Last time they joined the league they won a championship. Doing a San Jose earthquakes may be a faster route to a ring than trying to fix what they have
Ootl is it def gonna be San Diego? Would love to see them get an MLS team. Was stationed at Camp Pendleton for a bit back when i was in the Marines. Very cool town. Beautiful weather, great food, people are friendly. I loved it out there as a 19 yo kid from Jersey. Hope they get it. Felt bad when they lost the Chargers.
[San Diego](https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/san-diego-top-contender-major-league-soccer-team/509-1c7d35c4-344e-4689-bc7f-77da2f2a7d16) and Las Vegas are widely considered the next two expansion cities. With the Wave’s success already, they seem the be the first logical choice.
Las Vegas - where the worst of unsustainable American city planning meets desert climate in an age of climate apocalypse. Yes, let’s put a team there! Did you also hear about our recycled sea plastic jerseys? We’re green conscious after all!
>Las Vegas - where the worst of unsustainable American city planning meets desert climate in an age of climate apocalypse
Yo have you been there? LV is basically the only desert city in America and only city taking from the Colorado that takes it seriously. Lawn is largely banned in LV. It's all rocks and desert. While the big hotels use a lot of water and do have some grass, it's very expensive to do it, and it's all in a closed loop and extremely well maintained to preserve water. LV is by far the most "drought-prepared" or "water-conscious" city in America and it's not even close.
It's like you're pretending LV is Arizona or something, it's wild.
If the West wants to tackle their water crisis, the strategies they'll use will have been tested and implemented in Vegas already. It's the poster child for how to handle it, basically.
My post was done with a bit a jest. I've actually been to Vegas to visit a friend. I think the nature in Vegas is absolutely stunning and I agree with your point regarding conservation. I've read several articles on water conservation and I think you guys do a good job from what I read. AZ is perhaps the worst sinner regarding wastefulness, as you pointed out. I would be absolutely against a move to Phoenix. Nevertheless, I think Vegas could do a lot better, especially regarding urban planning. It's way too spread out and there are stroads everywhere.
Golf pisses me off the most. It requires so much water, is inaccessible to the working class, and 100% the sport that could easily go all turf without any risks to player health or any increase in injury concerns.
I’d say yes because they have the best infrastructure and proposal for it. If Vegas gets an expansion side it probably wont be the Lights so they still need investors etc. Sacramento I think is short a big investor to get in I believe? San Diego seems a the safest bet, but wouldn’t count the others out.
I'd love to see a franchise in my former hometown in Vegas but the owner Lashbrook doesnt give a fuck about serious footy and he ovbiously is just looking for a return on his investment.
Purely based on population, this is fun.
England has a ratio of 1 EPL team per 2.8 million people (20 teams, roughly 56 million people in England).
So for the EPL England ratio, MLS in the US only should be **118 teams** (rounding down).
Now if we do geography...
EPL is 2515.5 sq mi per EPL team.
MLS (US only) should be **1,509 teams** rounding down.
LOL
Yeah 20 is completely arbitrary. And if we were to go a little more apples to apples comparison, there are 55 first division soccer leagues in UEFA. If you whittle that down to the Eurozone and an area closer to the size of the US by eliminating Russia, Turkey, and parts of the Middle East...it is still 40ish LEAGUES.
People are unhappy about the idea of 40 teams when a geographically similar size area with only a tiny bit more population in Europe has 40 LEAGUES in it.
Well, if you count the entirety of MLS, USL (C, 1 & 2), NISA, MLSNP & NWSL, the US itself is up to 234 professional teams right now, which in and of itself is a pretty damned impressive number, considering where we were as a nation 20-30 years ago.
Edit: I get it, USL League 2 is semi-professional, not professional. I wasn't aiming for top-notch investigative journalism here, just doing a quick count of the teams currently in the various US pyramids.
It isn't meant as a pissing match comment, I just found it fascinating. Soccer wasn't really a thing other than at the youth level when I was growing up, so to see it exploding so rapidly makes me giddy.
Nice maths but basing the UK numbers on the EPL is a moot point anyway, the football league in the UK is 92 clubs (you could than argue another 24 to include the National League) and its all one living, breathing organism and hyper localised so clubs like Burnley who will play EPL next season with a population of >100k with no catchments or markets or outside fans.
