A San Antonio MLS expansion bid may be slipping, as efforts to expand Toyota Field for an upgraded San Antonio Scorpions squad seem to have stalled.
The Scorpions currently complete in the NASL, but founder Gordon Hartman has been working on a plan to raise funds for an MLS expansion team and a renovation of Toyota Field to meet MLS specs. But after meetings with potential investors and a promise to have a plan in place last fall, it sounds like a San Antonio MLS expansion bid may not be under consideration as MLS mulls future host cities. Minnesota United FC will be joining MLS as the league’s 23rd in 2018 if a new stadium is built, which leaves a slot for a 24th team. MLS officials seem to be working hard to make Miami that 24th team, but issues with a new stadium and its location keep Sacramento alive as a backup.
With two teams vying for that last spot, a San Antonio MLS expansion bid would hinge on the league looking to expand past 24 — a not unreasonable expectation, given that league officials say it’s a distinct possibility. But for San Antonio, maintaining a spot in that expansion queue means keeping a high public profile. And those in MLS circles say that’s just not happening, per the San Antonio Business Journal:
Roughly 16 months ago, Houston Dynamo President Chris Canetti told me San Antonio had “a lot of the right ingredients for MLS” and warranted strong consideration for an expansion team. But this week, Canetti suggested that San Antonio may have lost some momentum.
“I have not heard much about San Antonio lately,” Canetti said. “There seems to be more chatter about other markets of late.”
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