MLS Announces St. Louis as Expansion Franchise to Begin Play in 2022

Major League Soccer announced Tuesday that St. Louis has been awarded an expansion franchise and will begin playing in the competition in 2022:

Commissioner Don Garber welcomed the new arrival to MLS and said the city has been under consideration for some time, according to Jeff Carlisle at ESPN FC.

"It is with great pride that we welcome St. Louis to Major League Soccer, " he said. "St. Louis is a city with a rich soccer tradition, and it is a market we have considered since the league's inception."

The announcement means St. Louis becomes the first female majority-owned team in the league's history:

St. Louis has long been under consideration by MLS due to its footballing history. The city has produced some American greats, as highlighted by Men In Blazers:

MLS stars such as Will Bruin and Josh Sargent have also emerged from St. Louis youth programs along with Fulham's Tim Ream and Josh Sargent of Werder Bremen.

Enterprise Holdings president Carolyn Kindle Betz, part of the club's ownership group, said the club is working on plans for its stadium but still has details to finalize:

Supporters were offered a glimpse of how the stadium could look in April:

The stadium will be located in the Downtown West district and will be part of a "major development project," according to the official MLS website.

The new ground is expected to have a capacity of 22,500 spectators and will also feature "a translucent canopy that will provide covering for the fans while allowing light to reach the field."

The club will also now need to begin work on other important details such as the name of the team, badge, logos and colors of the franchise.

St. Louis will become the 28th MLS franchise and will follow Inter Miami CF, Nashville SC and Austin FC into the league. MLS announced in April plans to expand to 30 teams.