MLS delays St. Louis debut to 2023

ST. LOUIS — All of the excitement surrounding St. Louis joining Major League Soccer (MLS) will have to wait one year longer.

A news release from MLS4THELOU Friday refers to a decision made by MLS commissioner Don Garber. Garber recently made an announcement that there has been a timeline adjustment of the St. Louis expansion club debut. As a result of the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, Garber is delaying the debut to 2023. Previously, the team was to kick off its inaugural MLS season in the spring of 2022.

It’s in the team’s best interests

The ownership group is working closely with the league and expresses that they agree that the decision was for the best for the team.

Carolyn Kindle Betz, a MLS4THELOU representative, states that they will continue to press forward toward building a world-class home for the organization. This includes the stadium district which will invigorate the Downtown West region. Additionally, this includes significant contributions to the construction of an ongoing downtown renaissance.

More time to focus on the entire project at hand

The timeline adjustment is allowing the group to put the MLS club in a better position for a historic launch in 2023. Moreover, this allows them to continue building onward to long-term success in a championship-caliber city.

We continue to move full-steam ahead on building a world-class home for our MLS club and a stadium district that will invigorate Downtown West and contribute to the ongoing downtown renaissance. Additionally, this adjusted timeline only puts the team in a better position for a historic launch and long-term success.

More updates will come in the near future, the release states. Updates in the upcoming months will include new hire announcements and the reveal of the team name, crest and colors.

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Jake Leonard, Executive Editor-In-Chief

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Jake Leonard, a broadcast media and journalism veteran, is the editor-in-chief of Heartland Newsfeed. Leonard is also GM and program director of Heartland Newsfeed Radio Network, wrestling editor and contributing writer for Ambush Sports, a contributing writer for My Sports Vote and Midwest Sports Network, and a former contributor to Bleacher Report and Overtime Heroics. He resides at home in Nokomis, Ill. with his dog Buster.

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