By RYAN TOLMICH
San Antonio’s efforts to become the latest of MLS’s expansion franchises has received a major backer, one from outside the borders of the United States.
The San Antonio Express-News reported Thursday that Mexican Football Federation president Justino Compean has written to MLS commissioner Don Garber to advocate for expansion into San Antonio. Compean, who oversees Mexico’s national team, also sent copies of his letter to San Antonio Scorpions owner Gordon Hartman and members of the San Antonio City Council.
“The city has the infrastructure, resources and diversity that makes San Antonio the ideal place for MLS expansion,” Compean wrote, according to the San Antonio Express-News . “I am very pleased that these local leaders have initiated the effort to bring professional soccer to San Antonio and I look forward to having them as my partner.”
The league has plans to expand to 24 teams by 2020, with 20 teams set for play as of 2015. Miami, Los Angeles and Atlanta account for three of the open slots currently set for expansion, while San Antonio, Minnesota and Sacramento have been battling for the 24th and final spot.
As of 2015, the city is represented by the NASL’s Scorpions, who captured last season’s Soccer Bowl title.
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What do you think of Compean’s comments? Do you expect San Antonio to join the MLS ranks in the near future?
Share your thoughts below.
MLS should definitely keep out of this. Besides, why on earth are we going to help Mexico poach dual nationals and domestic revenue? Why would we help out a CONCACAF rival? If anything, MLS should be doing more to help the Canadian NT develop since Canada is part of the damn league anyway.
Perhaps this foreshadows investment in MLS by MFF?
How about Montana. it is a good place for Mexican national teem to play their games.
Or Columbus. They’d have some success there right?
ask 120 million mexicans… they know Compeon is a corrupt sob.
Keep any business owner affiliated with Liga mx out of MLS!!
It’s not just the money with mexican owners but their so called “pride” is factored into their business decisions to preserve their culture and sport. They will turn San Antonio into a sanctuary for recruiting dual national players. The funny thing is if they try to make a team geared toward the mexican audience, it will fail. They do not buy season tickets or luxury boxes.
They know MLS will overtake liga mx in terms of popularity. The evidence is already being seen by the liga mx poster boys on all the American soccer websites. Seems like they all left goal.com to go to mlssoccer.com
Well, I was going to say this months ago but what’s is stopping ligaMX from from putting a team along the border with USA and Mexico. There is San Diego which practically is Tijuana, back then Juarez had ligaMX which practically is El Paso,tx, and there is still is phoenix, tucson, and San Antonio but I don’t think MLS would let them steal our markets.
As for san antonio, i think they rush with the stadium location, the team name and specially with MLS expansion. They sure will be in, but they are trying too hard and MLS knows Austin will grow to something special sooner than later.
Now, about this Compean guy, he sure wants money and more money in his pockets. Imagine garber saying, hey ligaMX you guys should go for 24 teams as well and I’ll tell you where to put them and how to name them.
And I repeat once again, ligaMX will expand and will copy MLS with future moves and they want 2026 World Cup. Oh and Mexico will steal lots of Mexican American talent from the US and declare a soccer far and MLS, should definitely expand into Phoenix and San Antonio within the next 15 years.
I see phoenix as another skc, and people from Phoenix say a stadium in scottsdale would be perfect.
Well now that thr head of Mex soccer has weighed in we should like give them the team tomm. How much did the scorpions pay him to write that letter
“The market is great, and we already have scouts in the area”
Too bad “diversity” has nothing to do with an MLS team being successful or not in the stands.
Diversity doesn’t = season ticket holders or luxury box tickets.
Diversity means “my cousin is working security and hopefully he can get us in free”
Yup, MLS fans are largely white males from 20-40. Not a “diverse” group at all.
It would in no way be an inconvenience for him that this possible San Antonio team gets and develops dual national players wanting to play for Mexico. Mexican fans+ NT players on San Antonio team= $$$ and a bigger pool of prospects for El Tri (considering the team is successful). I say I’m all for it, but the USMNT should be watching that area closely.
