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San Antonio MLS stadium plan expected later this summer

Toyota Field, San Antonio

San Antonio Scorpions owner Gordon Hartman says he’s in talks with Mexican investors who could help finance a San Antonio MLS stadium, but local politics could impact any amount of city aid for the expansion of Toyota Field.

Right now the NASL’s Scorpions play at the 8,000-capacity Toyota Field, which is is just about right for NASL crowds. But the stadium was designed to be expandable — from the start team owners were looking at creating in the future a San Antonio MLS stadium — and for that Hartman will need investors to put up between $75 million and $100 million and presumably some city help. From the San Antonio Express-News:

To make the MLS jump, the stadium would have to expand to about 18,500 seats, and the city would likely have to pick up at least part of that tab.

“The numbers that the city is working with are considerably lower than any other city has ever had to look at” for a major league stadium, Hartman said.

He plans to unveil a rendering of the expanded stadium in mid-July.

San Antonio isn’t usually mentioned in the same breath as Las Vegas, Minnesota and Miami when it comes to future MLS markets. But with MLS plans in those cities struggling (the lack of a suitable site has stalled Miami’s MLS standing) and nothing certain, it would not be smart to count out San Antonio as a future MLS market.

Image via flickr.com.

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