In November, MLS commissioner Don Garber named Charlotte as the frontrunner to earn the slot for the 30th team, praising Tepper's efforts and the bid's plans. Tepper also discussed constructing a new stadium for the Panthers and a soccer team that would have a retractable roof.
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He announced plans in September to upgrade the existing Bank of America Stadium to make it suitable for an MLS team, which would include up to $210 million in contributions from the city government. Tepper presented a formal expansion bid for Charlotte to the league in July 2019, shortly before meetings with league officials and additional tours of Bank of America Stadium. Glick was placed in charge of organizing an MLS expansion bid for Tepper, who had several meetings with league officials before the next bidding window was opened in April 2019. and was also involved in the MLS expansion bid for New York City FC. The Panthers' new team president, Tom Glick, was formerly the chief operating officer of Manchester City F.C. The manager and billionaire David Tepper, after the purchase of a 5% stake in the National Football League in 2009, became the owner of the National Football League's Carolina Panthers in July 2018 and suggested his interest in bringing Major League Soccer to Charlotte. MLS narrowed its shortlist of candidates in November 2017 to four cities, leaving out Charlotte. The Mecklenburg County government voted in August against their financial contribution to the stadium project in favor of deferring the issue to the city government, who declined to vote on the issue. Charlotte also faced competition from a bid submitted by Raleigh, North Carolina, who were also part of the twelve-city shortlist and had support from the state government. Several league officials toured Charlotte in July 2017, but the city council and county commissioners both canceled their meetings during the tour.
Smith submitted the bid without the city council's support, instead relying on the county government's funding plan.
The Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners voted 5–3 in favor of the stadium plan, while the Charlotte City Council decided against a vote on the issue before the bid deadline on January 31, 2017. The bid proposed building a new stadium at the Memorial Stadium site with 20,000 to 30,000 seats that would cost $175 million, including $87.5 million funded by the city and county governments and a $75 million loan to the ownership group. Smith of Speedway Motorsports, the owners of the Charlotte Motor Speedway, with support from local business leaders. Ī separate Charlotte bid was formed in late 2016 by Marcus G. The team hired a sports investment firm in October 2016 to advertise the MLS bid to potential investors while preparing further stadium plans. The Independence's ownership group had expressed their goal of winning an MLS expansion team when the club was founded, and proposed a major renovation to American Legion Memorial Stadium in 2015 that would make it into soccer-specific stadium. The team moved into a permanent soccer stadium in Matthews, North Carolina, in 2017.
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Unsuccessful MLS bids Ī separate professional team, the Charlotte Independence, was founded in 2014 and replaced the Eagles in the second division (now named the USL Championship). The area also has a large soccer-playing population, centered around recreational leagues that have led other efforts to attract a professional team to Charlotte. Since a renovation to Bank of America Stadium in 2014, the city has hosted several friendly and international matches, including the CONCACAF Gold Cup and the International Champions Cup, which drew strong attendance figures. The Charlotte Convention Center hosted the MLS SuperDraft and National Soccer Coaches Association of America conference in January 2004. Charlotte was also named as a potential home for an expansion team in both 19, but was passed over in favor of other cities. Ĭharlotte was on the list of cities interested in joining Major League Soccer (MLS) in 1994, prior to the league's inaugural season, but was not awarded a franchise. Professional soccer did not return to Charlotte until the founding of the Charlotte Eagles in 1991, who joined the USISL in 1993. After the league folded in 1983, the team played for one season as the Charlotte Gold in United Soccer League before ceasing operations. It marked Charlotte's first professional sports championship. The Lightnin' won the American Soccer League championship in 1981 in front of 20,163 people at American Legion Memorial Stadium.
The Charlotte area has been home to several lower-division soccer teams, dating back to the Carolina Lightnin' in the early 1980s.
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