San Antonio should be seeking a place in Mexican football, rather than pine away for Garber bucks. Start in the second division, spend some money, and get promoted a la Xolos. It’s a better league and far better standard anyway.
Yeah but San Antonio isn’t in Mexico.
sure about that? a lot has changed since 1836, check back in April 16th.. and is the USA the only nation that will allow teams from other nations, Canada and Puerto Rico, into their leagues? San Antonio had a Canadian Football team once, why not a Mexican Football team? unless an American league wants to finally include them!
Am I sure about that? What is this a La Raza site or something? Give me a break. Also Puerto Rico is a US territory so it’s not the best example to support your argument.
“San Antonio had a Canadian Football team once, why not a Mexican Football team?”
Did your ego subconsciously divert your eyes while reading his comment??
La Raza Unida
Also, remember when everyone on these comment sections thought you were an ignorant racist?
Not really, you must have imagined it. Also what does Canadian football have to do with real football?
That’s a pretty heavy accusation that shouldn’t be thrown around lightly. Plenty of reason to think Slow is an ardent nationalist with views I personally disagree with/see as fairly extreme regarding citizenship. But… lets not confuse nationality with race. I personally haven’t seen a single post or any evidence whatsoever that he’s a racist. His most vocal protestations have consistently been with “white” German/Americans.
Paz/Peace
Thanks. I guess he missed where I protested the Aron Johannsson hype as much I did with any German. Or that I was delighted to hear Zelalem would be in the fold.
Pretty ironic for someone to write”La Raza Unida” in his post and then decry racism.
An American league has already included San Antonio. It’s called the NASL, and the team is called the San Antonio Scorpions.
I think it’s more likely they’d bump up friendly visits to SA and milk the market if MLS won’t. We endorse SA in MLS. But if you won’t take them we will claim it and send country and club friendlies there annually.
If MLS can have Canadian teams, is there anything preventing the Mexican league from expanding into the US? Is this a veiled threat?
probably nothing prevents it but why would a mexican team want to join MLS? If you want to steal the fanbase you just have to do what Tijuana does.
You missed my question. Can a San Antonio team join the Mexican league?
oh in that case no simply because it isn’t in Mexico, the other way around it could be possible because MLS is already a special case.
FIFA would not allow that. Just last year it was I think, they wouldn’t let Evian of Ligue 1 build their stadium in within Switzerland
I’m too lazy to look it up but I believe FIFA rules prevent it.
probably correct, unless USSF allowed it.
I think we get away with Canada by arguing they lack a D1 league. But, the grandfathered Welsh and Scottish teams and such aside, they also let NZ have an A League team independent of the NZ League in its own right (which plays often in the World Club Cup and thus can’t be dismissed as not a first division). So it’s arguably an inconsistent swiss cheese FIFA rule that you can’t cross borders.
I doubt they’d try to expand, I’d think this is just the latest salvo in the Tijuana-esque tug of war for Mexican American fans in border states.
Justin Compean is a very rich man. He’s also the president of the Mexican federation. He’s saying that he has a stake in the San Antonio expansion. If San Antonio gets off the ground, he could have a lot of influence of top Mexican players play in MLS, perhaps in their prime before they go to Europe. This is the anti-Chivas USA; he’s not pulling a Vergara and saying, “let’s teach these gringos how to ball.” He’s saying, “I will use my influence to benefit MLS.”
Notice his three key words: “infrastructure, resources, and diversity.” Infrastructure – they could rev up funds to build a new stadium, somewhere that’s safe. Resources – people often forget that in a lot of ways Mexico is still a third-world country; the US is the world’s largest economy. This San Antonio expansion could consist of the quality of Liga MX with American $$$. Diversity – Mexican NT is huge in San Antonio. Definitely count on seats being filled if real Mexican national prospects take the pitch.
Oh, in that case, MLS should tell him “gracias, but no gracias.”
muy divertido
I suppose this post is satire, Liga MX is already richer than MLS and controls the TV ratings in the US, they wouldn’t win anything from what you say, Compean probably just hopes for San Antonio to have a new soccer specific stadium where he can send the mexican national team for friendlies and keep filling his pockets.