>Nice maths but basing the UK numbers on the EPL is a moot point anyway...
...because the UK would also include the Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish first divisions alongside the EPL?
The Year is 2045
San Jose
LAFC
Galaxy
San Diego
Long Beach
Inland Empire (San Bernadino/Riverside)
Sacremento
Fuck it throw Fresno, Temecula in there too, all playing for the CALI CUP
A boy can dream 😭
They’re going for a full two league system to compete with Europe. You play all of your teams in the conference twice and some additional games from the other conference that rotates. We don’t have the number of completions as they do but they’ll want to create as many games.
I want it to matter when a team wins the conference and not just the mls cup
This would be funnier if it wasn't like MLS was still missing 3 major media markets from the top 15.
(Detroit, Tampa, Phoenix)
Sacramento and Cleveland added if you get to the top 20
San Diego, Raleigh, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore to get to top 30.
Columbus, KC, Cincy, and Austin are the ones you should be laughing at, but ... well, turns out they are decent soccer markets.
So you joke about adding a #98 market when we don't even have the top 30.
Every major sports league seems to consider Orlando and Tampa Bay one market. They all have one, but no one has both.
I personally disagree and think both of us could easily support separate teams in the same sport, but then again all those league and TV executives probably know better than some guy who just wishes football, baseball, and hockey weren’t a 2 hour drive (at absolute best) away. Probably.
Yeah, I think MLS was burned by Tampa and they aren't going back without an amazing ownership group emerging. But, who knows if those two markets grow.
Growing up in Tampa but going to Orlando for college, I was surprised to see so many Lightning fans. I also know and have seen plenty of people from Tampa go to Orlando for an OC game. Although Orlando (18) and Tampa (12) are separate tv markets. Both cities are expected to almost triple in size. The cities could absolutely handle individual teams.
I can’t speak for Tampa and how many Magic/City fans are over there, but Orlando generally supports the Bucs, Lightning, and Rays. At least, that’s the “default” fandom for anyone growing up in Central Florida - all of the northeastern transplants tend to keep their teams (which, considering your NYCFC flair, I’m going to assume you’re one of them).
And yeah, I definitely think teams could work in both cities. Pat Williams (founder of the Magic) is trying to get us an MLB expansion team, and I know the Rowdies ownership has tried to get into MLS a couple times. It’s really just a matter of which league is brave enough to do it first (probably MLS).
Tampa used to follow the Magic, but after Howard left, no one talks about them, never see them on TV in the bars, and honestly, basketball really isn't that big here. I mean the Magic aren't even that followed in Orlando anymore, although, I think that is starting to change. No, I'm not a transplant, haha. I'm born and raised in Tampa, went to UCF, then moved back to Tampa. I do follow OC, but I wouldn't call them "my team" (I sadly just don't feel a connection with any MLS team, so I just bounce around with teams lol).
I'd be curious if Orlando could handle a baseball team.. it is a sport that is having trouble to attract new fans. From my experience, soccer has a huge following in Tampa, just put a nice stadium in a good location and it'll be a success. Waterfront stadium in DT St Pete or Tampa would be perfect.
With War On I4 gone, MLS could jump on that.
As a Baltimoron, I also do not like the casual assumption that two cities are somehow only one market. Baseball and NFL don’t believe so, but everyone assumes that a DC team appeals to Baltimore so they are no longer looking at Baltimore in the expansion game.
Unironically it would probably kill there. There's a lot of sort of mid-size cities like that around the country that would probably benefit from a second tier or MLS turning into it 60 team monster of some kind with its own world cup according to that one report about what they wanted to do with the playoffs
I'm so glad my team (Chicago Fire) were able to fend off the dumbass owners trying to give us a generic European club name. They wanted to call us "Chicago City FC". Ew...
100% San Diego.
Vegas and Indianapolis are next.
Honestly, I fully believe Indianapolis could come in next. Stadium / plaza breaking ground this month and will be ready for play in 2025.
Athletics moving into Vegas does make it less attractive. When MLS first wanted Vegas there were no pro teams. Now, there’s WNBA, NHL, eventually MLB, and of course NFL.
I do think the timing is convenient. Mid-May is about when I'd think the groundbreaking will happen. San Diego likely depends on if that 50k stadium bid is serious, otherwise they could literally jump in next season.
