The 10-team NASL begins its new season Saturday with two expansion franchises in the mix, and the eventual "goal is to reach 18 teams," according to Paul Kennedy of SOCCER AMERICA. The league is planning to expand from 10 to 13 teams in '15 with teams in Jacksonville, Northern Virginia and Oklahoma City. NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson said of possible expansion cities, "We continue to explore a variety of cities across North America. There is a robust group of people interested in owning a club. There is a priority and a focus on teams in the Midwest and West, but that doesn't mean we've excluded candidates in the East as well as in Canada. We have had conversations in all those areas. People are understanding what we are doing, and understanding our model better." Peterson is confident that the league will reach 18 teams within the "next two or three years." One of this season's expansion teams, Indy Eleven, "will sell out Saturday's opener and could sell out every game at 11,000-seat Carroll Stadium." The other expansion team, Ottawa Fury, will play at the 24,000-seat TD Place Stadium, which "will open for the fall season." Their success "speaks well for NASL expansion in the cities that have gotten off the ground." Peterson said that Indy Eleven "deserves credit for its work in community outreach that has translated into the sale of 7,000 season tickets" (SOCCERAMERICA.com, 4/8).
