MLS Commissioner Don Garber last night noted there is "no timetable" for when the league will decide on its next round of expansion. Appearing on ESPN during its coverage of the MLS All-Star Game, Garber noted there will be "two more teams coming into the league" at some point. Garber: "We've got to get that done. We've got to round this league out. Whether we go beyond that is still something to be seen, but we've got to get to 28. We've got to do it right so we have success like we have here in Atlanta and Minnesota and Los Angeles" ("MLS All-Star Game," ESPN, 8/1). Louisville has been previously mentioned as a possible expansion market for MLS, and USL Louisville City FC President Brad Estes said he and other team execs "aren't concerned about losing a potential opportunity to move into the higher-tier league." Estes: "Anybody that knows anything about MLS knows that there's not just two spots left, that's a farce. There will be more opportunities to get into MLS" (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 8/2).
FRIENDLY COMPETITION: In Raleigh, Luke DeCock notes the city and Charlotte on Tuesday were "both praised" by Garber as expansion candidates. Garber had "nice things to say about Raleigh as a potential expansion market" -- and, since the Panthers "changed hands, Charlotte as well." He said that David Tepper's purchase of the Panthers and his "open interest in bringing an MLS team to a renovated Bank of America Stadium (or its replacement) certainly caught his attention." Garber: "We're intrigued by Charlotte." He added he has "enormous respect" for Tepper. USL club North Carolina FC Owner & Chair Steve Malik, who led Raleigh's MLS expansion bid last summer, said that the "relaxed pace of the next round of expansion is good" for his club. NCFC is "still continuing to bring together the various constituencies needed to proceed with the downtown Raleigh stadium that is, more or less, essential to the expansion bid" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 8/2).
POSITIVE OUTLOOK: MLS officials at the league's BOG meetings in Atlanta were updated on USL club FC Cincinnati's progress toward their debut next year, and MLS Exec VP/Communications Dan Courtemanche said that "many in the room were intrigued" by what was shared. Courtemanche said that FC Cincinnati has "already had two onboarding meetings." He added that compared to previous MLS expansion clubs, FC Cincinnati also "boasts an uncommon institutional knowledge of the inner-workings of MLS that's helped streamline things on the technical side." In Cincinnati, Patrick Brennan notes a "rosy picture" of FC Cincinnati's MLS transition was painted yesterday, and by "all accounts, the plaudits the club received there reflect real, hard-earned progress" (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 8/2).
INCHING CLOSER: In Austin, Kirk Bohls wrote he has "endorsed the embrace of relocation" of the Crew to Austin and considers the possibility of an MLS team an "added amenity to our city, not unlike parks and libraries and playgrounds." Bohls wants the city to "make up your mind Aug. 9," which is when the Austin City Council is expected to vote on the potential McKalla Place MLS Stadium deal (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 8/1).
