Vince Ellis

Detroit Free Press

Major League Soccer could be coming to Detroit.

Quicken Loans founder Dan Gilbert and Platinum Equity founder Tom Gores are joining forces to try to bring an MLS franchise downtown during the next round of league expansion. The Michigan-bred businessmen are seeking investors to partner in the project.

The Michigan State graduates issued a joint statement this afternoon: “Detroit is rising and we know firsthand the power of sports to lift a community and drive a civic renaissance. We are very excited about the prospect of bringing Major League Soccer to Detroit and building an ownership group that represents a cross-section of investors.”

MLS commissioner Don Garber will be in Detroit on Wednesday to discuss their plan and meet with the media.

The plan includes building a soccer stadium at a still-to-be-determined site. A person with knowledge of the situation who is not authorized to speak publicly told the Free Press that the abandoned Wayne County jail site on Gratiot near Greektown is the No. 1 option, although the site remains under county control.

Other possible sites include land near the Detroit riverfront or the Corktown area.

"I've been pushing for a Major League Soccer team to come to Detroit for some time," Mayor Mike Duggan said in a released statement. "The fact that our citywide elementary school soccer league has grown from 600 players last year to more than 900 players this year is an indication of how successful a franchise would be in our city. I look forward to working with anyone who is committed to making the idea of an MLS franchise in Detroit a reality."

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Gores likely would lead the soccer franchise, according to the source. Gilbert likely would lead the procuring of the land, the development of the site and the building of the stadium.

Talks were put in motion in past few months, with Palace Sports & Entertainment vice chairman Arn Tellem leading negotiations with Gilbert and his representatives. Garber, meanwhile, said earlier this month that Detroit is on the list of preferred places for expansion. MLS has 20 franchises but wants to get to 28.

Atlanta and Minnesota are getting squads in 2017. Los Angeles and Miami are expecting to get teams in 2018, Garber says (L.A. already has the Galaxy, which has won five MLS titles). And Sacramento is likely for 2020. That leaves three more spots.

Recent teams have paid $100 million expansion fee to join the league.

“I’ve always believed a sports franchise is a community asset with the power to unite and inspire people,” Gores said in the released statement. “I’m excited to partner with Dan and help in Detroit’s resurgence. Together we have all the tools we need to make a new team successful.”

Added Gilbert: “Soccer is one of the fastest-growing sports in the world with a passionate fan base and global reach. Bringing a team downtown will also further energize Detroit’s urban core, which is critical to the entire city’s overall health and vibrancy.”

Earlier today, Gilbert and Gores fanned rumors on Twitter. Gilbert is a Detroit native, while Gores was raised in Genesee.

Gilbert mentioned how he and Gores can be "rooting for the same team" again after Gilbert's Cleveland Cavaliers ousted Gores' Detroit Pistons from the NBA playoffs over the weekend.

Gores responded that they'll "kick around" some ideas.

Already on the soccer landscape in town are Detroit City FC, a semi-pro team in the National Premier Soccer League that draws standing-room only crowds on summer weekends, and the Michigan Bucks, a Premier Development League team.

Detroit City FC released a statement in light of today's news. It reads, in part: "As stewards of the local soccer community, our ownership group will continue to do all that we can to ensure professional soccer in Detroit stays true to the model that the supporters and fans of Detroit City FC have come to expect."

The MLS regular season runs from March to October. The league was founded in 1993 and has TV contracts with ESPN, Fox Sports and Univision.

Detroit’s soccer history includes failed ventures where either the franchise or the league folded. One prominent team, the Detroit Express of the now-defunct North American Soccer League, moved to Washington D.C. in 1981 and folded shortly thereafter.

In 2003, Dan Duggan, owner and chairman of the Michigan Bucks, was part of a group that launched a campaign to bring MLS to metro Detroit. The efforts failed, in part, because no investor stepped forward to build a soccer-specific outdoor stadium in the 25,000-seat range. That was when the franchise fee was less than $10 million.

John Gallagher and Carlos Monarrez contributed to this report.

Contact Vince Ellis at vellis@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @vincent_ellis56.