Brad Cesmat
A good way to put the current status of Major League Soccer expansion and Phoenix Rising FC was presented to me earlier this week. “It’s like a duck swimming, no one can see all the movement under the water.” Yes, it’s been very quiet on the expansion front since the late July meeting in New York City between the ownership and MLS leader Don Garber. That doesn’t mean that there hasn’t been any movement on all of the important boxes that MLS wants to have checked. There’s been progress on many fronts from my understanding, but there’s no reason for ownership to plant a flag in the ground and say that all their work is done, because it’s not. 
The “hungry and humble” approach is the right way to go. It reminds me of the days leading up to the Diamondbacks coming to life with Major League Baseball. I remember all too well the MLB owners jacking up the expansion price tag on Jerry Colangelo at the very last minute. While Jerry was always persistent, I remember talking with him the morning that MLB dropped the bomb, he was discouraged and had some doubt that baseball would happen. By that night, the team was basically born. Things change in a hurry in the business of sports. So for now, enjoy the fact that if Rising FC gets a win tonight against St. Louis FC the franchise will be hosting their first ever playoff match in mid-October(19th or 20th). Attendance looks strong for all three of the remaining regular season matches.
