Indianapolis has interest in an MLS franchise, according to MLS

According to a report in the Indy Star, another North American Soccer League city could be looking for a Major League Soccer franchise. The paper had the following to say about potential expansion sites following Don Garber's comments on Friday:

MLS says cities expressing interest included Austin, Texas; Sacramento, California; St. Louis; and San Antonio; and to a lesser extent El Paso, Texas; Indianapolis; and Las Vegas.

We've known for quite a while that San Antonio has serious interest in an MLS franchise, and that the Scorpions could eventually follow their rivals in Minnesota. It's a bit disturbing to hear that Indianapolis also has interest so soon after the Eleven debuted in the NASL,  though it's nice to hear that it's not quite as serious as the interest from several other cities.

From the opposite perspective, the success of the Eleven off the pitch should make chasing them a no-brainer for Don Garber, especially if the club ever manages to get their stadium plan approved. It does make me wonder if these comments from MLS are the beginning of a media courtship, rather than any sort of serious interest from the Eleven or another potential ownership group.

That said, continued success off the pitch at Indy will obviously have them dreaming of better things on it, so hopefully the NASL continues to develop so that these MLS links remain very tenuous. Here's hoping future expansion goes as smoothly as it has in Indy, Ottawa, and Jacksonville.