Kavanaugh, the founder of St. Louis FC, previously said if voters approve public funding in April, the city could have a soccer team playing in 2020 or 2021. Abbott would not comment on a time frame for league expansion, but said he hopes it can be announced soon.

Abbott said it’s still possible SC STL would have to pay an expansion fee up to $200 million. The league has yet to decide the fee for securing future teams, but Abbott previously said the amount could be that much.

The stadium would seat 22,000 and be designed for eventual expansion to 28,000.

The city would own the stadium under SC STL’s proposal, on 24 acres just west of Union Station. The land is currently owned by the state Department of Transportation, but SC STL’s attorneys at Husch Blackwell drafted an agreement giving the city an exclusive two-year option to buy the land.

It’s not clear what other costs the city would incur annually from a stadium, such as operations and maintenance costs, nor what projected revenue would be.

“It’s all part of negotiations,” Crane said. “At the end of the day this is going to have to be something taxpayers would vote for.”