Report: Minnesota United will be MLS club No. 23

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Minnesota United, which currently competes in the North American Soccer League, is expected to be granted an MLS expansion franchise, according to multiple sources. An announcement should come in the coming weeks, perhaps considerably sooner than the 45-day timeline referenced last weekend by commissioner Don Garber.

Speculation has been increasing in recent months that United had taken the lead over the Minnesota Vikings in the race to bring MLS to the Twin Cities. In October, SI.com reported that Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor and Twins owner Jim Pohlad joined United owner Dr. Bill McGuire’s investor group.
A month later, the group welcomed Dr. Glen Nelson, a member of the family that runs hotel and hospitality giant Carlson.

And at a recent event for United supporters, McGuire told fans, “We have saved you from having to worry about your team playing on a plastic pitch … You will be very excited about the news you hear shortly."

On Thursday, Minnesota soccer website Northern Pitch reported that, “MLS has provided written support for United’s efforts in building a stadium in downtown Minneapolis.” It’s now understood that the “written support” was a signed Letter of Intent from the league confirming that United is the choice for team No. 23, assuming construction of that stadium is confirmed. The club already has an option in place to acquire a piece of downtown property adjacent to the Minneapolis Farmers Market, just a couple blocks from Target Field.

MLS sources told SI.com Friday that United is the choice. Neither United nor the Vikings would comment. The league office sent SI.com a statement saying, “We remain on track to announce the next MLS expansion market in the next 30-45 days. No specific date for an expansion announcement has been set.”

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With Atlanta, Los Angeles and now reportedly Minneapolis set to join the league, only a single expansion place remains as MLS aims to feature 24 teams by its 2020 season.

Straus goes on to speculate that Sacramento Republic would likely join United in the not-so-distant future, nabbing expansion place No. 24, if not for David Beckham’s ongoing quest to bring a team to Miami.

MLS’s deal with Beckham stands, so he’ll be given every opportunity to secure a stadium before the league makes its decision.

United always seemed the more likely — and wiser — choice of the two Twin Cities bids, as they’ll eventually play in their own stadium, while the Vikings bid was built around the NFL team’s $1-billion, 65,000-seat domed stadium which is currently under construction.

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