Union Depot in downtown St. Paul will be the venue for Minnesota United FC's Aug. 19 announcement of its expected move to Major League Soccer in 2017.
Fans leaving Minnesota United FC's home match last Saturday night in Blaine received save-the-date cards. One side of the card included an MLS shield, the date "08.19.16," the letters "STP" for St. Paul and the words "Be there." The other side featured the hashtag "#NextStopMLS."
The club confirmed via its website Tuesday that the event will be held from 5 to 9:30 p.m. at the historic St. Paul landmark.
Team owner Bill McGuire, St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and MLS Commissioner Don Garber will attend.
Garber said during the recent MLS All-Star Game that the league will add Atlanta United FC as a franchise in 2017 and that "another expansion announcement" for next season will be made "in a couple of weeks."
Minnesota landed a franchise in 2015, with Garber saying the timing of the move hinged on the team's getting a stadium. A $150 million, approximately 20,000-seat stadium for the club would be at the heart of redevelopment plan at Snelling and University avenues in the Midway neighborhood.
That project includes tax breaks that passed through the Legislature in the spring but got hung up in a post-session veto by Gov. Mark Dayton. His action stemmed from a $100 million error unrelated to the soccer facility. The situation will be the subject of a special legislative session likely to happen in late August.
The Loons have played most of their home games at the National Sports Center in Blaine.
