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Major League Soccer announced Friday that the expansion team established for Sacramento, scheduled to begin play in 2023, is now on indefinite hold after Ron Burkle, the proposed team’s principal investor, informed MLS officials that it has “decided not to go ahead with the acquisition of an MLS expansion team” in the city due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. “
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A source with knowledge of the situation cited the rising costs associated with building a stadium at the Downtown Railyards site as the main reason Burkle chose not to go ahead.
“After working for many years to bring an MLS team to Sacramento, the League continues to believe that it can be a great MLS market,” MLS said in a statement. “In the coming days, the League will work with Mayor Darrell Steinberg to evaluate possible next steps for MLS in Sacramento.”
MLS announced the team in Sacramento to much fanfare in October 2019. But earlier this year questions began to emerge about whether Burkle would go ahead with the project after The Athletic reported that Burkle’s group had failed to make an initial payment of the expansion fee. That news turned out to be an omen, as Burkle informed MLS late Friday that he was pulling out of the deal.
“I want to thank Mayor Steinberg for his continued efforts to bring MLS to Sacramento,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. “His commitment to the city and dedication to his passionate soccer fans should make every citizen of Sacramento proud.” The interest in owning a club in Major League Soccer has never been greater. And I remain incredibly optimistic about the completion of the expansion plans for our 30th team. “
The announcement amounts to a major setback, and possibly a death sentence, for Sacramento’s hopes of expansion. While the Sacramento Republic side of the USL Championships remains well supported, finding a property with big enough pockets has been a struggle. In late 2017, Sacramento was thought to be one of the pioneers in the expansion race, but ended up losing to Nashville and Cincinnati, when Meg Whitman chose not to invest in Sacramento’s expansion effort.
Burkle was thought to be Sacramento’s top investor, but now, despite a stadium being chosen, Sacramento’s future as the home of an MLS team is in serious doubt.
Source: espn.co.uk
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