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San Antonio wants a piece of the MLS pie. The city and county government have officially announced a plan to buy Toyota Field, home of the NASL San Antonio Scorpions, from Scorpions owner Gordon Hartman and award a 20-year lease to Spurs Sports & Entertainment, which owns the NBA's San Antonio Spurs. The explicit goal of the deal is to draw MLS soccer to the River City.
"San Antonio is serious about its pursuit of Major League Soccer and this deal takes us a step closer to bringing it here," San Antonio Mayor Ivy R. Taylor said in a statement. "Fans may have to wait a few more years, but soccer has an international appeal and is a perfect fit for our city's global outlook and economic strategy."
Toyota Field, which opened in 2013 and currently seats 8,000, is in line for a major expansion that will add amenities and bump the capacity up to more than 18,000. A statement released by the league indicates San Antonio will test the long held perception that MLS wants to stick with 24 clubs. Twenty clubs are currently in play, and Atlanta, Los Angeles, Minnesota, and Miami are on deck to fill out the league in the next few years
"San Antonio city and Bexar county officials announced today that they have reached an agreement to purchase Toyota Field and are interested in partnering with Spurs Sports & Entertainment to bring Major League Soccer to San Antonio in the future. We sincerely appreciate this strong demonstration of interest in MLS. As we announced in March, MLS has not yet determined the timing and process for expansion beyond 24 clubs, but look forward to learning more about this project once our future expansion plans are finalized."
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