Sports Illustrated: Nashville in top 3 for next Major League Soccer expansion cities

With Major League Soccer's decision day looming, Nashville's odds still look good.

Earlier this week, Grant Wahl, who covers soccer for Sports Illustrated, wrote that three finalists are in contention for the league's two expansion slots set to be announced next month. And he's not just speculating.

"From talking to several insiders, I’m being told the two expansion teams will likely come from a group of three cities that includes Sacramento, Nashville and Cincinnati," Wahl wrote. 

Metro Council's recent approval of the city's stadium plan helped vault Music City to the top of the pack for MLS expansion, particularly as other cities have failed to finalize and fund stadium proposals. Wahl's report validates that perception, and suggests other markets' plans to expand existing stadiums or, in the case of Detroit, play in an NFL stadium, have not won the league's support.

 

Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber

Michael Nagel | Bloomberg

Although Nashville and fellow frontrunner Sacramento have their stadium plans in place, the owners of FC Cincinnati are still scurrying to finalize their plans, with new updates emerging daily. On Thursday, the team finally selected a site for a soccer stadium, which its owners plan to privately finance after failing to land public financing.