Soccer has always been super popular in South America and Europe, but in recent years America has been hopping on the bandwagon lately, especially in the South. We introduced Atlanta United not too long ago and we can say in confidence that the Charlotte soccer team is the next newbie in the MLS. There was a formal announcement this morning to announce the 30th MLS team.
Buzz has been surrounding the idea of Charlotte joining the MLS and Southern soccer fans are more than pumped. So much so that they have already created a fan group called Mint City Collective.
The word is officially out via live stream on MLSsoccer.com at 10 a.m. today (Dec. 17). Given that MLS Commissioner Don Garber and Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles took time out of their busy lives for a "special announcement," we pretty much knew the franchise would get a thumb's up.
"Charlotte has always been of interest for us," says Don Garber. He adds that there is a great deal of support and excitement for the game.
We're hyped to see how it'll go down when they're up against ATL United (which, despite a mishap or two, has slowly been pulling Georgia out their sports curse).
David Tepper, owner of the Carolina Panthers (who recently fired the head coach), was also in attendance for the announcement. "Mayor, we have a soccer team," he announced. He even made up a short song that states this will be the greatest MLS season there is.
Twitter was ahead of the game, foreshadowing some major hype for the South's newest addition to the Major Leagues.
Charlotte joining MLS, the Southeast expansion is complete. I'm so pumped, gonna be a CFB atmosphere for these.… https://t.co/TSlPBVOgUM— 🚂 ⚽️CCLtrainz 😷🦠 (@🚂 ⚽️CCLtrainz 😷🦠) 1576510336.0
This fan relays her excitement in a tweet stating, "Charlotte joining MLS, the Southeast expansion is complete. I'm so pumped, gonna be a CFB atmosphere for these."
This super fan shows his support with a throwback post of himself wearing a t-shirt that says "MLS 4 CLT."
The secret was basically revealed earlier this week, especially after this user tweeted photos of a building under construction. There are logos on the doors that clearly read "Charlotte MLS."
When the league starts to mention a city’s expansion efforts in their own media, the question is not if but when wi… https://t.co/QiIUqMmIGe— Mister Jones (@Mister Jones) 1576489182.0
And this optimistic tweet states, "When the league starts to mention a city’s expansion efforts in their own media, the question is not if but when will they be awarded a franchise."
Click here to tune in to the announcement, even though the Internet pretty much let the cat out of the bag.
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