MLS 'intrigued' by potential Las Vegas expansion project

Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber has said he is 'intrigued' about the prospect of a Las Vegas expansion franchise in 2023. 

MLS have been on the lookout for their 30th team ever since Sacramento’s bid fell through with San Diego and Phoenix linked as possible destinations. 

However, more recently Las Vegas has emerged as the most likely expansion market. Behind the project are Wes Edens and Nassef Sawiris, who currently co-own Premier League side Aston Villa.

The billionaire pair recently trademarked the name, ‘Las Vegas Villains’ in case their plans being successful. Bill Foley - who owns the Las Vegas Knights - as well as another group of investors are also interested in leading the city’s MLS project.

When asked about the prospect of MLS expanding into Las Vegas, Garber admitted it was an interesting possibility. 

“That market, it continues to explode from a population growth perspective," he said, as quoted by ESPN.

"We've seen the success of certainly the [NHL's Vegas Golden] Knights and big events. We tested a couple of events with the Gold Cup final. The Leagues Cup final will be there. The Gold Cup final sold out in minutes. Las Vegas is an interesting market. We do want to secure our 30th team so that we can have a fully expanded league by the World Cup in 2026, so we'll continue to focus on that market."

Despite his excitement about the possibility of MLS coming to Las Vegas, Garber said there was still a long way to go before the league decided on its 30th member. 

"Wes Edens’ is one of the most respected investors and operators, and clearly a really, really successful sports team owner. I happen to like him a lot personally. We've been intrigued by what a possibility could be with him, but it's way too premature to talk about it anymore than that," he said.