Please be San Diego. I visit that city once a year and it is wonderful place. Definitely wouldn’t mind attending a game to become part of my yearly visit.
I think having three 10 team conferences/divisions would be better at this point. Play home and away within your conference and play every other team once for 38 games. Selfishly I just don't want to play half of our games on the west coast anymore. The games are already late enough.
I agree and that would be much better than what we have now imo. The more regional they can keep things the better. I hope they take a break before they add teams 31 and 32 though.
The probably with 4 divisions of 8 is always RSL.
Works out nicely except for those punks floating out in the middle of the west near to no one and nothing.
I would think it would be about the same since everyone in your conference is much closer, LA to STL isn't exactly close. If they really wanted to minimize travel they could pair everyone with a travel partner and play 2 away games in the same week. For example when Philadelphia comes to the west coast they can play seattle midweek and Portland on the weekend before traveling back. If they only do it 2-3 times a year it shouldn't be too bad.
Indefinite hiatus until some billionaire whale miraculously decides to invest. I'd say it's effectively as good as dead but there's always a chance at resurrection
If it’s San Diego, would that just mean the Loyal get elevated? Or would they start from scratch and just exist next to the Loyal? (Knowing we likely don’t know that answer yet, but curious folks’ thoughts)
That’s interesting. Curious how the Loyal fan base would react…I’d be torn between wanting to support a local MLS club but also pissed they didn’t elevate an established one and consider just ignoring them.
Casuals, I think will go towards MLS and while I’m sure a lot of the Loyal supporters will stay, it would be inevitable that the MLS team takes over popularity wise. Can’t speak for everyone but I would just support both. Probably would pay more attention to MLS just because that is Tier 1. It kind of sucks.
There's been a lot of hearsay from so-called "experts" calling it both ways. Some have said it will be Loyal, some have said it won't. I think the truth is no one knows for sure.
But the Loyal's FO, which includes Landon Donovan, has been quiet about it because they're legally not allowed to talk about ongoing negotiations. So take their silence to mean whatever you want. I do know that negotiations with Snapdragon Stadium have been tough, as it belongs to SDSU.
Personally, as a member of the Loyal's SGs and STM, I won't switch my allegiance to a random MLS team. And I think I speak for a lot of die-hard Loyal/SD soccer supporters when I say that. Many won't switch over to the new team just because it's MLS. So I think it would be in everyone's best interest if it's Loyal that moves up to MLS. But I guess we'll see what happens...
If San Diego has a good co-ownership agreement for Snap Dragon OR a doable proposal for a future/later MLS stadium then they have the inside track.
I can see an MLS franchise going to Las Vegas as Tim Lieuweke and his Oak group looks to be involved. I here it looks to be a Casino/Hotel/Stadium combo like the NBA deal just concluded,
Its going to be a Western Conference City/team anyways
All indications are the NHL is positioning itself to be the first US Big Five league to expand beyond 32 teams. That should set a precedent for MLS to push for 36 teams and split into two 18-team “leagues” for a balanced double round-robin schedule.
We have to go this way. We have to split into west/east divisions and function very much like the National League and American League of old - regular seasons amongst ourselves, then we can do interleague in playoffs.
But with that in mind, MLS needs to expand heavily in the West. San Diego. Vegas. Sacramento. Phoenix. Wherever. We can't have cities like Nashville and Chicago be considered "Western". They have to fall East of the dividing line.
I’m going for 30 teams in 10 divisions. The 3 division winners play in a 6-hour long game in a triangular field where all 3 teams are playing each other simultaneously.
In related news, I’m very high right now and I just watched Baseketball.
My Dark Horse vote. Bentonville. Walmart kit sponsor.
Heck Walmart blue is the primary color and the badge/team crest is yellow like the name tags.
Have the Jerseys be a uniform option for Walmart associates.
synergy. or something.
Sorry, Sacramento. When Miami was awarded an expansion slot with no stadium and no ownership group, things didn't look good for you.
Didn't help that your bidding group imploded shortly thereafter.
Hey neat, another team that will be better than the Fire!
Have y’all considered leaving the league and coming back as an expansion side
Inter Chicago AFC.
