NEW YORK • Major League Soccer team owners discussed several competing expansion proposals on Thursday and came away with a glowing impression of the St. Louis bid, owners and league officials said.

“You’ve got a great city, a great soccer city,” said Bill McGuire, owner of Minnesota United FC and a member of the league’s expansion committee. “And a great group of owners.”

“It’s a good group,” said Cliff Illig, owner of Sporting Kansas City, which is poised to gain a rival if St. Louis gets picked. “I’m impressed.”

Still, a vote by the owners is a ways off, said owners and league officials who gathered in New York on Thursday for the league’s December meeting. At least a half-dozen cities are competing to win two coveted franchises. League Commissioner Don Garber said recently that picking expansion cities and growing the 26-team league to 28 could take as long as another year.

The league has not publicly described the process yet. Several owners uniformly declined further comment on Thursday.

But details are beginning to come out.