Major League Soccer announced Tuesday that St. Louis has been awarded an expansion franchise. Members of MLS and important figures of the city and the bid participated in an event to announce the league's 28th franchise.
"It is with great pride that we welcome St. Louis to Major League Soccer," Garber said. "St. Louis is a city with a rich soccer tradition, and it is a market we have considered since the league's inception. Our league becomes stronger today with the addition of the city's deeply dedicated soccer fans, and the committed and innovative local ownership group led by Carolyn Kindle Betz, the Taylor family, and Jim Kavanaugh."
Female-majority ownership
St. Louis' club will be the first in MLS history with a female-majority ownership. The owners of the club include Enterprise Holdings Foundation president Carolyn Kindle Betz and six other female members of the Taylor family. Not only is it the first female majority-owned club in the league's history, but it is only one of a handful in professional American sports.
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— Major League Soccer (@MLS) August 20, 2019
When will they join and where will they play?
They will begin play in the 2022 season. In 2021 Austin FC joins, and next season Inter Miami and Nashville SC are joining. The club, which doesn't yet have a name, color scheme or badge, will have a downtown soccer stadium in the western district of the city.
With the addition of St. Louis, 18 clubs have joined MLS since 2005.
When will there be a team name, color scheme and more?
That process begins immediately, but no deadline has been set. The club said it will engage fans and supporters at several points in the process, which is dictated by Major League Soccer.
What's next for MLS expansion?
The league continues to build toward the 30-team target, and sources tell CBS Sports the next in line will almost certainly be Sacramento. A timetable on that is unclear at this time as we've seen in the past some announcements take much longer than others, but things are moving in the right direction for the capital of California to get into MLS.
