Music to their ears: Nashville awarded 24th MLS expansion team
Soccer in Nashville, Tenn. will be sung to a top-division tune as MLS commissioner Don Garber announced Wednesday the league is bringing its 24th franchise to Music City.
Music City will be an MLS city.
— Major League Soccer (@MLS) December 20, 2017
Major League Soccer awards an expansion club to Nashville. pic.twitter.com/rJ4s5G0YnX
Led by an investment group consisting of Ingram Industries Inc. chairman John R. Ingram, Minnesota Vikings owners Mark, Zygi, and Leonard Wilf, and the Turner Family, the team will play in a new 27,500-seat stadium built at The Fairgrounds Nashville.
"Nashville is a rising city with a passionate soccer fan base, a dedicated ownership group, and civic leaders that truly believe in this sport," Garber said in the announcement. "Nashville continues its ascent as one of America's most dynamic communities, with its incredible energy and creativity. For us, that makes it a perfect place for MLS expansion."
MLS selected Nashville out of 12 candidates, which was whittled down to four at the start of the month. The league is expected to select a second team from that four to complete this latest round of expansion. While the two teams were originally slated to begin in 2020, the league hasn't confirmed Nashville's start date.
Los Angeles FC is set to kick off in 2018, the latest expansion franchise in the league's rapidly-growing canvas of outfits; MLS recently added Atlanta United and Minnesota United in 2017, with the former enjoying wild success and the latter starting off slowly but picking up steam through the year.
Nashville will hope to replicate the successes of its southeastern peers in Atlanta and Orlando City, who boast tremendous attendance and support; Garber pointed to a turnout of more than 47,000 in Nashville during a U.S. men's national team match against Panama as a clear sign of interest in the sport.
Furthermore, a state-record 56,232 fans were in attendance for a friendly between Manchester City and Tottenham at Nissan Stadium in July.
Ingram said it was a "landmark day for Nashville and for all of the loyal and ardent soccer advocates" in the state, while mayor Megan Barry added that the franchise is "another cap for Nashville and will only add to the growing economic environment in Tennessee."