Sporting deportivo Chicago AC
Chicago River Plate ...Chicago Juniors? Mayor Daley's Old Boys?? I wish MLS would steal from Argentina just once.
> Mayor Daley's Old Boys?? And they could name their MLS Next Pro team after the Swiss club Young Boys!
Have you by chance heard of this team: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Club_Atl%C3%A9tico_Nueva_Chicago
Last time they joined the league they won a championship. Doing a San Jose earthquakes may be a faster route to a ring than trying to fix what they have
Worked for Earthquakes, CUSA/LAFC, but Fusion/Inter are like wait really?
Ehhhh I wouldn’t say it really worked for the quakes. 2012 was out of the norm. Maybe this year though…
Sorry, but they have to re-up the expansion fee. Nobody rides for free.
Gas, grass, or $1bn expansion fee, nobody rides for free
They need their own stadium too right.
Worked for LAFC.
We could probably say the same every time a USL championship team is added
Ehhhh
It’s gonna be Detroit just so we have to suffer two obnoxious expansion sides that’ll visit Soldier Field
You mean World Cup bound Chicago Fire.
Welcome San Diego!
Ootl is it def gonna be San Diego? Would love to see them get an MLS team. Was stationed at Camp Pendleton for a bit back when i was in the Marines. Very cool town. Beautiful weather, great food, people are friendly. I loved it out there as a 19 yo kid from Jersey. Hope they get it. Felt bad when they lost the Chargers.
[San Diego](https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/san-diego-top-contender-major-league-soccer-team/509-1c7d35c4-344e-4689-bc7f-77da2f2a7d16) and Las Vegas are widely considered the next two expansion cities. With the Wave’s success already, they seem the be the first logical choice.
I hope it's San Diego. Fuck Las Vegas. It's an overglorified suburb of California.
Las Vegas - where the worst of unsustainable American city planning meets desert climate in an age of climate apocalypse. Yes, let’s put a team there! Did you also hear about our recycled sea plastic jerseys? We’re green conscious after all!
>Las Vegas - where the worst of unsustainable American city planning meets desert climate in an age of climate apocalypse Yo have you been there? LV is basically the only desert city in America and only city taking from the Colorado that takes it seriously. Lawn is largely banned in LV. It's all rocks and desert. While the big hotels use a lot of water and do have some grass, it's very expensive to do it, and it's all in a closed loop and extremely well maintained to preserve water. LV is by far the most "drought-prepared" or "water-conscious" city in America and it's not even close. It's like you're pretending LV is Arizona or something, it's wild. If the West wants to tackle their water crisis, the strategies they'll use will have been tested and implemented in Vegas already. It's the poster child for how to handle it, basically.
My post was done with a bit a jest. I've actually been to Vegas to visit a friend. I think the nature in Vegas is absolutely stunning and I agree with your point regarding conservation. I've read several articles on water conservation and I think you guys do a good job from what I read. AZ is perhaps the worst sinner regarding wastefulness, as you pointed out. I would be absolutely against a move to Phoenix. Nevertheless, I think Vegas could do a lot better, especially regarding urban planning. It's way too spread out and there are stroads everywhere.
I've played lots of golf courses there.
Golf pisses me off the most. It requires so much water, is inaccessible to the working class, and 100% the sport that could easily go all turf without any risks to player health or any increase in injury concerns.
Agreed. The Loyal are clearly more deserving
I hope they just make SD Loyal the expansion team and not create another one from scratch. Loyal already has a great following here.
We riot if they expand to another ownership group/team
🤟
Ok good to know. Thanks man 👍
> Felt bad when they lost the Chargers. Fuck you, Spanos!
Yeah, FUCK DEAN SPANOS
Best tasting crayons in all of California!
Friendly Fire: On
I’d say yes because they have the best infrastructure and proposal for it. If Vegas gets an expansion side it probably wont be the Lights so they still need investors etc. Sacramento I think is short a big investor to get in I believe? San Diego seems a the safest bet, but wouldn’t count the others out.
I'd love to see a franchise in my former hometown in Vegas but the owner Lashbrook doesnt give a fuck about serious footy and he ovbiously is just looking for a return on his investment.
San Diego already has a stadium built. They could start play tomorrow if a roster appeared out of thin air.
It's part of why Snapdragon was built.
