FILE – In this Nov. 28, 2018, file photo, Aldermanic President Lewis Reed, left, high-fives Carolyn Kindle Betz after a proposed soccer stadium in St. Louis was approved by unanimous vote at a meeting in St. Louis. On Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2019, the league officially announced that St. Louis would become its 28th club when it begins play for the 2022 season. “Our ownership group has come a long way since we first announced our bid last October at Mathews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club, and it’s an incredible feeling to now be able to say, ‘St. Louis is home to the first official majority female-led ownership group in MLS,’” said Carolyn Kindle Betz, granddaughter of Enterprise founder Jack Taylor and the president of Enterprise Holdings Foundation. (David Carson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)

The prospects of a Major League Soccer franchise ever calling St. Louis home appeared to have died two years ago when voters turned down the use of a business tax to finance a new downtown stadium.

Then a new potential ownership group came along.

Led by members of the founding family of car rental giant Enterprise, the city began to work anew last fall on its pitch for a professional soccer team. On Tuesday, the league officially announced that St. Louis would become its 28th club when it begins play for the 2022 season.

“Our ownership group has come a long way since we first announced our bid last October at Mathews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club, and it’s an incredible feeling to now be able to say, ‘St. Louis is home to the first official majority female-led ownership group in MLS,'” said Carolyn Kindle Betz, granddaughter of Enterprise founder Jack Taylor and the president of Enterprise Holdings Foundation.

“Our MLS team and stadium will only add to St. Louis’ renaissance currently under way,” Kindle Betz said, “and will provide us with a great opportunity to bring together many different segments of the community, uniting people in their love for the game.”

Six other female members of the Taylor are part of the ownership group, along with businessmen Andy Taylor and Jim Kavanaugh, a soccer insider who was part of the first failed ownership team.

The new soccer stadium, which is planned for Market Street just west of Union Station, will be the centerpiece of a major development project in the city’s Downtown West district. It will include mixed-used retail, restaurants and gathering spaces open year-round to the public, and is expected to continue a downtown revitalization effort that includes Busch Stadium — home of the St. Louis Cardinals — and the Enterprise Center, the home of the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues.

As proof the city is all-in on the project, the St. Louis Board of Alderman easily approved a resolution last November to provide tax exemptions and other incentives to help with the construction.

“St. Louis is a city with a rich soccer tradition,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said, “and it is a market we have considered since the league’s inception. Our league becomes stronger with the addition of the city’s deeply dedicated soccer fans and the committed and innovative local ownership group.”

St. Louis has long been a hotbed for youth soccer. In 1950, five immigrants from “The Hill” neighborhood helped the U.S. upset England in the World Cup. Saint Louis University has won 10 national titles in men’s soccer, and the Hermann Trophy given to the top college player in the country is awarded annually at the Missouri Athletic Club.

The U.S. women’s national team drew more than 35,000 fans to exhibition games at Busch Stadium in preparation for the 2015 and 2019 World Cups, and 43,000 fans packed the stadium to watch the U.S. men beat St. Vincent and the Grenadines in a World Cup qualifier in 2015.

The men’s national team has a friendly against Uruguay scheduled for Sept. 10 at Busch Stadium.

“St. Louis has always been and will continue to be one of the great historic soccer cities throughout the United States,” Garber said at a news conference attended by Blues legends Bernie Federko and Chris Pronger and Cardinals star Ozzie Smith. “After two decades of discussions about St. Louis being a part of our league, today the moment has arrived.”

The new St. Louis franchise continues explosive growth for MLS that has seen 15 new clubs join the league since 2005. That includes a handful that have recently been awarded: FC Cincinnati is playing its inaugural season this year, David Beckham’s Inter Miami FC and Nashville SC will begin play next season, Austin FC begins play in 2021 and the St. Louis club will follow the next year.

Its location also means a more natural rival for cross-state Sporting Kansas City and the Chicago Fire — just think of the rivalry that already exists between the Cubs and Cardinals.

“For the last two decades as a player and as a commentator for ESPN, I’ve seen this league grow in the United States and Canada,” said Taylor Twellman, who grew up in St. Louis and played in MLS before becoming an ESPN broadcaster. “Few of us thought it would reach this point. But the community, the fans, that recipe is why we’re in St. Louis today.” </s> Aug. 20 (UPI) -- Major League Soccer announced Tuesday it has awarded an expansion team to the city of St. Louis.

Commissioner Don Graber made the announcement alongside city officials and the club's ownership group, which includes Carolyn Kindle Betz, the Taylor family and Jim Kavanaugh.

