Wait for MLS expansion news drags on in Cincinnati, Detroit, Sacramento

All quiet on the Major League Soccer expansion front.

That's to say there's no new news for Futbol Club Cincinnati as rumors continue to swirl about if and when the club will be admitted to America's top tier soccer league.

The MLS expansion process, which was originally expected to produce two new teams by the end of 2017, dragged into the second week of 2018 with only one city – Nashville – confirmed for expansion. As of Monday, organizations in Cincinnati, Sacramento and Detroit were still seeking resolutions to their respective expansion bids.

More: When will MLS announce its second expansion team?

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MLS spokesman Dan Courtemanche told The Enquirer Monday via email, "We do not have an update at this time" regarding possible expansion announcements this week.

That's not to say FC Cincinnati isn't keeping busy, but the question regarding the team's MLS candidacy is the topic on the tip of the fan base's collective tongue.

That's likely to remain the case until this ongoing round of expansion runs its course.

In the interim, FC Cincinnati has met and exceeded its stated goal of locking in 15,000 season ticket packages for the 2018 season.

Cincinnati's also been busy signing and unveiling new players that appear to be setting the club up for a title chase in 2018.

The club last week unveiled multiple players. One of those players – the sought-after Argentine forward Emmanuel Ledesma – could be one of the best players in the young history of FC Cincinnati.

More: Sports Illustrated predicts FC Cincinnati to MLS

Nashville was awarded an expansion bid on Dec. 20. The league then revealed the next day that a second franchise wouldn't be announced until 2018.

“We had hoped to be able to finalize both teams at the same time before the holidays," MLS Commissioner Don Garber told The Enquirer. "We were unable to do that, but we’re confident that we’ll be able to finalize the second team shortly… Without doubt, it will be announced before the start of the MLS season in March.”