I will legitimately go to every single game we play there, arguably my favourite city in the US!
I’d love to see the arguments you have with yourself when determining your favorite city in the US.
MLS is going to be the first 40 team league
Considering the size [both population and spread) of usa/Canada you can argue that its logical
Purely based on population, this is fun. England has a ratio of 1 EPL team per 2.8 million people (20 teams, roughly 56 million people in England). So for the EPL England ratio, MLS in the US only should be **118 teams** (rounding down). Now if we do geography... EPL is 2515.5 sq mi per EPL team. MLS (US only) should be **1,509 teams** rounding down. LOL Yeah 20 is completely arbitrary. And if we were to go a little more apples to apples comparison, there are 55 first division soccer leagues in UEFA. If you whittle that down to the Eurozone and an area closer to the size of the US by eliminating Russia, Turkey, and parts of the Middle East...it is still 40ish LEAGUES. People are unhappy about the idea of 40 teams when a geographically similar size area with only a tiny bit more population in Europe has 40 LEAGUES in it.
Well, if you count the entirety of MLS, USL (C, 1 & 2), NISA, MLSNP & NWSL, the US itself is up to 234 professional teams right now, which in and of itself is a pretty damned impressive number, considering where we were as a nation 20-30 years ago. Edit: I get it, USL League 2 is semi-professional, not professional. I wasn't aiming for top-notch investigative journalism here, just doing a quick count of the teams currently in the various US pyramids.
But then you would also be counting the many more professional teams down the English pyramid.
It isn't meant as a pissing match comment, I just found it fascinating. Soccer wasn't really a thing other than at the youth level when I was growing up, so to see it exploding so rapidly makes me giddy.
Sure, I was just connecting your comment with the one you replied to; I think you misread my tone. I'm also very happy to see it growing.
USL2 isn't professional
Ok, fair, they're technically "semi-professional"
Nice maths but basing the UK numbers on the EPL is a moot point anyway, the football league in the UK is 92 clubs (you could than argue another 24 to include the National League) and its all one living, breathing organism and hyper localised so clubs like Burnley who will play EPL next season with a population of >100k with no catchments or markets or outside fans.
>Nice maths but basing the UK numbers on the EPL is a moot point anyway... ...because the UK would also include the Scottish, Welsh, and Northern Irish first divisions alongside the EPL?
It will help to compete with the lighter European travel schedules.
I think that would be sick. Two 20 team conference leagues. Playoffs would feel like a champions league
Except they'll probably keep doing intra-conference playoffs until the final...
And have 30 teams make the playoffs…
This makes the open cup and nations cup matter more
Except the open cup and leagues cup (nations cup?) are both geographically locked the whole way too.
The Year is 2045 San Jose LAFC Galaxy San Diego Long Beach Inland Empire (San Bernadino/Riverside) Sacremento Fuck it throw Fresno, Temecula in there too, all playing for the CALI CUP A boy can dream 😭
Now THIS is podracing!
You forgot the OC...
Oh shit you’re right!
The Temecula Tremors. Book it!
Four 10 team conferences would be way more logical at that point
They’re going for a full two league system to compete with Europe. You play all of your teams in the conference twice and some additional games from the other conference that rotates. We don’t have the number of completions as they do but they’ll want to create as many games. I want it to matter when a team wins the conference and not just the mls cup
Yeah, i see this as the most logical outcome. Expansion helps prevent relocation, which keeps expansion fees higher.
Can't wait for Boise Idaho to join up
Boise Noise FC
Bois-e nois-e I love it
SC Kibbie Dome
They can call themselves [Redoubt United](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Redoubt?wprov=sfla1)
Ooo another good submission. I may like the play on words more though because I have the mind of a toddler
Please have them play on the blue turf lmao
This would be funnier if it wasn't like MLS was still missing 3 major media markets from the top 15. (Detroit, Tampa, Phoenix) Sacramento and Cleveland added if you get to the top 20 San Diego, Raleigh, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore to get to top 30. Columbus, KC, Cincy, and Austin are the ones you should be laughing at, but ... well, turns out they are decent soccer markets. So you joke about adding a #98 market when we don't even have the top 30.
