Louisville City FC execs in Atlanta in conjunction with MLS All-Star week

Justin Sayers | Courier Journal

The Major League Soccer All-Star Game is Wednesday night, and while some cities traditionally use the festivities to pitch their expansion candidacy, Louisville won't be among them.

Louisville City FC president Brad Estes told the Courier Journal that he was in Atlanta this week with chairman John Neace, and co-owner Mike Mountjoy for the mid-year United Soccer League meetings. The meetings are scheduled annually to coincide with MLS' All-Star festivities.

Estes said from the airport Wednesday they were invited to the All-Star game but turned down the opportunity because "we're pretty busy and need to get home." European club Juventus will take on a group of MLS All-Stars Wednesday at Mercedez-Benz Stadium.

In the past, MLS commissioner Don Garber has used the game to invite prospective franchises, and used the week to release information about the league's expected growth. MLS is growing from 22 teams in 2017 to 28 within the coming years.

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That was certainly the case last year, when Garber spoke highly of Cincinnati and Nashville, who were later awarded expansion slots. And it appears to be the case this year, as well, with spots 27 and 28 still up for grabs.

According to NBC Sports, Garber told the media Monday that a number of expansion hopefuls would be attending the All-Star game. He named three: Phoenix, San Diego and Sacramento.

Garber was then specifically asked about St. Louis' prospects, according to ESPN. He refused to count St. Louis, or any other city, out of the running for expansion.

Estes said Wednesday that Louisville City FC's previously expressed position on MLS is unchanged.

"Our goal is to have the best team in the USL, get the stadium built, continue to have the best fan base, and then after we get those things accomplished, if moving to MLS makes sense, then we'll take a look at it," he said.

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He added that they aren't concerned about losing a potential opportunity to move to the higher-tier league.

"Anybody that knows anything about MLS knows that there's not just two spots left, that's a farce," he said. "There will be more opportunities to get into MLS."

During the USL meetings, Estes said they spoke about league expansion. He also said they discussed potential conference realignment, including potentially moving MLS-affiliated teams down to the newly created USL D3.

Above all, he said it was a chance to network, and discuss things like revenue and attendance numbers.

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"You get to meet executives from all other clubs who can give you advice," Estes said. "It's a worthwhile time."

One of the reasons they have to head home is to finish its search for a new head coach, which some team officials said Monday will likely happen by the end of the week.

Estes declined to say if they are in contract negotiations or to provide a timeline on when a deal will be reached, only repeatedly saying they're close.

"We're not done yet," he said. "But we're getting pretty close."

Justin Sayers: 502-582-4252; jsayers@courierjournal.com; Twitter: @_JustinSayers. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/justins.