Two professional soccer leagues are considering Nashville for a future expansion franchise as Metro officials said potential team investors are exploring the city’s appetite for higher-level pro soccer.
Representatives from the rapidly growing United Soccer League and the North American Soccer League both confirmed interest in making Nashville a future expansion city for their respective leagues. Key to both would be figuring out a stadium that meets their needs.
Their eye on Nashville comes as Metro government has been approached by separate groups of possible investors floating the idea of professional soccer in Nashville — one exploring a new club in the USL, the other in the NASL. Talks are considered preliminary.
The NASL and the USL, which both launched in 2011, represent the second and third tier of leagues, respectively, in the U.S. and Canada’s professional soccer pyramid.
Each is below Major League Soccer, or MLS, the highest division, but higher than the National Premier Soccer League that includes Nashville FC, the city’s community-operated soccer club that plays at Vanderbilt University and opens its season Saturday.
“Nearly six years ago the USL embarked on a mission to create the most sophisticated, best operated and most competitive soccer league under MLS and has achieved that mission with a deliberate business plan that includes expansion,” John Griffin, senior director of communications of the USL, said in an email.
“The USL has interest in Nashville and has identified the city as a vibrant market with considerable interest in soccer.”
NASL spokesman Neal Malone gave similar praise for Nashville and also confirmed the league’s interest.
“We absolutely believe Nashville would be a great fit for the NASL,” Malone said. “It’s home to a robust soccer community and it has a reputation for being an excellent sports city. We feel that there would be a lot of support, and you see that already with Nashville FC.”
Nashville is in play for a new team in one of the two leagues, but not a franchise in each.
On the USL side, (continue reading at Tennessean)