ST. LOUIS — The Major League Soccer owners voted Thursday to add another two expansion slots, meaning St. Louis is now in an even better position to get a team.
The league was set to expand to 28 teams in the next few years, and the competition for the final spot seemed to come down to St. Louis and Sacramento. On Thursday, the league announced it would instead be expanding to 30 teams. With the announcement of two new spots up for grabs, it puts St. Louis in an even better position.
A press release from the league said the decision was made at the Board of Governors meeting in Los Angeles. While the new locations have not been finalized, the board did give Commissioner Don Garber permission to "advance discussions with Sacramento and St. Louis ownership groups regarding their bids."
The release said the league is in discussions with several other ownership groups in other cities. The release also said the expansion fee for teams 28 and 29 would be $200 million. The expansion fee for team 30 was not set yet.
Sports Director Frank Cusumano spoke with members of the MLS4theLou group. They said they are excited by the news but know they still have work to do.
"It's good news and good progress, but we still have some work to do to secure St. Louis," Jim Kavanaugh said in a text message.