Football
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San Antonio's bid for MLS expansion backed by Mexican Football Federation

As MLS decides where to place its latest expansion team, the president of the Mexican Football Federation has thrown his organization's support behind San Antonio, Texas.

In a letter to MLS commissioner Don Garber obtained by the San Antonio Express-News, Justino Compean says the city "has the infrastructure, resources and diversity that make San Antonio the ideal place for MLS expansion."

The San Antonio Scorpions have played in the North American Soccer League since 2012, and owner Gordon Hartmann has met with Garber to discuss the possibility of the team joining MLS.

Hartman and the San Antonio city council also received copies of the letter, the Express-News reported.

San Antonio is about 150 miles from the Mexico border, and Compean wrote that the Mexican federation and MLS "share a strong important relationship focused on the continued growth of the game in the region."

"As we continue to look for new, creative ways in which to partner, it is our strong belief that MLS expansion into San Antonio would be an outstanding opportunity to continue working together towards our common goal of promoting the game.

"The local Mexican roots of this community run deep and the synergies that can be created by locating a team within the city of San Antonio will have a lasting, positive impact on the community and our cross-border partnership."

Garber has said he would like MLS to expand to 24 teams by 2020. The league will play with 20 this season, with Atlanta and Los Angeles FC set to join in 2017. A third slot has also been promised to David Beckham, whose plans to build a stadium in Miami have hit constant roadblocks.

That leaves one spot remaining, with San Antonio joining Minneapolis and Sacramento as possible destinations.

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