INDIANAPOLIS — During a midseason press conference, Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber said Indianapolis leaders are "doing everything right" and "following the playbook" when it comes to their pursuit of a team.
At the same time, he also said there is no timeline and that Indy needs to be patient.
"We love the city. We love the support from the city leaders and the state. We think there is an interesting ownership dynamic," Garber said. "We like the location they are talking about for the stadium. So, we will continue to work with them and see how it plays out."
Just months ago, Mayor Joe Hogsett left many stunned after cutting ties with Indy Eleven and pursuing a Major League Soccer team and a different downtown stadium.
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Since then, the plan was fast-tracked and gained the approval of the City-County Council within weeks.
The league remained relatively tight-lipped about Indy's bid.
Then on Wednesday, July 24, the commissioner spoke to the media at the MLS All-Star Game in Columbus, Ohio.
Hogsett and Chief Deputy Mayor Dan Parker also made the trip to pitch Indianapolis as the next expansion city. They spoke to the commissioner and several league owners.
"Everything we heard was just incredibly positive," Parker said. "They've given us a game plan, and we want to make sure that we follow it to the T."
However, during the press conference, Garber seemed to downplay any immediate decisions.
"This is a process. It takes time, and these are teams that require a whole lot of constituents to come together, from ownership to city leaders to other fans and partners," Garber said. "We are very much in the beginning of this process."
Last year, St. Louis joined the league, and next year, a new San Diego team will do the same.
After that, the commissioner said the league is taking a break from adding any other teams.
"It's going to be the end of expansion for a period of time until we are ready to expand again," Garber said. "I know many of you might have seen the mayor of Indianapolis who was here over the last couple of days. If there is a good market for us to expand in and if that market makes sense and has the right owner and the right stadium plan, I think like any league, we would consider strongly expanding beyond the 30 teams."
In the meantime, the mayor's team told 13News they remain focused on keeping Indianapolis a top contender as they finalize plans for a future bid.
"We were under no illusion that we were going to be granted a team this week because we actually still have more work to do," Parker said.
So, what does Indianapolis have left to do?
So far, the City-County Council has already approved a new taxing district that would help fund the construction of a downtown stadium.
Now, it's up to the state budget committee to give the plan the green light, which could happen as early as August.
If approved, the city hopes to see an ownership group submit a bid to MLS by the end of the year.