- Charlotte will win the race for the 30th MLS franchise; - MLS will eventually expand to 32 teams, they will make that announcement before the end of 2020, and before the 2022 season begins, Las Vegas will be one of the two additional markets added. The lifetime Utah resident, Hansen is the founder and CEO of The Wasatch Group. Born in Cincinnati, Carl H. Lindner III (above, left) is a businessman who began working at American Financial Group, whose headquarters are in Cincinnati, in 1975 and has been chairman since 1987. Seattle Seahawks superstar Russel Wilson and his wife Ciara are part of the group, as is actor and producer Drew Carey. Red Bull GmbH also own and operate Bundesliga club RB Leipzig, who rose from the lower divisions to the top of the Bundesliga in rapid succession and compete in the Champions League, as well as Red Bull Salzburg, the Austrian juggernauts currently coached by American Jesse Marsch. He is also the president of T-BDH CAPITAL which invests in new ventures focused on education and the technology industry. And they have potential regional rivalries with San Jose and the two Los Angeles teams. One of the largest ownership groups in the league, LAFC are led by managing owner Larry Berg, a senior partner at Apollo Global Management and chairman of McGraw-Hill Education. Fisher's family founded clothing retailer Gap and he sits on the company's board of directors. They've been great corporate citizens. those who buy tickets or those that engage in corporate partnerships) are more likely to do so given their personal and/or emotional connection with the sport. Swansea are a Wales-based club in the English soccer pyramid currently playing in the Championship, the tier below the Premier League. Paulson previously owned the Minor League Baseball franchise, Portland Beavers, but sold his interest in the club to focus on soccer. Also joining the group is Matt Alvarez (above, center), an entertainment executive and producer known for his work on the Academy Award-nominated “Straight Outta Compton” and several popular film franchises. The hedge fund manager, who worked at Goldman Sachs before founding Appaloosa Management, acquired the Carolina Panthers in 2018. Behind Berg, Beck and Rosenthal, LAFC have more than a few recognizable names. Behind Burkle sits a strong local ownership group, led by long-time Sacramento area business leader Kevin Nagle (above, left) who has led the city's bid for an MLS franchise since 2014. When the Taylor family became involved, and realizing the futility of securing public financing in St. Louis so soon after the Rams departure for Los Angeles, their willingness to finance the stadium privately helped allay MLS concerns about the group's stadium plans. - With the Golden Knights and the NFL's Raiders proving the viability of the Vegas market as a community that has the appetite for professional sports, and given the popularity of soccer among youth in Vegas, this also bodes extremely well. As such, the expected consumer and corporate support should be strong...for many key decision-makers within the region (i.e. Subsequently, I fully expect Sacramento will soon be introduced as the league's 29th team. Now, he'll have two Charlotte-based professional franchises. Tepper had previously owned 5% of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Juxtapose this news to that of the failed public vote in April 2017 to secure public funding to cover a portion of a new soccer stadium, and one couldn't paint a more polar opposite picture regarding the mood, hope or outlook of bringing the MLS to STL. Charlotte was officially awarded MLS expansion team No. While not the primary consideration, this unique characteristic of the St. Louis bid - which occurs at a time in our society when calls for diversity have never been louder - certainly could not have gone unnoticed by the MLS expansion committee. Owners of St. Louis-based Enterprise Holdings, the Taylor family name is as close to royalty in St. Louis as any family could be in any American city. Since he assumed full ownership, the Fire have moved back downtown to Soldier Field and rebranded. He's got the money and inclination to get things done, and life has taught me that these types of owners seldom are stopped from their endgames; - Even if Charlotte doesn't build a soccer-specific stadium, Seattle and Atlanta prove that MLS can work in the right football-stadium situation. Why Vegas? ; and Pat Curran, founder and principal of C3 Holdings. Tepper joins a growing and varied list of owners, encompassing high-profile names from the world of business, the NBA and even Hollywood.