Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson and USL club Sacramento Republic FC “aren’t backing off from their goal" of securing an MLS expansion team, according to Ryan Lillis of the SACRAMENTO BEE. Johnson, speaking a day after MLS said it was in talks with an ownership group from Minneapolis to bring an expansion team to that city, said MLS officials told him “it’s not a matter of if, but when” Sacramento is also awarded a team. Johnson yesterday said that the city “would launch ‘Operation Turn Key,’ an initiative to more fully develop plans for a new soccer stadium in the downtown railyard.” He added that the work would “focus on coming up with a detailed financing plan, explore what infrastructure will be needed near the stadium and look into the necessary environmental reviews.” Lillis notes while Monday’s news that MLS would likely award a team to Minneapolis “dealt a blow to Sacramento’s immediate soccer plans, the league also announced for the first time that it would consider expanding beyond 24 teams” (SACRAMENTO BEE, 3/18).
CALIFORNIA, HERE I COME? ESPN FC’s Jeff Carlisle reported discussions with MLS Deputy Commissioner Mark Abbott have left Republic Lead Investor Kevin Nagle “more optimistic about the club's chances" of joining MLS. Nagle: “Abbott said MLS would immediately start looking at other expansion teams. He said he could not ignore the fact that our bid and our proposal was highly compelling.” Carlisle noted Sacramento “appears to check all the boxes when it comes to an expansion candidate.” Nagle said that the team “has over 9,000 season-ticket holders this season” and its average attendance of 11,293 led the USL. Carlisle notes the team also has “a deep investor group” including Nagle, NBA Kings Managing Partner Vivek Ranadive, and 49ers Owners the York family. With David Beckham's group “struggling to find a suitable stadium location in Miami, Sacramento may well get its shot, though it's unclear just how much time MLS is willing to give Beckham's group to solve that problem.” A source said that MLS is “giving Minnesota United a deadline in the June-July time frame to get its stadium proposal together” (ESPNFC.com, 3/17).
