MLS commissioner Don Garber has hinted Vancouver and Portland will win franchise licences. "In this environment, to go into a new market that hadn't really shown the same energy that we're seeing in Vancouver and Portland, for example, wasn't worth the risk," said Garber in an interview with the New York Times.

He goes on to say that "when you have to narrow it down to two cities, you go with the ones you think will be most successful. That's ultimately what we're coming down to as we race to announce our next two teams."