Technology mogul Meg Whitman and her husband Griffith Harsh, a neurosurgeon, on Wednesday announced they have joined the ownership group for Sacramento Republic FC's bid for an MLS expansion franchise.
The news comes the same day as the four finalists competing for the first two MLS expansion slots in the next round of expansion are set to make formal presentations to MLS Commissioner Don Garber and the league's Expansion Committee at MLS headquarters in New York.
"After careful consideration we are delighted to join in Sacramento's bid for Major League Soccer," the couple said in a statement Wednesday on the USL club's website. "We wish Kevin Nagle and the team great success today in their presentation to Commissioner Garber and the expansion committee. Sacramento has proven itself a great soccer destination worthy of entry into MLS."
Whitman, currently valued at $3.1 billion by Forbes magazine, is the outgoing CEO of Hewlett-Packard Enterprise. Previously, she oversaw the growth of eBay from $5.7 million to $8 billion in sales as the company's CEO from 1998 to 2008, according to Forbes.
Sacramento's bid is spearheaded by Nagle, the managing partner of Sacramento Soccer & Entertainment Holdings and a minority owner of the Sacramento Kings. CEO of the San Francisco 49ers Jed York is also on board, as is another Kings minority owner, Mark Friedman.
