MLS expansion plan to be revealed today

According to an article on the Montreal Gazette website, the MLS will expand to 24 teams by 2015. The plan will be revealed today by MLS commissioner Don Garber at the MLS All-Star game being held in Toronto. The announcement will follow a board of governors meeting.

Among the teams identified in the article as likely candidates for expansion are Montreal and Vancouver, along with fellow USL clubs Portland, Atlanta and Miami.

Such a plan would be earth-shattering for the 11-team USL, with Seattle set to join the MLS next season.

Also raised in the article is the fact that the Saputo family, who own both the Montreal Impact and Saputo Stadium, would need to find investment to help fund a stadium expansion and higher payroll demanded by a move up to the MLS. The story suggests that none other than Liverpool co-owner (and Montreal Canadiens owner) George Gillett could be involved in such a plan. Interesting...

I think most people who follow the league believe the league should be bigger, but I'm a little wary about a couple of things.

What indeed happens to the USL? Aside from the USL first division, there is a USL-2 which is roughly the same size, along with the PDL, which consists of several leagues across the U.S. and Canada. While it would be easy to simply bump some teams up to fill the void, the loss of strong markets would surely be detrimental to the USL as a whole.

For the MLS as well, the crippling of the USL wouldn't be the best of situations. Many North American players get a start in the USL -- it acts as an unaffiliated feeder league. Without a strong USL, the development of homegrown talent will suffer.

Perhaps as part of any expansion talks, the MLS and USL need to enter into some sort of partnership to ensure they are able to coexist. Hopefully the U.S. soccer federation will step in with their thoughts as well.

Secondly, one of the strengths of the MLS has been their patient approach to expansion. Currently there are 14 teams. There are two more teams already set for expansion, Seattle in 2009 and Philadelphia in 2010. Does this mean the league wants to add eight teams in the five years between then and 2015?

This seems a little over the edge. I think even 20 teams by 2015 would be a fine goal, allowing the league to reach what is globally recognized as pretty much as big as you want a single tier to get. Anyways, what's wrong with seeing how things are going at 20 teams? I'm not naive enough to think this isn't about money (the next set of teams admitted to the league will pay a $40 million expansion fee each, reportedly), but why risk it?

I've long thought the more MLS has tried to emulate the best leagues in the world, the more successful it's been. It should keep on that track.