MLS commissioner: League eyeing Las Vegas, San Diego for expansion

MLS commissioner Don Garber cited Las Vegas and San Diego as likely markets for future MLS franchises.

"We do need more teams," Garber told the Associated Press. "The 30th team will come at some point soon. Hopefully, we'd like to get that announced by the end of the year.

"We say we're going to stop at 30, but other major leagues are larger than that. I never say never in Major League Soccer. There are many other markets that are opportunities for us. I think San Diego and Las Vegas are the most like opportunities for 30."

With 29 teams, MLS is likely to announce just one of their two candidates for the 30th slot in 2024.

Las Vegas' MLS bid is led by Aston Villa owners Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris. It is bolstered by strong attendance at local NFL and NHL games but hampered by its climate-driven need for an indoor stadium.

"The landscape of Las Vegas, from a sporting perspective, today is going to be very different from what it looks like in the next five years," Garber said last November in his annual State of the League address. "So much talk going on with what's happening in other leagues and other teams that I sit here and can't tell you what Las Vegas is going to look like years from now."

San Diego's bid, meanwhile, is led by businessman Mohamed Monsour. 

MLS has a strong foothold in Southern California, with the LA Galaxy and LAFC being two of the league's most popular -- and most profitable -- franchises. 

San Diego's women's soccer team, the NWSL's San Diego Wave, set a league attendance record last season, an achievement that bodes well for the city's MLS future. 

However, MLS's history in Southern California isn't all positive. Chivas USA, a founding franchise based in Carson, folded in 2014 after 10 years in the league.