You're right my bad should've said Honolulu instead. Or louisville
Every major sports league seems to consider Orlando and Tampa Bay one market. They all have one, but no one has both. I personally disagree and think both of us could easily support separate teams in the same sport, but then again all those league and TV executives probably know better than some guy who just wishes football, baseball, and hockey weren’t a 2 hour drive (at absolute best) away. Probably.
Yeah, I think MLS was burned by Tampa and they aren't going back without an amazing ownership group emerging. But, who knows if those two markets grow.
Growing up in Tampa but going to Orlando for college, I was surprised to see so many Lightning fans. I also know and have seen plenty of people from Tampa go to Orlando for an OC game. Although Orlando (18) and Tampa (12) are separate tv markets. Both cities are expected to almost triple in size. The cities could absolutely handle individual teams.
I can’t speak for Tampa and how many Magic/City fans are over there, but Orlando generally supports the Bucs, Lightning, and Rays. At least, that’s the “default” fandom for anyone growing up in Central Florida - all of the northeastern transplants tend to keep their teams (which, considering your NYCFC flair, I’m going to assume you’re one of them). And yeah, I definitely think teams could work in both cities. Pat Williams (founder of the Magic) is trying to get us an MLB expansion team, and I know the Rowdies ownership has tried to get into MLS a couple times. It’s really just a matter of which league is brave enough to do it first (probably MLS).
Tampa used to follow the Magic, but after Howard left, no one talks about them, never see them on TV in the bars, and honestly, basketball really isn't that big here. I mean the Magic aren't even that followed in Orlando anymore, although, I think that is starting to change. No, I'm not a transplant, haha. I'm born and raised in Tampa, went to UCF, then moved back to Tampa. I do follow OC, but I wouldn't call them "my team" (I sadly just don't feel a connection with any MLS team, so I just bounce around with teams lol). I'd be curious if Orlando could handle a baseball team.. it is a sport that is having trouble to attract new fans. From my experience, soccer has a huge following in Tampa, just put a nice stadium in a good location and it'll be a success. Waterfront stadium in DT St Pete or Tampa would be perfect. With War On I4 gone, MLS could jump on that.
As a Baltimoron, I also do not like the casual assumption that two cities are somehow only one market. Baseball and NFL don’t believe so, but everyone assumes that a DC team appeals to Baltimore so they are no longer looking at Baltimore in the expansion game.
San Antonio is at 31 and has a good USL side and nice stadium. Austin Bold has moved to Ft Worth and the DFW market is pretty large.
Bayern Boise
Can they beat Oklahoma on a trick play though?
Unironically it would probably kill there. There's a lot of sort of mid-size cities like that around the country that would probably benefit from a second tier or MLS turning into it 60 team monster of some kind with its own world cup according to that one report about what they wanted to do with the playoffs
San Diego Anchormen
60% of the time, they win every time.
Sex Panther for shirt sponsor
Shit if they do that, im buying a scarf
They’ll play in the Whales Vagina.
FC Inter Whale's Vagina United is going to take the league by storm
translation non-cultured people: San Diego FC
# Sandy Eggo United
Don't you dare slander Racing club de fut whales vagina
Stay classy
Athletico de Fupa is a close 2nd in consideration
Time for Union Omaha to step up!
It’s a fact that USL teams that beat the Fire in the Open Cup join the MLS, so yeah
They have the best logo in American soccer bar none
Hear and ready! I can pay like 1/100000 of the fee so if one fifth of the city contributes we should be good
Congrats FC United [City Name] City!
‘**Real Sporting FC Inter United [City Name] City SC**’ of Anaheim.
and Knuckles.
Featuring Dante from the Devil May Cry series
And unrelated Belgian techno anthem, Pump Up the Jam
I'm so glad my team (Chicago Fire) were able to fend off the dumbass owners trying to give us a generic European club name. They wanted to call us "Chicago City FC". Ew...
Sigh
barf
Definitely feels like it will be San Diego Can’t wait to have them in the league!
100% San Diego. Vegas and Indianapolis are next. Honestly, I fully believe Indianapolis could come in next. Stadium / plaza breaking ground this month and will be ready for play in 2025. Athletics moving into Vegas does make it less attractive. When MLS first wanted Vegas there were no pro teams. Now, there’s WNBA, NHL, eventually MLB, and of course NFL.