LOL, your comment is satire. If you think a 20,000 MLS stadium can satisfy the appetite of a Mexican national team friendly in San Antonio, Texas, you need to learn how to count. Mexico v Bosnia in Soldier Field (Chicago) had an attendance of 64,000; Mexico v Ecuador in Arlington, Texas was 84,000.
Let’s be honest: the Mexican Men’s National Team is the most popular soccer team in the United States.
“Let’s be honest: the Mexican Men’s National Team is the most popular soccer team in the United States”
Im glad somebody said it.
As the sport continues to grow so will USMNT fan base. Don’t underrate it! Brazil was a taste of where its going. Mexico’s NT will always be big in the U.S but I believe our fan base is prevailing. Just wait! Soon it will show up in those markets too! Give it time!
Toyota Field was just opened in 2013, is a SSS, and could be expanded. I’m not an expansion for expansion’s sake person but relative to other candidates SA checks more boxes and without piggybacking onto a NFL team to do so (although does Seattle do so bad doing that?).
Also, Mexico already plays many friendlies in the big Texas football stadia with huge crowds, like the upcoming US game. Houston gets small friendlies in BBVA, or weak Gold Cup groups there. When using Reliant we get Mexico or its Gold Cup group. I think given the choice Mexico would want to be in the Alamodome even if you built a SSS. They know they’ll sell the tickets and it’s a bigger house. When we have our own Wembleys that combine NFL size with soccer emphasis, I’ll buy it, but now our big tournaments and friendlies are still played in football stadia, even college ones.
I think we’re getting off topic on who is having a stake in SA expansion. Is it the FMF or is it Compean’s own pockets? As far as I know, the jury is still out. Is he personally getting involved as wanting a stake and being a minority owner, or is the FMF actually getting involved officially? Still lots of questions. It’s all speculation – although his comments are very intriguing.
I’ve also been reading theories that any stake of SA from Compean means the FMF will poach dual nationals into joining Mexico. I honestly don’t believe that, but let people run with conspiracies.
It took a century to produce one player of Venturo Alvardo quality. I don’t think Mexico is all of a sudden worried about some sort of talent arms race.
You can bet this move is about one thing, and that’s money. A thriving soccer community of Mexican-Americans would generate huge cash from friendlies for clubs and the Mexican Nats.
Peter Holt is probably crapping himself for passing on this investment while he had a chance.
“Resources – people often forget that in a lot of ways Mexico is still a third-world country; the US is the world’s SECOND largest economy.”
Sorry had to fix your post there.
The us economy is 18.4t, second is china at 10.9t. what part of the post did you fix exactly???
Get to it MLS.
Money has but one color.
Gracias Señor. I’m sure Sunil Guilati will have some notes on where Liga MX locates its teams going forward. Wonder how “diversity” factors into their decision process?
lol, can we get another Tijuana!? that team has done more for the USMNT than a lot of MLS teams who are 3x as old. If MLS doesn’t take San Antonio can LigaMX start a team there?
How great would that be? A team based in a US market like LA, Houston, Dallas, Phoenix, or San Antonio playing in the LigaMX would be a MASSIVE success.
I’m not sure on the exact year but the then LigaMX did ask USSF for a team in Los Angeles. I think it was after 1979 but before 1990.
The USSF said no. But had it said yes. It would have taken lots of seats away from the future LA Galaxy & Chivas USA.
I can see them asking for a LA team in between NASL and MLS. Makes a lot of sense.
Tijuana is in Mexico. No US team can join Liga MX, without USSF giving them the okay.
I’m happy about another possible Texas team, but what’s Compean’s angle? Does he hope that producing a lot of Mexican-American talent will give him and the MFA more chance to poach dual nationals?
A few ideas:
–use the team’s facilities for Mexico’s national teams for training camps/friendlies
–poach youth players, both for El Tri and Liga MX teams
–see’s more of a chance for international rivalry
Probably, yes.
Wow.