Sacramento seemed fast-tracked for an MLS expansion team from the moment the Sac Republic began play in 2014. Everything from fan support to stadium plans came together quickly. Things were so hot and heavy that MLS Commissioner Don Garber stated in 2016 it was a matter of if and not when the California capital would get a team.
The entire event, the #BuiltForMLS movement and this time in Sacramento was wild. Organizing a block party for a commissioner? Everyone was hella buzzing from the new arena. It was freaking scenes man.
Seven years and one ill-fated press conference later, Sacramento still doesn’t have an MLS expansion team. But that could soon change. A new investor has been found who could fill the financial void left by Ron Burkle. He was last seen suddenly and unexpectedly backed out of the stadium project in 2021. So, just who may finally make Sac Town’s soccer dreams a reality?
Belinda Stronach, a Canadian investor, has confirmed interest in reviving plans for a Sacramento MLS expansion team via the Stronach Group. That company is best known for its ownership of horse racing tracks but wants to diversify. The firm recently announced it was closing Golden Gate Fields, a Bay Area staple, in order to focus on other tracks.
That has no bearing on the Group’s interest in helping Sacramento secure an MLS side. According to the Sacramento Bee, those talks began last year but have since picked up steam. It has been reported that Belinda Stronach was invited to attend MLS All-Star activities by MLS owners in July. A week later, other officials from her company attended a Sac Republic match at Heart Health Park.
So, is Sacramento finally getting an MLS expansion team? On the surface, it would seem as if we are on that path. At the very least, some significant due diligence is being done for the first time since Buckle balked at the deal and Garber switched his sights to alternatives, eventually tabbing San Diego as team number 30.
From the league’s perspective, the California capital finally getting its act together would be ideal. The MLS could expand to 32 teams, revive the Las Vegas bid and slide Minnesota over to the Eastern Conference. It really couldn’t get any easier.
That being said, I’ll believe it when I see it as far as Sacramento being accepted into the MLS. We already had one major press conference to announce the sport was coming only for that to fizzle away. Must we go through that song and dance again?
If Sacramento finally gets its MLS team, awesome. The region more than deserves it. But don’t waste our time with talk or hopes of what could happen. Shovels in the ground and a date to start play. Then Don Garber, the new ownership group, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg and whoever else can take their victory lap.
Go wild with it. Shut down Watt Avenue and hold a massive victory parade. Organize a press conference at the 49er Truck Stop. Do whatever. Just, you know, actually, make sure the MLS is coming this time.
No more false starts. No more time-wasting. Just soccer. Everyone knows it will work. Make it happen.
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