Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank has revealed that he is close to agreeing a deal with Major League Soccer for an expansion franchise.
The co-founder of Home Depot, who purchased NFL side the Falcons in 2002, is now embarking on a new project as he looks to bring professional top flight soccer to Atlanta.
Blank told 680 The Fan (Atlanta) on Wednesday: "The answer is yes.
"We're in the very final stages of doing our agreement. We hope to have an announcement this coming week."
Blank added that his plans to develop a $1.2billion stadium next to the Georgia Dome by 2017 will assist greatly in the MLS bid.
"We think it's a tremendous fit for Atlanta from a variety of standpoints," Blank added.
"Our new stadium is being designed to accommodate potentially the World Cup and international soccer games with the roof expanding.
"The roof, obviously, is retractable, which means we can open and close it to any level we want to. The field will be designed to accommodate soccer. We're enthused about that.
"We think the fan support in Atlanta will be incredible. An urban, downtown soccer stadium will be a tremendous hit in Atlanta."
