Report: MNUFC Owner Added to MLS Expansion Committee

According to Ian Thomas of SportsBusiness Journal, Minnesota United owner Dr. Bill McGuire has been added to the MLS Expansion Committee.

Dr. Bill will join the group of team executives tasked with determining which expansion bids will join the eventual 28 team league. The Expansion Committee was initially made up of Jonathan Craft (New England Revolution), Anthony Precourt (Columbus Crew), Andrew Hauptman (Chicago Fire), Jay Sugarman (Philadelphia Union) and Phil Rawlins (Orlando City SC). Precourt (who this week announced his intention to move the Crew to Austin if a stadium deal did not work out) and Rawlins (who stepped down as the Orlando City President in 2016) have both left the committee. Dr. Bill joins Seattle Sounders FC’s Joe Roth and Sporting Kansas City’s Cliff Illig as new members.

Now you may be asking yourself, what does this mean for Minnesota United? Not much, at least not for fans. There may be an influx of gift baskets and edible arrangements sent to the Minnesota United front office in Golden Valley from some of the expansion applicants, but that won’t trickle down to the supporters.

As Minnesota United finishes up their inaugural MLS season, Dr. Bill should bring a (debatable) level of expertise with the expansion process that should help the league find the best candidate.