By Sam Stejskal, Paul Tenorio and Jeff Rueter, with additional reporting by Meg Linehan
MLS announced on Friday that Ron Burkle will not move forward with an expansion team in Sacramento, calling into question the city’s hopes of getting a place in the league.
Burkle was also involved in the NWSL Sacramento offering. Athletic said in August 2020 that the city would host an expansion team – news that was confirmed by NWSL commissioner Lisa Baird at a news conference in January. It is not yet clear how Burkle’s withdrawal will affect Sacramento’s NWSL efforts, but the initial impression from sources is that it will not undermine the team’s goal of joining the league in 2022.
A property group led by Burkle was awarded an MLS expansion team in Sacramento in October 2019.