Sacramento Gaining an MLS Team, a New Stadium, and a Big Mixed-Use Development

The city of Sacramento will soon have a Major League Soccer team in its midst.

According to an article by Danial Kim, "a smiling MLS Commissioner Don Garber formally announced that a Sacramento investor group headed by business magnate Ron Burkle has been awarded the 29th and perhaps second-to-last franchise in the nation’s top professional soccer league."

The announcement in effect elevates the city's existing USL Championship-level team, Sacramento Republic FC, to Major League Soccer.

Having achieved this major benchmark, the investor group will now shift its focus to the development of a new $252 million soccer stadium, expected to be ready to host games by 2022 (an announcement published on the team's website estimates that price tag at $300 million). The 20,000-plus-seat stadium will be located in Downtown Sacramento's Railyard District, according to Kim. 

"The stadium will be a centerpiece of a redevelopment project that will include housing, retail, theaters, parks, museums, a hotel and a major medical center," according to the announcement on the team's website.

A supplementary opinion piece, written by Marcos Bretón, follows up on the news about the announcement with a bit of optimism for the city's future.