Seattle the next city to get an MLS team?

According to Jonah Freedman of CNNSI and Soccer By Ives, Seattle is the next city to get a new MLS franchise. Seattle is already home to the Sounders of the United Soccer Leagues First Division and the MLS team will keep its name. The new Sounders will begin play for the 2009 season.

MLS' goal is to expand to 16 franchises by the 2010 season. The league currently has 13 teams and announced in July that it would add San Jose, Calif., as its 14th franchise for '08.

Seattle had been at the forefront of as many as eight candidate cities for further expansion. Portland, Ore., was also a consideration for a new club in the Pacific Northwest.

The new Seattle franchise would bring the number of teams in the MLS Western Conference to eight. If the league wants to balance its schedule, it must now add an Eastern Conference team. St. Louis and Philadelphia are said to be the frontrunners.

New/Old MLS Team in 2008

According to CNNSI's Jonah Freedman, Major League Soccer is close to making its return to the Bay Area in time for the 2008 season. The league is negotiating a deal to allow Oakland A's owner Lew Wolff to operate an MLS franchise sooner than anyone expected, even without a new stadium deal in place.

Wolff's previous agreement with the league stipulated that he complete a deal for a soccer-specific stadium before MLS would allow him to exercise his option for an expansion team. But the league is eager for a 14th team to begin playing as soon as possible to balance the uneven schedule, the source said, and Wolff's team is the furthest along of the handful of possible expansion projects nationwide.

SFUSA's Take: MLS needs a team back in San Jose, but I would want to make sure that a stadium is on it's way before giving them a new team. It's just asking for the same problems that Anschutz Entertainment Group had. I'm sure MLS can wait another season before evening out the schedule to make sure the team has the chance to succeed in the long term.

Players to watch in MLS' 2007 season!

Take a look at the players CNNSI says we should keep an eye on in 2007.

Where are they now?

On a slow soccer news day you should take a look at where the stars of the last world cup are today. (source: CNNSI)

Catching up with World Cup Stars