Minnesota United might be our next MLS expansion team

A new report has Major League Soccer set to accept an expansion bid from Minnesota's NASL club.

As we go through the early stretches of a new Major League Soccer season that includes two expansion franchises in Orlando City SC and New York City FC, the league's eye for expansion is still looking ahead, and a report from Sports Illustrated's Brian Straus makes it look as though the next expansion side has been picked.

According to Straus, current NASL club Minnesota United is set to be announced as the next MLS franchise in the coming weeks, coming soon off the heels of a recent announcement from league commissioner Don Garber that we'd hear of a new franchise in the next 45 days. Some had expected that league's 23rd franchise would be in Sacramento, but Straus indicates that MLS has signed a letter of intent naming Minnesota United as the next franchise to be awarded.

United's MLS bid was reportedly backed financially by both the Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Timberwolves, and was apparently selected over an effort from the Minnesota Vikings, who wanted to include an MLS franchise as part of their new stadium plans. It's likely that the planned permanent dome structure to that stadium was a factor in the league's decision to go with Minnesota United's bid.

It's not yet known when United will begin playing in MLS, but Straus' report indicated that they could join MLS in 2018 if they can start building a new stadium soon, which the league's letter of intent should help with. MLS has two other expansion franchises in the pipeline, with Atlanta looking set to start playing in 2017, and a new Los Angeles franchise is still seeking a stadium location and might not be able to start playing until 2018.

Garber has a stated goal of having 24 teams in MLS by the start of the 2020 season, which leaves one slot open. Now it looks like a race between David Beckham's hopeful Miami franchise and the Sacramento Republic to see who gets that final expansion franchise.

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