Major League Soccer’s board of governors backed future MLS expansion to 28 teams in a board meeting on Saturday.
Expansion teams in Atlanta, Minnesota and Los Angeles are also set to join the league in the next three years with David Beckham’s Miami expected to be the 24th side.
Having 24 teams would make MLS the largest top-flight league in the world, but MLS commissioner Don Garber said he hopes to make the league even bigger.
“There is no shortage of demand for MLS expansion teams and we believe the opportunity exists to grow beyond our current plans,” Garber said in a statement. “We will evaluate how to grow the league to 28 teams and establish a process and timeline for future expansion.”
The expansion announcement comes as good news for USL side Sacramento Republic, who have checked all the boxes in terms of a stadium plan and investors. St. Louis, San Antonio, Detroit, and San Diego have all been mentioned as expansion candidates as well.
Garber’s expansion plans through up several red flags. With an estimated 15 American born players on each MLS squad, adding eight teams means jobs for another 120 American born soccer players. Are there another 120 American soccer players who are good enough to play in MLS. I doubt it.
Another red flag is whether FIFA will let a league have 28 teams with no relegation or promotion? Could they force MLS to split a league into two sections, an east coast and west coast league with 14 teams in each?
