Philadelphia team joining MLS in 2010

CHESTER, Pa. -- The Philadelphia suburb of Chester was awarded a Major League Soccer team on Thursday that will start play in 2010.

The unnamed team will play in an 18,500-seat stadium planned for the Delaware River waterfront. The stadium is part of a $414 million redevelopment plan for the city, which is southwest of Philadelphia.

MLS Commissioner Don Garber said Philadelphia provides a natural rivalry with several other East Coast teams.

Except for a brief interlude thanks to a women's pro team, outdoor pro soccer hasn't been played in the Philadelphia area since the Fury folded in 1980.

The Philadelphia club becomes the 16th MLS franchise. The team will be owned by iStar Financial CEO Jay Sugarman, Swarthmore Group Chairman James Nevels, Philadelphia attorney William Doran, veteran sports executive Nick Sakiewicz and Christopher and Robert Buccini, founding partners of The Buccini/Pollin Group.

"Philadelphia brings in one of the most passionate sports markets in the country and provides a natural rivalry with the New York Red Bulls and D.C. United," said Garber.

Chester is located 13 miles from downtown Philadelphia and easily accessible from Interstate 95 and public transportation via the R2 SEPTA train and SEPTA buses. The stadium will serve as the hub of a $500 million waterfront development project that will also feature townhomes, apartments, office space, a convention and exposition center, retail space, new streets, greenways and a riverside promenade that will include boat slips.