Sources: Sacramento Will Be Awarded With 29th MLS Club

An MLS team would play in a proposed 20,000-plus seat stadium in downtown Sacramento Photo: HNTB An MLS team would play in a proposed 20,000-plus seat stadium in downtown Sacramento Photo: HNTB An MLS team would play in a proposed 20,000-plus seat stadium in downtown Sacramento Photo: HNTB

Sacramento representatives and soccer officials have "agreed to the framework of a deal that would bring" an MLS club to the city in '22, and the two sides are now "sewing up final details," according to sources cited in a front-page piece by Bizjak & Breton of the SACRAMENTO BEE. USL club Sacramento Republic FC said that the two sides are "working tirelessly on a deal." Two weeks ago, Republic President Ben Gumpert said that the process is "nearing the end line." If the deal is finalized, Sacramento would be the 29th team to join the league, "following quickly in the footsteps of St. Louis." Penguins co-Owner Ron Burkle, investor Matt Alvarez and Republic Chair & CEO Kevin Nagle "head an ownership group that is proposing to replace" the Republic team with an MLS franchise. The new team "would also be called Republic FC, and would play in a 20,000-plus seat stadium to be built by team investors in the downtown Sacramento railyard" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 9/7). NBCSPORTS.com's Joel Soria wrote Sacramento's "legitimacy has taken a much-needed boost." The ownership group is "required to commit to lavish financial undertakings, with the expansion fee" recently being bumped up to $200M (NBCSPORTS.com, 9/8).