Kindle Betz is one of six female members of the Taylor ownership group, making St. Louis the first female majority-owned club in MLS history.

"Our ownership group has come a long way since we first announced our bid last October at Mathews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club, and it's an incredible feeling to now be able to say, St. Louis is home to the first official majority female-led ownership group in MLS," Kindle Betz said.

"Our MLS team and stadium will only add to St. Louis' renaissance currently underway and will provide us with a great opportunity to bring together many different segments of the community, uniting people in their love for the game."

The club will begin play in 2022 at a planned 22,500-capacity stadium in the Downtown West district.

"It is with great pride that we welcome St. Louis to Major League Soccer," Garber said. "St. Louis is a city with a rich soccer tradition, and it is a market we have considered since the league's inception.

"Our league becomes stronger today with the addition of the city's deeply dedicated soccer fans, and the committed and innovative local ownership group led by Carolyn Kindle Betz, the Taylor family and Jim Kavanaugh."

St. Louis will be the 28th team to join MLS, which plans to expand to 30 teams. The league has 24 teams competing, with Inter Miami CF and Nashville SC set to join in 2020. Austin FC is to join MLS IN 2021.

St. Louis still is seeking a team name, badge and colors. </s> ST. LOUIS — Not only did St. Louis just get an MLS team, but the city also made history as the first female majority-owned club in MLS history. It’s also one of few female majority-owned clubs in professional sports.

The ownership group includes Enterprise Holdings Foundation president Carolyn Kindle Betz and several other women from the Taylor family. The investor group includes World Wide Technology CEO Jim Kavanaugh and Enterprise Holdings executive chairman Andy Taylor.

Four members of the new St. Louis Major League Soccer franchise ownership group, pose for photos following ceremonies that St. Louis has been awarded a franchise, in St. Louis on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2019. Owners from (L to R) are Patty Taylor, Jo Ann Taylor Kindle, Carolyn Kindle Betz, and Chrissy Taylor. This group is the only all female owned franchise in Major League Soccer.

Betz spoke at the official announcement press conference Tuesday morning. The highly-anticipated announcement finally arrived.

“It is with great pride that we welcome St. Louis to Major League Soccer,” MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement. “St. Louis is a city with a rich soccer tradition, and it is a market we have considered since the league’s inception. Our league becomes stronger today with the addition of the city’s deeply dedicated soccer fans, and the committed and innovative local ownership group led by Carolyn Kindle Betz, the Taylor family, and Jim Kavanaugh.”

St. Louis will be team 28 in the league, with two more expected to be added soon. St. Louis’ unnamed team is expected to begin play in 2022.

The state-of-the-art stadium will be built next to Union Station. The planned 22,500-capacity stadium, includes a promise that every seat will be within 120 feet of the field, as well as a translucent canopy that will provide cover covering for the fans while allowing light to reach the field.

Betz also talked to 5 On Your Side’s Sports Director Frank Cusumano following the press conference,

“I think our hope is to be an inspiration and a role model for young women, young girls - whatever you want, you have to be able to pursue your dreams. And we’re just excited to be able to continue to hopefully be a good model, certainly encouragement to others out there,” Betz said.

Betz shared a photo of her on Twitter with a sign that said, ‘Carolyn’s first day as an MLS team owner.’

RELATED: #MLS4TheLou to make ‘special announcement’ with city leaders on Aug. 20

RELATED: Soccer could bring part of downtown St. Louis back to life

RELATED: What would you name a St. Louis MLS team? </s> The prospects of a Major League Soccer franchise ever calling St. Louis home appeared to have died two years ago when voters turned down the use of a business tax to finance a new downtown stadium.

Then a new potential ownership group came along.

Led by members of the founding family of car-rental giant Enterprise, the city began to work anew last fall on its pitch for a professional soccer team. On Tuesday, the league officially announced that St. Louis would become its 28th club when it begins play for the 2022 season.

“Our ownership group has come a long way since we first announced our bid last October at Mathews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club, and it’s an incredible feeling to now be able to say, ‘St. Louis is home to the first official majority female-led ownership group in MLS,’” said Carolyn Kindle Betz, granddaughter of Enterprise founder Jack Taylor and the president of Enterprise Holdings Foundation.

Six other female members of the Taylor family are part of the ownership group, along with businessmen Andy Taylor and Jim Kavanaugh, a soccer insider who was part of the first failed ownership team.

