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MLS considers expanding to Montreal
By DAVE SKRETTA
NEW YORK (AP)—Buoyed by the success of Toronto, Major League Soccer is considering expanding its presence in Canada by placing a team in Montreal.
MLS commissioner Don Garber met with Montreal Impact president Joey Saputo, Quebec Minister of Finance Raymond Bachand and Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay on Wednesday about what it would take to locate a team in Canada’s second-largest market.
“We’ve stated many times that Montreal would be a great market for MLS and we look forward to continuing our discussions,” Garber said in a statement.
MLS expanded into Canada for the first time with Toronto in 2007, and its success in just three seasons has been startling. The club often draws more than 20,000 fans, and has more than 16,000 season ticket-holders.
Garber hopes to experience similar success in Montreal.
Montreal won 12 of 30 games in the first division of the United Soccer League this season, and was competitive in two losses to Toronto during the Canadian Championship. Montreal beat Vancouver 6-3 on aggregate to win the USL championship in October.
The 16-year-old team, which also won USL titles in 1994 and 2004, plays home matches in Saputo Stadium, a 13,034-seat venue opened last year that was designed so that capacity could be increased to meet MLS standards.
The club drew more than 12,000 fans for home games this past season.
MLS already plans to start a new Philadelphia team next season, giving the league 16 teams, and has announced plans to add teams in Portland, Oregon; and Vancouver, British Columbia, in 2011.
