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Impact next on MLS expansion list News Sports Entertainment Radio TV My Region Member Centre Login Sign UpHalifax (Shearwater) Change City7c Tomorrow1c Flurries or rain showers Hockey Headlines Scoreboard Standings Stats NHL Schedule Teams Players Hockey Night in Canada Highlights Fantasy Pool FIFA World Cup Vancouver Now Football Headlines CFL Scoreboard CFL Standings CFL Stats CFL Teams NFL Scoreboard NFL Standings NFL Stats NFL Teams NFL Players Video Alpine Skiing Curling Figure Skating Basketball NBA Scoreboard Standings Stats Teams Players Basketball News Feed Baseball MLB Scoreboard Standings Stats Teams Players Baseball News Feed Soccer MLS Scoreboard MLS Standings International Stats Soccer News Feed Amateur Sports Golf Tennis Auto Racing Story Tools EMAIL PRINT Text Size S M L XL REPORT TYPO SEND YOUR FEEDBACK Impact next on MLS expansion listCommissioner has had productive conversations with Montreal officialsLast Updated Monday November 16 2009 835 PM ET Comments12Recommend33The Canadian Press The Montreal Impact may not have realized its dream of joining Major League Soccer in 2011 but MLS commissioner Don Garber still sees the Canadian team as the leagues next franchiseToday we believe that were going to be a 20team league Garber said Monday in his annual state of the league address We know were going to have 18 teams in 2011 with the addition of Vancouver and PortlandWeve had productive conversations with Montreal to be our 19th team We have not put a timetable as to when that team would join the league if were able to reach agreement with themGarber said on a wideranging hourlong conference call that there were no active discussions going on for the 20th teamMontreal which plays in the United Soccer Leagues withdrew its bid for a 2011 franchise at the last minute a year ago after learning the MLS was demanding a $40 million US expansion fee This would have been a fourfold increase from what Toronto FC paid to get in The franchise fee was later dropped to $35 millionPhiladelphia is set to join the league next season followed by the Vancouver Whitecaps and Portland Timbers in 2011Both Vancouver and Montreal are involved in a brouhaha with the United Soccer Leagues that has Garber shaking his head The Canadian teams are among seven clubs looking to form a new league that would break away from the USL First DivisionThe teams unhappy with how USL1 is owned and managed have applied to the US Soccer Federation for sanctioning as a Division II leagueThere is a development taking place that I scratch my head about Garber said I deal in a sport that hardly has the capability to be competing today with the NFL with Major League Baseball or the NBA and to think that we would have dysfunction at any level is disturbing to meWhat this breakout is ultimately going to do I cant comment on but I certainly hope that for the ...