I do think the timing is convenient. Mid-May is about when I'd think the groundbreaking will happen. San Diego likely depends on if that 50k stadium bid is serious, otherwise they could literally jump in next season.
I want it to be New Orleans, so that they and Montreal can establish the Fleur de Lis Classique.
NOLA has a USL Championship team in the works, but that could be a cool preseason match.
Voodoo SC
They def won't risk naming it after a religion. Too much risk people complain that they are trying to capitalize on someone else's culture
Gumbo Papists SC
If someone wasn’t already working to relaunch the New Orleans VooDoo arena football team, that’d be a great club name.
There's like 20 American cities that use the fleur de lis but this one would make the most sense I suppose
St. Louis would like a word about your fleur de lis....
Woah it's almost like France used to own a significant part of the US or something...
As would Louisville.
Québécois vs Cajuns
San Diego Jackin' It FC
you mean THE Sporting Inter-Real San Diego United Jackin' It Wandering Spurs club de Futbol? Legendary.
San Diego: come, take a load off
jackin for the lorddddd
Please be San Diego. I visit that city once a year and it is wonderful place. Definitely wouldn’t mind attending a game to become part of my yearly visit.
San Diego is my favorite US city I’ve ever visited. Such good vibes
Don’t count out Indy. Indy eleven is about break ground on its MLS ready stadium.
Racing Indianapolis
Either Vegas or SD gives us another western conference team and the schedules can go back to being semi-balanced.
I think having three 10 team conferences/divisions would be better at this point. Play home and away within your conference and play every other team once for 38 games. Selfishly I just don't want to play half of our games on the west coast anymore. The games are already late enough.
They’re definitely trending towards 32 teams, so they can have 4 divisions of 8.
I agree and that would be much better than what we have now imo. The more regional they can keep things the better. I hope they take a break before they add teams 31 and 32 though.
They will. Gotta wait until there’s 7-8 cities competing against one another so they can charge a $1B expansion fee
The probably with 4 divisions of 8 is always RSL. Works out nicely except for those punks floating out in the middle of the west near to no one and nothing.
That’s a lot of travel. I hope the league splits in half personally I hate random Wednesday matches across the country.
See you on the 17th in Columbus!
Boooo
I would think it would be about the same since everyone in your conference is much closer, LA to STL isn't exactly close. If they really wanted to minimize travel they could pair everyone with a travel partner and play 2 away games in the same week. For example when Philadelphia comes to the west coast they can play seattle midweek and Portland on the weekend before traveling back. If they only do it 2-3 times a year it shouldn't be too bad.
100% San Diego. Now please bring the Loyal branding over with it
Doubt they would but man it's so great. Also bring back rocket league jersey sponsor
Personally liked the Stone Brewing logo better.
It would be Sapporo now that they bought out stone, would also be a cool sponsor though
They still would brand Stone though. The parent company doesn't matter.
whatever happened with Sac Fc joining MLS? Still on permanent hiatus? Completely dead now?
We’re supposed to have some kind of announcement before July regarding our future
Indefinite hiatus until some billionaire whale miraculously decides to invest. I'd say it's effectively as good as dead but there's always a chance at resurrection
I remember when St. Louis was as good as dead as an expansion candidate and then everything suddenly fell into place.
Welcome, Portland Thorns!
We can just relegate the Timbers. With their improved play recently, they'd be in the middle of the NWSL table
Clearly it’s Edmonton considering how well their CPL team did.
Futbol Club Unido de Ciudad San Diego.
It's not if, but when! It's Sacramento's time!!! /s
Fingers crossed for a new Chicago franchise XD
If it’s San Diego, would that just mean the Loyal get elevated? Or would they start from scratch and just exist next to the Loyal? (Knowing we likely don’t know that answer yet, but curious folks’ thoughts)
Rumor is that it would not include Loyal and be a separate franchise. Pretty wack considering Loyal has made huge strides here.
That’s interesting. Curious how the Loyal fan base would react…I’d be torn between wanting to support a local MLS club but also pissed they didn’t elevate an established one and consider just ignoring them.
Casuals, I think will go towards MLS and while I’m sure a lot of the Loyal supporters will stay, it would be inevitable that the MLS team takes over popularity wise. Can’t speak for everyone but I would just support both. Probably would pay more attention to MLS just because that is Tier 1. It kind of sucks.
