Major League Soccer pointed toward expansion in Las Vegas over Phoenix, other markets

The Phoenix market is still in the conversation when it comes to Major League Soccer expansion. But the Valley has taken a back seat to Las Vegas, which is regarded as the front runner to become the league's 30th franchise when it decides to add a team, commissioner Don Garber said Tuesday.

Garber, speaking via video conference in his state of the league address to begin the week of the MLS Cup final that is set for Saturday in Portland, brought up Phoenix when asked about further league expansion for the 27-team league.

MLS welcomes its 28th team, Charlotte FC, next season, and 29th team, St. Louis City SC , in 2023. Garber hopes to name a 30th team within the next year, with no timetable for when it starts playing. It will not happen by 2023, he said.

Garber said MLS is making progress with and is excited about Las Vegas, now a more attractive sports franchise destination with the instant success of the Vegas Golden Knights of the NHL and the NFL's Raiders. An announcement about soccer facilities there involving MLS could come in the next few months, a plan that seems much further ahead of where the Phoenix bid stands.

"I want to point out that we're still in discussions with other markets, both Phoenix and San Diego," Garber said. "I think the interest in Major League Soccer continues to grow, the value that investors look at when they're determining how they want to engage with professional soccer or professional sports overall is at an all-time high."

Phoenix Rising FC, which plays in the second division of American soccer in the USL Championship, confirmed Tuesday that it is still in talks with MLS about expansion, but offered no further comment.

Las Vegas also has a team in the USL Championship, Lights FC.

There was a time, pre-pandemic, when the Phoenix market seemed more of an attractive destination for MLS, with its TV market size, large Latino population and growing youth participation in the sport.

The Valley has hosted several CONCACAF Gold Cup matches, most involving Mexico's national team in front of huge crowds at State Farm Stadium. But Las Vegas has apparently emerged as the favored option as MLS looks to add a team to the Western Conference.

"Really what we need is a great facility. Think about what could happen in Las Vegas," Garber said when asked what Phoenix needs to strengthen its bid. "In Las Vegas you could conceivably see a soccer stadium that looks like a mini version of Allegiant (Stadium, home of the Raiders and this year's sold-out Gold Cup final), or a mini version of your stadium for your football team in Arizona. And in an environment like that, temperature being what it is, that would be what I would say would have to happen in order for Phoenix to be a great first division team in Major League Soccer."

Las Vegas might be ready to commit to that very soon. Phoenix doesn't appear to be at that point.

Garber did offer a tiny glimmer of hope for Phoenix, however.

"If you look at the fact that every other top major league in our country is 30 or 32 teams, that in many ways is driven by conference setup. But it's also driven in many ways by the geography of our country and dilution from a player pool and dilution of large national revenue distribution," Garber said. "In professional soccer, with all the things that are going on, I'm not sure that 30 teams is the ultimate end goal for for Major League Soccer."

As soccer grows and develops in the U.S. and Canada, there's no reason to think that league growth would completely stop at 30 teams. Garber said, adding that such a scenario would be years and years into the future.

Get in touch with Jose Romero at Jose.Romero@gannett.com. Find him on Twitter at @RomeroJoseM.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Major League Soccer eyeing Las Vegas over Phoenix, other markets