New Major League Soccer Stadium Plan In Los Angeles

LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The owners of a new Major League Soccer franchise coming to the Southland announced plans today to build a $250 million open-air stadium on the site of the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in Exposition Park.

The team, known at this point as the Los Angeles Football Club, also plans to build a conference center, museum and restaurants as part of the complex.

"What I'm really happy about is that those 1,200 construction jobs, we can put people to work who live here, and that's really important," team co-owner Magic Johnson said.

Johnson is part of a management group that also includes former women's soccer star Mia Hamm and her husband Nomar Garciaparra, a former Major League Baseball player.

The group was awarded a franchise last year to replace the disbanded Chivas USA soccer club. The new team is expected to begin play in 2018.

Plans for the 22,000-seat stadium still need the approval of the Coliseum Commission and the City Council, but the project has already received

public support from various officials, including the mayor.

City Councilman Curren Price hailed the planned stadium project.

"The L.A. Football Club is not only going to bring soccer to the city but it's going to bring a $250 million investment to our community," Price

said. "That means jobs. That means people working. That means providing goods and providing services."

Chivas USA played for 10 years at StubHub Center in Carson, sharing the facility with the Los Angeles Galaxy.