Major League Soccer (MLS) has confirmed the long-rumoured news that Charlotte in North Carolina will be the home of its 30th franchise, reports, www.sportspromedia.com/.
Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper, who led Charlotte's bid to join North America's top-tier soccer league, will pay a record US$325 million to secure what could be MLS's final expansion slot, according to US media reports.
By way of comparison, St Louis and Sacramento, which were awarded the 28th and 29th spots, respectively, are each paying an expansion fee of US$200 million.
The Charlotte MLS outfit will join the league in 2021, a year earlier than St Louis and Sacramento, when they will play out of the 75,000-seater Bank of America Stadium, home to Tepper's National Football League (NFL) franchise.
