[photo via LasVegasSun.com]

Texas entrepreneur Chris Milam has proposed a plan to build a 17,000 seat Basketball arena, a 9,000 seat Baseball stadium, and a 36,000 seat Soccer stadium near the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas. Milam is in the process of purchasing the Las Vegas 51's, Toronto's Triple-A affiliate, for a reported $20 million and is now pushing to bring the NBA and MLS to Sin City. This is just the first phase of Milam’s plan to eventually build three state-of-the-art facilities on the west side of I-15. The project has been dubbed the "Las Vegas National Sports Center" and is estimated to cost about $1.95 billion to complete.

Last week MLS Commissioner Don Garber contacted Nevada lawmakers in regards to funding a future MLS stadium. "(Garber) called, made no promises, but said they were interested and liked the project," Nevada Speaker of the Assembly John Oceguera told The Las Vegas Sun. A franchise in Las Vegas would make it the 12th MLS team West of the Mississippi river. With no teams in the South Eastern United States, does MLS really need another West Coast team? Don Garber has show the South East some love recently, talks continue regarding a possible expansion team in Orlando, Florida. My opinion? If MLS is considering Florida, the smart choice is to bring their talents to South Beach. Anyways, Las Vegas expansion, good move for MLS or should they pursue expansion in the South East?

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