium will seat about 25,000 and will be located in the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.

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 S.C. announced they 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.

Reports suggest that Orlando is in the running to follow Montreal Impact into MLS. Orlando City team officials met with Commissioner Don Graber again on November 10, 2011 for further discussions about joining the MLS as its 20th club in 2013. On March 1, 2012 Commissioner Garber visited Orlando to meet with city and county officials. In a statement issued “It’s not a matter of if, but when,” Garber said when addressing Orlando’s chances.

The USL Professional Division club are believed to be gaining consideration from MLS officials to enter the league in 2013. On August 31, 2012, Phil Rawlins told the Orlando Business Journal the team could get the Major League Soccer thumbs-up 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 has 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.”

South Florida

MLS Commissioner Don Garber said during a telephone conference call on November 26, 2012 that possibilities for expansion beyond New York include Atlanta, Orlando, South Florida and Minneapolis. The Fort Lauderdale Strikers are looking for a permanent home. The NASL soccer team on Tuesday named longtime local promoter Tom Mulroy as president and shifted former president Tim Robbie to Managing Director of Team Personnel and Stadium Development. This could be a prelude to the possibility of a future MLS expansion team. In addition rumors continue that David Beckham, who's MLS contact calls for ownership in a future MLS expansion club, is considering options in South Florida.

Failed expansion efforts

Cleveland-Akron

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. The Summit was to have also included a 500,000 sq.ft. shopping center along with the stadium. Eventually, a ballot-initiative to fund the stadium via an increase in "sin" taxes was put to the voters where it failed.

Ottawa

On September 16, 2008, Senators Sports & Entertainment (SSE), the owners of the NHL's Ottawa Senators, unveiled plans to construct a 20,000 seat soccer-specific stadium in on a lot southeast of Scotiabank Place in suburban Kanata, with the intent of bringing an MLS expansion franchise to Canada's capital.

At the same time that the Ottawa Soccer Stadium proposal was made, 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 SSE and Lansdowne Park proposals. The City held public hearings based on the report, which questioned the necessity of the spending, but gave a slight edge to the Lansdowne proposal. Lansdowne proponents made it clear that an MLS team or another pro soccer team could play at a renovated Frank Clair Stadium alongside a potential Canadian Football League team, but this possibility was shot down by SSE in their own proposal. 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.

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 only to have both bids turned down in favor of other cities in 2008 and 2009. 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 $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". The club's efforts where thwarted by then MetroStars and future Philadelphia Union general manager Nick Sakiewicz, as Trenton was within The MetroStars 75-mile "ring" of exclusivity.

Bibliography

• Goldblatt, David. The Ball is Round: A Global History of Football. Penguin Books (2007).
• 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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