NEW YORK • The bid for a Major League Soccer team in St. Louis enters a new stage Thursday, as team owners gather here to discuss, among other things, competing proposals to win two coveted expansion franchises.

No decision is expected at this meeting. League Commissioner Don Garber said recently that the process of expanding the 26-team league to 28 could take as long as another year.

But these are key weeks to come.

“There are a lot of people still in the running,” said ESPN analyst and former league star Taylor Twellman, who grew up in St. Louis and has close relationships with owners and league staff.

League executives and partners, including Twellman, call St. Louis’ ownership group a front-runner. The league says it judges bids based on three criteria:

• The financial capacity of the ownership group and its passion for soccer.

• The worthiness of the stadium.

• The support of the local market.

Insiders often say the St. Louis proposal — from World Wide Technology chief executive Jim Kavanaugh and Enterprise Holdings’ Taylor family — has those criteria handled.