Major Blow To MLS Expansion & New Stadium

A couple days ago, Rob Burkle who had been a major investor behind the expansion bid and the money to build a new stadium pulled out as the lead investor. A source told The Athletic's Sam Stejskal that Burkle cited rising construction costs of the stadium and the pandemic's impact on his businesses when telling commissioner Don Garber he was pulling out. The Athletic reported last month that Sacramento's ownership group never signed nor returned the long-form expansion agreement.

The city will now need a new majority owner who can quickly come in and repair the damage that was done by this news. MLS, meanwhile, must now begin to evaluate all of its options. The Athletic's also mentioned that if the Sacramento expansion bid fell through, MLS would do well to open the process back up. The first two markets mentioned by three sources: Phoenix and Las Vegas. 

Here's another perspective by Field of Schemes