MLS Commissioner Don Garber, left, and Charlotte MLS owner David Tepper announce that Major League Soccer is coming to Charlotte in 2021 at an event in Charlotte, North Carolina on Tuesday, December 17, 2019.
Nell Redmond | AP
Major League Soccer is back, but incoming cities will have to wait longer for new teams to arrive due to Covid-19.
The MLS announced Friday that it would delay the start of three of its four expansion franchises in St. Louis, Sacramento and Charlotte, which was recently purchased by Panthers owner David Tepper.
Originally slated to arrive in 2021, the Tepper franchise will now debut in 2022, while the clubs in St. Louis and Sacramento Republic FC will begin playing in the 2023 season, a year after both clubs are expected to enter. The Austin FC franchise for the MLS will still begin in 2021, the league said.
The decisions were approved by MLS Commissioner Don Garber, who said in a statement that the delays would help clubs “make up for what has been a challenging 2020” due to Covid-19 closings in all sports.
“These teams will be well positioned for their debuts and for long-term success,” he said in the statement. “It is important that each club take the time to launch their inaugural MLS seasons in the way that their fans and communities deserve.”
In December, Tepper paid a record $ 325 million fee to own an MLS club. Buying from the MLS also allows new owners to participate in Sum United Marketing, which oversees all MLS business rights.
SUM also controls the entities’ sponsorship, transmission, digital products and consumer rights and manages the promotion of the Mexican Soccer Federation contests and the CONCACAF Gold Cup games in the United States.
In 2019, both the Sacramento team and the St. Louis club, led by Carolyn Kindle Betz, president of the Enterprise Holdings Foundation, paid a $ 200 million entry fee to join the MLS.
Garber also told CNBC’s “Closing Bell” last week that MLS was close to allowing private equity financing that “it could be invested with our local teams.”
Garber said the plan could help MLS recover from a potential $ 1 billion loss due to Covid-19.
“Not having game day income has been really shocking for us,” he said. “We will get through it, but surely he has had challenges.”
Celebrating its 25th anniversary, MLS returned to play on July 8 with its “MLS is Back Tournament” after suspending operations due to the March 12 pandemic.
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