As announced this summer, the deadline to submit formal applications for the 17th and 18th teams in Major League Soccer is today at 5 p.m. ET.
Later, MLS President Mark Abbott will list each of the bids that have been received prior to the deadline. The announcement will be made on "MLSnet.com's ExtraTime", the League's online weekly news and analysis show hosted by Greg Lalas and Shep Messing. Abbott will appear as a guest on the show and briefly outline the markets and ownership groups that correspond to each application.
Next year, Seattle Sounders FC begins play as the 15th team in MLS and in 2010, Philadelphia will begin play as the 16th team. This round of applications is for teams 17 and 18. The decision to award the next two MLS teams is expected late this year or the early part of next year, prior to the start of the 2009 MLS regular season in late March.
The League will answer media questions and provide further insight into the specific bids, after the League's expansion committee reviews the applications in detail in the coming weeks.
