Major League Soccer: Nashville granted latest expansion team

NASHVILLE, TENN. » Major League Commissioner Don Garber says Nashville has been granted the first of two expansion franchises.

Garber made the announcement Wednesday at a news conference with Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam, Nashville Mayor Megan Barry and John R. Ingram, head of the group now bringing an MLS team to Nashville.

Nashville and Sacramento, California, had been viewed as the favorites for the league’s newest teams, with Cincinnati and Detroit the other finalists. A decision on the second area picked is expected within a few weeks. Atlanta United and Minnesota United came on board this year as MLS’ latest expansion teams.

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 in revenue bonds to construct a 27,500-seat soccer stadium and an additional $50 million in bonds for renovations and improvements around the site at the current fairgrounds.

Atlanta United and Minnesota United were the two expansion teams that came on board this year

This announcement brings another league into Tennessee. Nashville has an NFL franchise in the Tennessee Titans, which arrived from Houston in 1997. The Predators began play in 1998 as an NHL expansion franchise and lost to Pittsburgh in this year’s Stanley Cup Final.

Music City has been hosting soccer at the Titans’ Nissan Stadium in recent years and impressed Garber this summer when the U.S. played Panama in its CONCACAF Gold Cup opener. The July 8 game drew 42,622 fans to Nissan Stadium, and 56,232 attended a preseason exhibition on July 29 between Manchester City and Tottenham. A U.S. women’s national team match against France in March 2016 was attended by 25,363.