There are "no plans for an announcement" about MLS expansion prior to the season's start this weekend, and with Sacramento still looking for a new investor and Cincinnati involved in a public dialogue over its preferred stadium site, it "appears this marathon still has a few miles to go," according to Brian Straus of SI.com. MLS Deputy Commissioner Mark Abbott said, “Although we haven’t finalized any deals and all of the finalist markets remain under consideration, we’ve made the most progress in Cincinnati.” He added, “We don’t have, and don’t need to have, a fixed deadline, and we will wait until all of the necessary elements are in place before selecting the next club. Whether the announcement is in a few weeks or a couple months is dependent on finalizing the details, but I don’t anticipate that it will be an extended period of time.” Abbott said that there was "no handshake deal with FC Cincinnati in place that might allow the club to lobby for the West End site with maximum leverage." FC Cincinnati already has "several advantages in the expansion race." It has the "billionaire owner Sacramento needs and the commitment to build a new stadium still absent in Detroit." Even if FC Cincinnati "doesn’t secure the ideal site, it’s still the furthest along among the three finalists." But that "doesn’t mean Sacramento has given up." Sources confirmed that Sacramento FC lead investor Kevin Nagle has "received expressions of interest from several potential partners." Nagles has said that he is "willing to step aside as the lead investor in order to make MLS happen" (SI.com, 2/23).