The soccer stadium, which is planned for Market Street just west of Union Station, will be the centerpiece of a major development project in the city’s Downtown West district. It will include mixed-used retail, restaurants and gathering spaces open year-round to the public, and is expected to continue a downtown revitalization effort that includes Busch Stadium — home of the St. Louis Cardinals — and the Enterprise Center, the home of the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues.

St. Louis has long been a hotbed for youth soccer. In 1950, five immigrants from “The Hill” neighborhood helped the U.S. upset England in the World Cup. Saint Louis University has won 10 national titles in men’s soccer, and the Hermann Trophy given to the top college player in the country is awarded annually at the Missouri Athletic Club.

The U.S. women’s national team drew more than 35,000 fans to exhibition games at Busch Stadium in preparation for the 2015 and 2019 World Cups, and 43,000 fans packed the stadium to watch the U.S. men beat St. Vincent and the Grenadines in a World Cup qualifier in 2015.

Toxic soil at Beckham stadium site: An environmental report poses a new problem for the proposed site of David Beckham’s MLS Soccer stadium in Miami: Tests show the soil is far more toxic than expected.

According to the Miami Herald, the analysis found arsenic contamination reaching more than twice the legal limit and hazardous debris in surface-level soil samples at the Melreese golf course. The 131-acre site is being considered for a sprawling $1 billion commercial and stadium complex that would be home ground for Beckham’s MLS team, Inter Miami.

Equal pay trial date set: A judge has set a May 5 trial date for the gender-discrimination lawsuit filed by the women’s national team against U.S. Soccer. District Judge R. Gary Klausner assigned the date at a hearing Monday in Los Angeles, which came less than a week after mediation between the two sides broke down.

The players sued U.S. Soccer in March, alleging institutionalized gender discrimination that includes inequitable compensation when compared with their counterparts on the men’s team.

Champions League: Last season semifinalist Ajax faces a fight to qualify for this season’s group stage after drawing at Cypriot team APOEL Nicosia 0-0 in the first leg of their playoff. The second-leg game is next week. </s> The prospects of a Major League Soccer franchise ever calling St. Louis home appeared to have died two years ago when voters turned down the use of a business tax to finance a new downtown stadium.

Then a new potential ownership group came along.

Led by members of the founding family of car rental giant Enterprise, the city began to work anew last fall on its pitch for a professional soccer team. On Tuesday, the league officially announced that St. Louis would become its 28th club when it begins play for the 2022 season.

"Our ownership group has come a long way since we first announced our bid last October at Mathews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club, and it's an incredible feeling to now be able to say, 'St. Louis is home to the first official majority female-led ownership group in MLS,' " said Carolyn Kindle Betz, granddaughter of Enterprise founder Jack Taylor and the president of Enterprise Holdings Foundation.

"Our MLS team and stadium will only add to St. Louis' renaissance currently underway," Kindle Betz said, "and will provide us with a great opportunity to bring together many different segments of the community, uniting people in their love for the game."

Six other female members of the Taylor are part of the ownership group, along with businessmen Andy Taylor and Jim Kavanaugh, a soccer insider who was part of the first failed ownership team.

The new soccer stadium, which is planned for Market Street just west of Union Station, will be the centrepiece of a major development project in the city's Downtown West district. It will include mixed-used retail, restaurants and gathering spaces open year-round to the public, and is expected to continue a downtown revitalization effort that includes Busch Stadium — home of the St. Louis Cardinals — and the Enterprise Center, the home of the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues.

As proof the city is all-in on the project, the St. Louis Board of Alderman easily approved a resolution last November to provide tax exemptions and other incentives to help with the construction.

"St. Louis is a city with a rich soccer tradition," MLS commissioner Don Garber said, "and it is a market we have considered since the league's inception. Our league becomes stronger with the addition of the city's deeply dedicated soccer fans and the committed and innovative local ownership group."

St. Louis has long been a hotbed for youth soccer. In 1950, five immigrants from "The Hill" neighbourhood helped the U.S. upset England in the World Cup. Saint Louis University has won 10 national titles in men's soccer, and the Hermann Trophy given to the top college player in the country is awarded annually at the Missouri Athletic Club. </s> ST. LOUIS, Mo (Fox2Now) – The next Major League Soccer expansion franchise is coming to St. Louis. The local MLS group that successfully secured the franchise for St. Louis held a press conference to announce the news, reports Fox2Now.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber said talks about bringing an MLS team to St. Louis began in 2006 with Mayor Francis Slay.

The talks continued with Mayor Lyda Krewson, the ownership group, and corporate leaders, over the last 10-months to bring a team to the city. The local business community also met with the league. They said that the area can support three pro-sports teams.

