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Sacramento Bids For MLS Expansion, But What About The Republic?

9 a.m. Wednesday Update: Sacramento Republic FC has issued the following statement:

"We are just as surprised as our fans to hear that various news outlets are reporting that a bid was submitted to MLS for Sacramento which does not reference Sacramento Republic FC. If these reports are true, this is deeply troubling to us. This journey has always been an endeavor to elevate your team, Sacramento Republic FC, to MLS. If the bid submitted yesterday by Mr. Nagle did not include Sacramento Republic FC, it was in violation of our agreements and without our authorization; and we will take this up with the appropriate parties immediately. We want to thank all of Sacramento Republic FC's fans for your continued support. This is, and always will be, your team."

Previous story below:

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Sac Soccer & Entertainment Holdings filed a bid for expansion in Major League Soccer on Tuesday, with an odd omission.

There is no mention of Sacramento Republic FC on anything that's been released about the bid.

Tuesday was the final day for expansion bid submissions, and representatives from 12 cities, including Sacramento, turned in plans.

According to Major League Soccer, Sac Soccer & Entertainment Holdings CEO Kevin Nagle submitted the expansion bid and announced the addition of former HP CEO and gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman and a Stanford University neurosurgery professor to the ownership group. No mention of the Sacramento Republic is made in the text on the MLS site.

A photo tweeted from Kunal Merchant, who submitted the bid on behalf of Nagle, shows the cover of the expansion bid with no reference to the Sacramento Republic.

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg tweeted out a congratulations to Kevin Nagle that was posted by Merchant, but does not include a mention of the Sacramento Republic.

The Sacramento Republic FC social media accounts have made no mention about the submission of the expansion bid, something that would have presumably dominated their feeds on a critical day for the franchise.

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