Montreal confirmed as 19th MLS franchise 10/05/2010 |
|
| |
| |
Major League Soccer (MLS) has ended months of speculation by confirming that Montreal will be the home of the league’s 19th franchise from 2012.
MLS commissioner Don Garber and expansion franchise owner Joey Saputo announced that the Canadian team will play in a renovated Saputo Stadium on the grounds of Montreal’s Olympic Park.
The Press Association reports that the venue will undergo a $25m transformation to become a 20,000-seat “soccer-specific” stadium, but there are also plans for the new team to play a number of games at the city’s Olympic Stadium.
Montreal will become Canada’s third MLS representative, with Toronto FC having entered the league in 2007 and the Vancouver Whitecaps due to join in 2011.
“We are proud to welcome Montreal, the second largest French-speaking city in the world and a multicultural metropolis whose residents are deeply passionate about the world’s game, to Major League Soccer,” said Garber.
The expansion franchise will be a reincarnation of the Montreal Impact, which currently plays at the 13,000-capacity Saputo Stadium in the tier below the MLS.
Impact president Saputo added: “After 17 history-making years, our team and sport have reached a new summit today. Our team has evolved and our sport is now major.
“As a Montrealer, I am extremely proud of the acquisition of an MLS team. This is what Montreal deserved: a great league within a great city.”
With the addition of Montreal, Vancouver and Portland during the next two years, MLS has grown from 10 clubs in 2004 to a 19-team league in 2012.
|
| Back |
| |
| |
|
|
 |
Advertisement
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
