MLS expansion side St. Louis City SC unveiled

Welcome St. Louis City SC to MLS.

There is nothing MLS commissioner Don Garber likes more than giving any sports-crazy city a new team, and St. Louis became the 30th such city to receive a new soccer franchise. St. Louis City SC, which will begin play during the 2023 season, announced their arrival on the MLS scene this morning.

The MLS unveiled their 30th club’s crest and colors earlier today, and their crest is clearly paying homage to the city’s famous Gateway Arch. Their colors are reminiscent of the St. Louis’ Cardinals given the red and navy blue.

https://twitter.com/MLS/status/1293943439764135936

St. Louis City will become the 30th team in MLS.

MLS is moving towards the traditional number of teams in an American professional sports league with 30. With Inter Miami and Nashville SC joining the fray this season, Austin FC will join the league next season in 2021. Charlotte FC will follow them the year after, while Sacramento Republic FC will make the jump from the USL to the MLS in 2023 when St. Louis arrives.

The team will play in a 22,500 seat soccer-only stadium that will serve as the epicenter of a 31-acre project that will include the team’s offices and training grounds.

Adding a new team always comes with a ton of risk. If they are properly funded and cared for, like NYCFC, LAFC, and Atlanta United, they can bring in elite players from all over the globe and compete in nearly every season. If they fail to lure in those players, like FC Cincinnati and Orlando City, getting to the postseason might be increasingly difficult.

The league is still growing, but the increased expansion and greater number of quality European players making the trip across the Atlantic shows that this league is every bit as viable as any non-European or South American league. If St. Louis supports this club like they do the Cardinals, and the owners are willing to spend money, MLS might have another cash cow on their hands.