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San Antonio FC Has Big Season, Sets Sights on Future

San Antonio FC

The inaugural season of San Antonio FC was certainly a success, providing a major boost to the city’s current, and possibly future, soccer climate.

The USL saw several successful launches in 2016, and San Antonio FC was certainly among that mix. The team averaged 6,170 fans per game, providing a total attendance of more than 92,000 fans. With that season San Antonio FC established itself as a quick success in the USL, as its contributions helped the league to increase total attendance by 33% from 2015.

San Antonio FC is certainly well positioned to be a continued success in the USL. Yet it seems that San Antonio is still very much a player in MLS expansion talks, as the market combined with a proposed expansion of Toyota Field could be key pieces of an intriguing bid package.

According to team managing director Tim Holt, San Antonio FC–and its owner, Spurs Sports & Entertainment–are keeping their MLS prospects in mind. More from the San Antonio News Express:

Holt, who previously was president of Major League Soccer’s Orlando City SC and president of the USL, said the team has a “90 percent” retention in season-ticket holders and has added “several hundred” new season-ticket holders. When Spurs Sports and Entertainment, the parent company of San Antonio FC, was awarded a USL franchise in December 2015, its intention was to bring a MLS franchise to the Alamo City within the next six years. Holt said the club has been in consistent dialogue with MLS, which is expected to expand to 28 teams by the next decade, about stadium expansion and development plans. “If we’re going to make a compelling case to Major League Soccer that San Antonio is a MLS market, then we need to be able to put our best foot forward,” Holt said.

San Antonio FC is certainly among the USL franchises that is providing a boost to its city’s MLS expansion chances. Sacramento and Cincinnati are also viewed as top-tier contenders, while MLS talks have also come up in current USL cities such as Charlotte, Oklahoma City, and Louisville.

RELATED STORIES: New for 2016: San Antonio FCHartman, San Antonio disagree on Toyota Field valuation; San Antonio mayor: We’re still working toward MLS; Hartman, San Antonio Scorpions target MLS expansion;

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