City, county officials announce plan to bring Major League Soccer to San Antonio

An aerial view shows what the proposed Toyota Field expansion would look like. The plan includes, among other features, a façade common at soccer venues in Europe. An aerial view shows what the proposed Toyota Field expansion would look like. The plan includes, among other features, a façade common at soccer venues in Europe. Photo: Courtesy Photo / San Antonio Scorpions Photo: Courtesy Photo / San Antonio Scorpions Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close City, county officials announce plan to bring Major League Soccer to San Antonio 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

SAN ANTONIO — City and county officials announced Wednesday that they've reached a deal to purchase Toyota Field from Gordon Hartman and have realized a pathway with Spurs Sports & Entertainment to bring Major League Soccer to the Alamo City.

Subject to approval by the Bexar County Commissioners Court and the City Council next week, the two entities will purchase the soccer stadium from Hartman for $18 million, split equally among the two. Spurs Sports & Entertainment will also pay Hartman $3 million. The city and county will jointly own the facility, which will be leased to Spurs Sports & Entertainment for 20 years.

The Spurs ownership has 13 years to win an expansion team from MLS. If the group is unsuccessful, it will pay a $5 million fee to the city and county.

Mayor Ivy Taylor and County Judge Nelson Wolff both said Wednesday at a hastily called press conference that for the first time, San Antonio has a clear and firm pathway to landing an MLS team here.

jbaugh@express-news.net

Twitter: @jbaugh