San Diego submits application for MLS expansion franchise

Major League Soccer (MLS) officially has another city seeking an expansion franchise. MLS commissioner Don Garber announced on January 30 that he had accepted a San Diego investor group’s application for a team.

With the National Football League’s (NFL) Chargers relocating to the Los Angeles area and leaving the 166-acre Qualcomm Stadium site vacant, a group called FS Investors has proposed remaking the area into a sports-entertainment district that would include a 30,000-seat stadium for an MLS team and San Diego State’s football program.

The blueprint for the property includes building a stadium of undetermined but smaller seating capacity, tearing down Qualcomm Stadium, creating a park along the San Diego River, and constructing residential and commercial buildings. Backers of the plan said no public money would be required.

If the group’s proposal is approved by the city, the next step would be to win over the MLS.

City officials are determining how long to keep open Qualcomm Stadium, which is far too large for the MLS and the San Diego State University football team. The Aztecs have a lease through the 2018 season, and are negotiating a two-year extension to provide time to find a new home.

Mayor Kevin Faulconer said the city wants to take advantage of an opportunity to remake the 166-acre Qualcomm Stadium property.

More details are expected to be discussed at the Coliseum Summit AMERICAS, April 19-20, 2017 at Las Vegas, Nevada.

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