Vince Ellis

Detroit Free Press

Arn Tellem, vice chairman of Palace Sports and Entertainment and the Detroit Pistons, is planning to enjoy himself this weekend.

He plans to get in a little golf. He also is planning to attend Saturday’s International Champions Cup soccer match between Real Madrid and Chelsea in Ann Arbor (3 p.m., ESPN).

But Tellem’s own soccer business is about to ramp up, too.

Tellem told the Free Press today that the joint venture between billionaires Dan Gilbert and Tom Gores to bring Major League Soccer to Detroit is entering into a period of activity.

The group should receive a clarified timetable on its MLS expansion process soon. And Tellem says that the commitment remains to build a soccer stadium at the unfinished Wayne County jail site on Gratiot near Greektown.

“We need to have, under the MLS guidelines, the site in the heart of downtown,” Tellem said. “The successful franchises have all had stadiums in the core of a city, and the most recent developments where teams have built new stadiums, they’ve all been downtown.

“The jail site is, by far, the best site because it’s at the entryway to the city. It’s near all the other developments of the other stadiums. You can walk to Midtown, downtown and be in the heart of the city, and we want people to be able to walk to the game. That’s part of the environment we’re trying to create.”

But Wayne County officials have shown little appetite to give up the land. Construction on the jail has been halted, and it’s not clear whether it will restart.

Tellem said there is an ongoing analysis of the site that should be concluded by early fall.

“Dan’s team has really taken the lead in that, and we’re supporting them,” Tellem said. “It’s a detailed analysis on the viability of having it there and, obviously, cost is a significant part, and also the cost of having the jail someplace else. So I guess it’s a dual analysis.”

MLS has 20 franchises but wants to get to 28. Atlanta and Minnesota are getting teams next year. Los Angeles and Miami are expecting to get teams in 2018. Sacramento is likely for 2020. That leaves three more spots.

Ultimately, there will be a presentation -- or several -- for the Detroit group to secure an expansion team. Tellem expects the presentation process to be outlined soon.

“That’s what we’re sort of on hold waiting for, so we can have that clarity from the MLS about the expansion process,” Tellem said.

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Contact Vince Ellis at vellis@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @vincent_ellis56.