Over the last week, the Phoenix Rising FC bid to enter into the United States Major League Soccer (MLS). As the league looks to go from 24 teams to 28, Phoenix is looking to get into the conversation. Phoenix Rising FC isn’t the only city vying for a spot. There are 12 cities that are looking to join the MLS and they all submitted their bids on January 31st, 2017. 

Some wonder if Phoenix will be able to rise from the lower depths of the United Soccer League, where the team finished third last season. Berke Bakay, CEO of Kona Grill and the club governor, believes Phoenix is ready for the MLS. “It’s time for the MLS to come to the Southwest and rise with our fans in Phoenix,” Bakay said after the bid was announced.

However, Bakay does realize that the bidding process is a tricky one. Still, he believes that the other cities competing in the bid do not have the same demographic or population as Phoenix does. With a large amount of Latinos and millennials in the area, the MLS would thrive, as it has done in other neighboring states.

The bid package that Phoenix shared with the MLS is still a mystery, but their have been claims that forty-five different Valley leaders are interested in backing this project. Some of the backers could include Goldman Sachs and Barclays Bank. Also, there is good news for taxpayers. The city would not be asked to pay for a new stadium or the start-up of a Phoenix MLS based team.

Presently, Phoenix is beginning construction on a stadium that would seat over 6,000 people, but their ultimate goal is to see that number skyrocket to over 25,000 people attending each match.

It remains to be seen if the MLS believes that Phoenix is ready to add a team, but here is to hoping.