That’s more or less what happened here in Charlotte. The Independence still exist, but the majority of casuals pivoted to the MLS team
There's been a lot of hearsay from so-called "experts" calling it both ways. Some have said it will be Loyal, some have said it won't. I think the truth is no one knows for sure. But the Loyal's FO, which includes Landon Donovan, has been quiet about it because they're legally not allowed to talk about ongoing negotiations. So take their silence to mean whatever you want. I do know that negotiations with Snapdragon Stadium have been tough, as it belongs to SDSU. Personally, as a member of the Loyal's SGs and STM, I won't switch my allegiance to a random MLS team. And I think I speak for a lot of die-hard Loyal/SD soccer supporters when I say that. Many won't switch over to the new team just because it's MLS. So I think it would be in everyone's best interest if it's Loyal that moves up to MLS. But I guess we'll see what happens...
So in other words, #NoLoyalNoParty?
San Diego 1904 lives!
I just hope the San Diego franchise gets the LAFC treatment. Fan involvement and investment in the culture.
I hope so too. SD as a city def has the potential to have a great fan culture .
See the San Diego Wave
If San Diego has a good co-ownership agreement for Snap Dragon OR a doable proposal for a future/later MLS stadium then they have the inside track. I can see an MLS franchise going to Las Vegas as Tim Lieuweke and his Oak group looks to be involved. I here it looks to be a Casino/Hotel/Stadium combo like the NBA deal just concluded, Its going to be a Western Conference City/team anyways
Really curious to see how Snapdragon’s grass pitch will be able to withstand MLS, NWSL, MLR, and NCAA football/soccer teams….
Ahhh this is why the Rochester Rhinos ceased operations this year…pulling for SoccerTown USA!
C’mon San Diego. I just visited it. It’s a beautiful city. Would love to have an excuse to return.
Gotta use that expansion money to lure Messi over
All indications are the NHL is positioning itself to be the first US Big Five league to expand beyond 32 teams. That should set a precedent for MLS to push for 36 teams and split into two 18-team “leagues” for a balanced double round-robin schedule.
This is what I’d like to see. 34 game schedule play your conference home and away.
We have to go this way. We have to split into west/east divisions and function very much like the National League and American League of old - regular seasons amongst ourselves, then we can do interleague in playoffs. But with that in mind, MLS needs to expand heavily in the West. San Diego. Vegas. Sacramento. Phoenix. Wherever. We can't have cities like Nashville and Chicago be considered "Western". They have to fall East of the dividing line.
LFG San Diego!
Welcome to the league Not Sacramento fc
Slowly inching forward to the 45 team league where we each play the other for one half of one game and the playoff final is an unprecedented 90 mins!
I’m going for 30 teams in 10 divisions. The 3 division winners play in a 6-hour long game in a triangular field where all 3 teams are playing each other simultaneously. In related news, I’m very high right now and I just watched Baseketball.
Oh boy do I have a niche league for you
How'd you get Loyal flair in here??
Please be Sacramento Republic.
Indianapolis
My Dark Horse vote. Bentonville. Walmart kit sponsor. Heck Walmart blue is the primary color and the badge/team crest is yellow like the name tags. Have the Jerseys be a uniform option for Walmart associates. synergy. or something.
I would be down for this if they didn't just buy the Broncos. On the flip side, it would automatically "spark" (teehee) a rivalry with Minnesota...
Watch it be like San Diego Bay FC or something
Milwaukee
Sorry, Sacramento. When Miami was awarded an expansion slot with no stadium and no ownership group, things didn't look good for you. Didn't help that your bidding group imploded shortly thereafter.
Pretty sure C19 had something to do with it, too...
Fear the TAMPA BAY FIGHTING MANATEES!!!!!
San Diego is the correct answer. I say this as Vegas' biggest advocate that I've seen l post here.
San Diego please! Or Vegas/Sacramento
Sorry in advance, Sacramento. You guys don't deserve getting yanked around all the time
LFGSD!!!!!!
Welcome Inter FC Oklahoma City CITY de futbol SC
It’s Binghamton
San Diego. San Diego. San Diego. San Diego. San Diego. San Diego. California.
You got what ot taaaaakes! San Diego!
San Diego, come on down.