The name for the team has not yet been announced. But, St. Louis will have the 28th team in the league. There are plans for a new stadium to be built in downtown St. Louis.

Along with being the 28th team, the St. Louis team will also be the first female-majority owned soccer expansion as well. The team will be one of the few female-led groups in all of the pro-sports. </s> This is a developing story that will be updated.

St. Louis soon will be home to a top-tier professional soccer team. Major League Soccer officially awarded St. Louis an expansion team on Tuesday.

The team will begin play in 2022 in a new stadium to be built just west of Union Station. A team name has not been announced.

“It is with great pride that we welcome St. Louis to Major League Soccer,” league Commissioner Don Garber said Tuesday morning.

Garber’s announcement ends months of speculation about whether a local ownership group could secure a spot in the MLS’s plan to expand from 24 teams to 28 teams by 2022. The successful campaign follows years of failed efforts in St. Louis to join the top professional soccer league in the U.S. and Canada.

“Our MLS team and stadium will only add to St. Louis’ renaissance currently underway,” said Enterprise Holdings Foundation President Carolyn Kindle Betz, who leads the ownership group. She said the team will provide “a great opportunity to bring together many different segments of the community, uniting people in their love for the game.”

Betz heads the league’s first majority-woman ownership group. She is joined in the group by six other female members of the Taylor family, who own St. Louis-based Enterprise Holdings, one of the largest car rental companies in the world.

The company’s executive chairman, Andy Taylor, also has an ownership stake in the new team, along with Jim Kavanaugh, CEO of local tech giant World Wide Technology.

Kavanaugh’s soccer roots run deep. He was a member of the St. Louis University soccer team and the U.S. Olympic squad before turning pro. Kavanaugh is CEO of St. Louis FC, which plays in a second-division professional soccer league.

Anticipation for St. Louis getting an MLS team has been building for weeks among the St. Louis FC fan base. Its official supporter group, the St. Louligans, has formed a tight-knit community around the team and sport.

Mitch Morice, one of the fan club’s leaders, hopes that continues with the MLS team.

“I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure it does,” he said during pre-game festivities at a recent St. Louis FC game at the team’s home field in Fenton.

“That is the important thing, that the supporters group starts the foundation of a successful soccer team in MLS.”

Another St. Louligan, Sarah Robertson, said she thinks the MLS team’s new stadium in the Downtown West neighborhood has the potential to be an economic development tool by attracting more events to the city.

“Concerts. There'll be chances for national team games possibly. Friendlies. I think it will be amazing, honestly.”

Construction of that stadium is the next step for the MLS ownership group.

The ownership group has stressed that direct public money will not be needed for the stadium, but tax breaks have been discussed.

One plan has called for the St. Louis Board of Aldermen to approve creating three special taxing districts. The ownership group is also expected to ask for a partial break on the city’s 1% amusement tax, as well as an exemption on the sales tax on materials purchased to build the stadium. That could save $5 million in construction costs.

Aldermen last year passed a non-binding resolution throwing their support behind the ownership group and pledging to pass the needed legislation. They return from their summer break on Sept. 13.



Robertson with the St. Louligans is convinced the investment will pay off for the owners, the region and those who love the sport.

“It's fast-paced. It's not like baseball where you're sitting 2-3 hours for a game,” she said.

“And when you get a group like the Louligans around — it's constant. It's 90 minutes of chanting. It's 90 minutes of caring what goes on the field, and we've created a family out of it.”

The yet-to-be-named St. Louis squad is expected to have rivalries with teams including Kansas City, Chicago, and Nashville once it starts play in three years.

Send questions and comments about this story to feedback@stlpublicradio.org </s> The prospects of a Major League Soccer franchise ever calling St. Louis home appeared to have died two years ago when voters turned down the use of a business tax to finance a new downtown stadium.

Led by members of the founding family of car rental giant Enterprise, the city began to work anew last fall on its pitch for a professional soccer team. On Tuesday, the league officially announced that St. Louis would become its 28th club when it begins play for the 2022 season.

"Our ownership group has come a long way since we first announced our bid last October at Mathews-Dickey Boys and Girls Club, and it's an incredible feeling to now be able to say, 'St. Louis is home to the first official majority female-led ownership group in MLS,'" said Carolyn Kindle Betz, granddaughter of Enterprise founder Jack Taylor and the president of Enterprise Holdings Foundation. "Our MLS team and stadium will only add to St. Louis' renaissance currently under way, and will provide us with a great opportunity to bring together many different segments of the community, uniting people in their love for the game."

