Nashville glittered on the global stage when it simultaneously hosted CMA Fest and the Stanley Cup Final last month.

And as the calendar flipped, the hordes packing Broadway in Predators gold have switched to red, white and blue for a Fourth of July celebration and now major soccer matches, including one between the U.S. men's national team and Panama.

More than 40,000 people are expected to attend Saturday's CONCACAF Gold Cup games, but perhaps none more important than Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber.

Nashville is vying against 11 other locales for one of the league's four pending expansion franchises. And a good showing on Saturday could help that effort.

"I don't think (the Gold Cup) pushes us over the edge or disqualifies us unto itself, but it certainly is a factor in changing the perception of whether Nashville can support a team," said Butch Spyridon, president and CEO of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. "What's the fan base like? How do we perform as an MLS city? So they're looking at us and looking at ticket sales.

"I think it's more than a little important, but it's probably not a deal-killer. But I think it's incumbent upon Nashville to make a really good showing."

Local investors working to bring an MLS team to Music City circled Saturday's date in December, the moment Nashville was named one of 14 host cities for the Gold Cup tournament, the first FIFA-sanctioned event in Nashville history.

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Although building a soccer stadium remains the most important box to check, this is their chance to show MLS what they're convinced is a budding soccer market and a rapidly growing city gaining a reputation as a premier destination for big events.

Nashville's MLS boosters eye record soccer attendance for Tennessee

Leaders of the Nashville MLS Steering Committee, founded by businessmen John Ingram and Bill Hagerty, are hoping for the largest soccer crowd in Tennessee history.

That distinction currently belongs to a U.S.-Guatemala friendly match that drew 44,835 people in 2015. Last October, 40,287 attended a match between Mexico and New Zealand.

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CONCACAF officials say they've sold more than 35,000 tickets and at this point are ahead of the pace for last year's Mexico match.

Will Alexander, another co-founder of the Nashville steering committee, said Saturday's matches will put Nashville's "soccer culture" on display and provide an opportunity to build on positive attention and strong attendance from past international matches.

He said his group is pleased with ticket sales, that "the opportunity is even greater" with the commissioner in town, and that the committee hopes for a lively atmosphere to show "Nashvillians know soccer and love soccer."

"It's all coming together that this is a great weekend to show that Music City is a soccer city," Alexander said.

"Nashville sells itself so well," he said. "You can tell the story of Nashville. You can have data. You can have quotes from different people who have loved it. But Nashville sells itself the best when somebody sees it firsthand."

Few opportunities to showcase soccer fan base

MLS plans to announce the first two expansion cities in December, choosing from a group that also includes San Antonio, San Diego, Detroit, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Raleigh/Durham, Charlotte, Sacramento, Tampa/St. Petersburg, Phoenix and Indianapolis.

Unlike other cities in contention, Nashville does not have a pro soccer team at any level. That means the city has had fewer opportunities to showcase its soccer fan base, which heightens the importance of Saturday's matches.

Nashville Soccer Club, a new United Soccer League franchise that Ingram recently bought majority stake in, doesn't begin play until 2018. If Nashville lands an MLS expansion team, Nashville SC would become the new MLS club.

“The Gold Cup in Nashville will be an exciting opportunity for fans from all over the Nashville area to show MLS officials that Music City would be the best location for a new major league franchise and that we are ready to welcome the USL in 2018," Mayor Megan Barry said.

Barry said she's certain Garber will come away "impressed with the opportunity that Nashville’s MLS bid represents.”

Green more important than Gold

Ultimately, the fate of Nashville's MLS bid will rest on several factors beyond this week's Gold Cup matches.

Above all, the Ingram-led ownership team and Metro will need to secure a financing plan for a new soccer stadium — a feat that has proven difficult for some other cities on the list.

Voters in St. Louis, for example, this year voted down a public referendum to publicly finance a new soccer stadium, hurting their chances to land a team.

Barry has been in talks with the soccer steering committee about Metro helping to finance a stadium. She joined Ingram and Hagerty in New York earlier this year to meet with MLS officials.

“Since Nashville currently doesn’t have a pro team, the Gold Cup game represents an opportunity for the community and local fans to show their support for the sport," said Brian Straus, a reporter who covers MLS for Sports Illustrated. "It’s just one match, however. So in the end, Ingram’s ability’s to secure the right stadium at the right location is far more important than whatever happens (on Saturday).”

Ingram and Barry's administration have centered on the Metro-owned Fairgrounds Nashville as their preferred site to build a stadium. The mayor's office hopes to have a stadium funding proposal this fall.

► More:Metro exploring two spots at Nashville fairgrounds for MLS stadium

When Nashville launched its MLS expansion push, some considered it a longshot because of its late entry.

But struggles on the stadium front in other markets could give Nashville a boost, just like the expected outpouring of support this weekend, which could rival the crowds that packed Bridgestone Arena and Broadway during the Predators' playoff run.

"Beyond soccer, I think it's a natural progression of just how sports is a destination and sports are part of Nashville's fabric now," said Scott Ramsey, president and CEO of the Nashville Sports Council.

"It's really been ingrained over the years, and I certainly think right now the timing is right for soccer. And certainly with the MLS bid and Commissioner Garber coming to town, it's going to be a great opportunity to showcase our city and hopefully continue to underscore the great destination we are for an expansion bid."

Reach Joey Garrison at 615-259-8236, jgarrison@tennessean.com and on Twitter @joeygarrison. Reach Jason Wolf at jwolf@tennessean.com and follow him on Twitter at @JasonWolf.