Garber: Minnesota should be confirmed for 2017 soon

Atlanta United will officially be entering Major League Soccer at the start of the 2017 season. We’ve known this for quite some time. Another team is expected to join them in the same expansion class. Minnesota United have been long rumored to be that second team. While it’s been officially announced that Minnesota will be joining the league, it’s not yet confirmed which year they will be joining.

Most expect it to be in 2017 along with Atlanta, but no official announcement has been given. With the 2016 season already halfway over, questions are beginning to arise.

During a Facebook Q&A for MLS All-Star week, MLS commissioner Don Garber, all but confirmed that 2017 will see Atlanta and Minnesota join the league.

"We will announce soon, likely another team in the Midwest coming in," Garber said. "We just have not been able to get that announcement out, so I’m gonna be careful. But, I think everyone knows who that second team is."

Garber went on to praise Atlanta United, their front office, and the potential huge fan base that will support the team. He also talked about how reaching the Southeast is an important goal for MLS.

"They have 30,000 season ticket deposits. They’re signing players. They bring in Carlos Bocanegra. They brought in a terrific president/general manager, this guy Darren Eales..." He said. "...very exciting, huge fan base. It’s important for us to be in the Southeast. We’ve been waiting for years to get that deal done and here we are."

He touched on many different subjects throughout the video. Watch the full Q&A here.