Music City adds soccer chants with Nashville team

NEW YORK— Major League Soccer plans to announce Wednesday that Nashville will be awarded an expansion team, a person with direct knowledge said.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity Tuesday because a public announcement was not authorized.

The league called a news conference for Wednesday for an announcement on the “future of soccer in Nashville” and said MLS commissioner Don Garber will attend along with Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, Nashville Mayor Megan Barry and John R. Ingram, head of the group bidding for a Nashville team.

Nashville and Sacramento, Calif., were viewed as the favourites for the league’s 25th and 26th teams, with Cincinnati and Detroit the other finalists. A decision on the second area is expected within a few weeks.

Nashville’s group includes Ingram, the chairman of Ingram Industries Inc., and the Wilf family, owner of the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings.

The Metro Nashville City Council on Nov. 7 approved $225 million (U.S.) in revenue bonds to construct a 27,500-seat soccer stadium and another $50 million in bonds for renovations and improvements around the site at the current fairgrounds.

“People all across our city, from elected officials to business and civic leaders, soccer fans and the public, have joined together in support of this bid,” Ingram said after presenting the bid to the league’s expansion committee on Dec. 6. “We believe MLS and Nashville are a perfect match and are ready to prove that Music City is Soccer City.”

Nashville has been hosting soccer at the Tennessee Titans’ Nissan Stadium in recent years; a crowd of 56,232 attended a pre-season exhibition on July 29 between Manchester City and Tottenham.