Six other female members of the Taylor family are part of the ownership group, along with businessmen Andy Taylor and Jim Kavanaugh, a soccer insider who was part of the first failed ownership team.

The new soccer stadium, which is planned for Market Street just west of Union Station, will be the centerpiece of a major development project in the city's Downtown West district. It will include mixed-used retail, restaurants and gathering spaces open year-round to the public, and is expected to continue a downtown revitalization effort that includes Busch Stadium — home of the St. Louis Cardinals — and the Enterprise Center, the home of the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues.

As proof the city is all-in on the project, the St. Louis Board of Alderman easily approved a resolution last November to provide tax exemptions and other incentives to help with the construction.

"St. Louis is a city with a rich soccer tradition," MLS Commissioner Don Garber said, "and it is a market we have considered since the league's inception. Our league becomes stronger with the addition of the city's deeply dedicated soccer fans and the committed and innovative local ownership group."

St. Louis has long been a hotbed for youth soccer. In 1950, five immigrants from "The Hill" neighborhood helped the U.S. upset England in the World Cup. Saint Louis University has won 10 national titles in men's soccer, and the Hermann Trophy given to the top college player in the country is awarded annually at the Missouri Athletic Club.

The U.S. women's national team drew more than 35,000 fans to exhibition games at Busch Stadium in preparation for the 2015 and 2019 World Cups, and 43,000 fans packed the stadium to watch the U.S. men beat St. Vincent and the Grenadines in a World Cup qualifier in 2015.

"St. Louis has always been and will continue to be one of the great historic soccer cities throughout the United States," Garber said at a news conference attended by Blues legends Bernie Federko and Chris Pronger and Cardinals star Ozzie Smith. "After two decades of discussions about St. Louis being a part of our league, today the moment has arrived."

The new St. Louis franchise continues explosive growth for MLS that has seen 15 new clubs join the league since 2005. That includes a handful that have recently been awarded: FC Cincinnati is playing its inaugural season this year, David Beckham's Inter Miami FC and Nashville SC will begin play next season, Austin FC begins play in 2021 and the St. Louis club will follow the next year.

Its location also means a more natural rival for cross-state Sporting Kansas City and the Chicago Fire — just think of the rivalry that already exists between the Cubs and Cardinals.

"For the last two decades as a player and as a commentator for ESPN, I've seen this league grow in the United States and Canada," said Taylor Twellman, who grew up in St. Louis and played in MLS before becoming an ESPN broadcaster. "Few of us thought it would reach this point. But the community, the fans, that recipe is why we're in St. Louis today." </s> Major League Soccer has awarded an expansion franchise to St. Louis, Missouri, the league announced on Tuesday.

The team will begin play in 2022 in a brand-new downtown stadium, with MLS previously announcing that the expansion fee for the new team had been set at $200 million.

"It is with great pride that we welcome St. Louis to Major League Soccer," said MLS commissioner Don Garber in a league release. "St. Louis is a city with a rich soccer tradition, and it is a market we have considered since the league's inception.

"Our league becomes stronger today with the addition of the city's deeply dedicated soccer fans, and the committed and innovative local ownership group led by Carolyn Kindle Betz, the Taylor family, and Jim Kavanaugh."

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Enterprise Holdings Foundation president Kindle Betz and six other female members of the Taylor family will make the St. Louis franchise the first female majority-owned club in MLS history.

"It's an incredible feeling to now be able to say, St. Louis is home to the first official majority female-led ownership group in MLS," said Kindle Betz.

"Our MLS team and stadium will only add to St. Louis' renaissance currently underway and will provide us with a great opportunity to bring together many different segments of the community, uniting people in their love for the game."

The addition of St. Louis continues a rapid expansion for the North American league, with 18 clubs having joined MLS since 2005.

FC Cincinnati joined the league this season as the 24th team, with Inter Miami and Nashville SC to bring that total up to 26 next year, and Austin FC making it 27 in 2021.

MLS had previously stated its intention to bring the league up to 28 teams but earlier this season, the league announced it would be expanding to 30 teams in the future.

The race to be awarded teams 29 and 30 are now on and there are no shortage of candidates.

Las Vegas, Sacramento, Charlotte, Raleigh and Phoenix are some of the cities who have expressed an interest in joining the league in the coming years.
Major League Soccer, the top level of the men's sport in the U.S., announces that a team in St. Louis, Missouri will become the league's 28th team, most likely in 2022. The ownership group, led by several female members of the Taylor family that controls the Enterprise Holdings car rental company, is the first in MLS in which women hold a majority interest.