Rail Yards Will Be Only Site MLS Officials Visit In Sacramento For Potential Stadium
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Major League Soccer officials will arrive in Sacramento inspect a possible future home for a franchise in California's capital.
The city dressed in purple for an NBA visit in 2011 to help keep the Sacramento Kings in Sacramento. Now the city is ready to dazzle again, this time for a professional soccer team.
Mayor Kevin Johnson is assembling the same Think BIG task force that helped promote Sacramento to the NBA.
CBS13 has learned after several possibilities were originally floated, only the rail yards made the final cut. The list of possible sites released weeks ago has been cut following research on transportation options, neighborhoods and even the location of the sun.
"When we looked at sites, we found some great locations, but also realized the other factor with soccer is it's an outdoor sport, so you need to make sure little things such as the sun isn't in the goalies eyes at certain times of the day," said Sacramento Republic spokeswoman Erika Bjork.
Midtown's ice house location was eliminated as a possible stadium site because the lot only would allow for an east-west field layout.
The Republic won their playoff game on Saturday, 4-1, and play the Los Angeles Galaxy II on Saturday. A limited number of single-game tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Tuesday.
