Minnesota United FC was officially confirmed as the next Major League Soccer expansion team on Wednesday.
Minnesota United, which has competed in the second-tier North American Soccer League since 2010, will make its MLS debut starting with the 2018 season.
Coupled with already-announced expansion plans for Atlanta and the re-creation of the team formerly known as Chivas USA in Los Angeles, Minnesota United will be the 23rd franchise in MLS.
"We have a plan here that we believe in," MLS Commissioner Don Garber said during a news conference at Target Field. "A plan that we believe will take the sport to a higher level."
Garber said the team ownership is still being finalized, but it will include Minnesota United FC owner Bill McGuire, Minnesota Twins owner Jim Pohlad and his brother Robert, Wendy Carlson Nelson and Minnesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor.
ADVERTISEMENT
United FC's bid beat out competition from the Minnesota Vikings and groups from Sacramento, Calif., and Las Vegas. Those groups met with league leaders in New York in November and continued to make their cases into the spring.
"Today is the culmination of a journey that began a number of years ago," Garber said.
The Vikings group wanted to rights to an expansion team to play inside the new Minneapolis football stadium being built.
MLS grew to 20 clubs this season with Orlando City and New York City FC both joining the league.
Miami is in line to become the 24th MLS franchise but the Florida team is in doubt as the would-be owners have been unable to secure a stadium deal.
Until recently, MLS had said it would stop expanding for the foreseeable future once it reached 24 teams. But last week the league said that over the course of 2015 it will evaluate further expansion beyond 24 clubs.
