Charlotte is waking up to the potential of a Major League Soccer franchise.
Speedway Motorsports president and chief executive officer Marcus Smith is leading Charlotte’s bid to land a team, one of 10 markets under consideration by the league. MLS is looking to add four more franchises by 2020. Raleigh-Durham, Cincinnati, Detroit, Nashville, Sacramento, St. Louis, San Antonio, San Diego and Tampa/St. Petersburg are also under consideration.

Smith, whose company owns Charlotte Motor Speedway, tweeted Dec. 15: “Go Charlotte! MLS would be a great addition to the Charlotte sports & entertainment landscape! Hope to make it a reality!”

Expansion teams in Minneapolis and Atlanta begin play in 2017; a second Los Angeles franchise takes the pitch in 2018. MLS is charging a record $150 million entry expansion fee.

“There is tremendous interest in professional soccer across the United States and Canada,” Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement. “Since announcing plans to expand to 28 clubs late last year, many potential ownership groups have contacted us, and numerous public officials have stated their desire to bring an MLS expansion team to their city. We look forward to reviewing expansion applications in the coming months and conducting formal meetings in 2017 with possible team owners.”

MLS applicants are required to provide to the league a strong ownership, details on a stadium site with a capacity between 20,000-30,000 and the funding to build it and corporate and community support.

Charlotte’s track record with soccer is mixed. More than 50,000 people attended international matches at Bank of America Stadium the last three years but the minor-league Charlotte Independence averaged 1,375 fans at Ramblewood Soccer Complex. Their lone sellout crowd – 4,600 – was for a July 13 match against English Premier League team Swansea City.

Charlotte’s government and tourism agencies are jumping on the bandwagon. The Charlotte Regional Visitors Authority, city of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County issued a joint statement on the possibility of adding another major league franchise.

“We’re honored that Major League Soccer is considering Charlotte for expansion and support the Smith family’s exploration and enthusiasm in ownership. Soccer continues to gain a tremendous following throughout our region as we’ve seen from the international soccer matches we’ve hosted to thriving soccer camps, soccer academies and community programs that are creating the next generation of fans. We’re confident that an MLS team would be successful in the Queen City and look forward to continuing this conversation in the weeks and months to come.”