Back in February, we talked about how Phoenix was among many other cities submitting a bid for a Major League Soccer franchise and had already chosen its site. Per Soccer Nation, soccer club Phoenix Rising is very close to approving their stadium plans in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community near Scottsdale.

Team ownership has narrowed things down to plans from three architects, and the club is using an independent construction company to verify cost estimates. They’ve also retained an engineering firm to determine if a proposed cooling system that reduces on-field temperature without a dome will meet MLS standards. 

Once they approve one of the plans, Phoenix Rising has a deal in place with Goldman Sachs to begin the process of securing equity needed to privately finance 100 percent of the stadium costs. If they’ve already approved stadium plans beforehand, they can get right to work. 

In the meantime, the club has hammered out land lease details with the Solanna Group, which controls the 45-acre site. The landowners have also made known they have ideas about multiple “commercial, tourism, and entertainment projects,” that could happen in the future on the 550 acres surrounding the stadium. 

Ultimately, the club and its fans are still at the mercy of MLS, which is expected to choose two new franchises sometimes this year. The more Phoenix Rising have their plans buttoned up before then, the better their chances are.