Want to say where Modesto should build a new soccer stadium? You can at this event.
In the first update since it sent a letter of intent, the city announced it will hold a community discussion Wednesday, March 26, about bringing professional soccer to Modesto — which could mean a deal is close to being final.
In September, the City Council unanimously approved a letter of intent to hold 12 months of exclusive negotiations with the United Soccer League.
The Bee reported at the time that Community and Economic Development Director Jessica Hill said public outreach would start once the city had nailed down details, such as a potential location for a stadium.
Bringing a pro soccer team to Modesto has been a priority for city officials, especially since negotiations between the city and the Seattle Mariners to keep The Nuts at John Thurman Field crumbled.
Councilmember Chris Ricci, who’s been a vocal advocate for bringing professional soccer to Modesto, said the opportunity to have a USL team in Modesto is “pretty exciting,” given the popularity of the sport in the area.
“I think that culture is very important in Modesto,” he said. “Right now, we don’t have a ton of choices, especially when it comes to sports, entertainment and leisure.”
Ricci added that the intent of Wednesday’s discussion is about the “future of culture in Modesto” and that the city wants to have these discussions in public “in the effort of transparency.”
United Soccer League is a Tampa, Florida-based league that started in 1986. It has several leagues throughout the United States, with The Championship being USL’s top professional men’s league, which includes Sacramento Republic.
League One is the other professional men’s league and has 12 clubs and six expansion clubs, which haven’t played yet. The letter of intent calls for the Modesto clubs to compete at the USL’s first or second professional tier.
The discussion will be held at 8:30 a.m. in the Arbor Theatre at Modesto Centre Plaza, 1000 L St.
This story was originally published March 25, 2025 at 12:54 PM.
