Panthers owner David Tepper has been talking about bringing an MLS team to Charlotte since before he was the Panthers owner.Now he’s going to get his chance to make his pitch directly to MLS.According to Brian Straus of SI.com Jordan Scarlett Jersey , Tepper’s group is expected to meet with the domestic soccer league’s expansion committee (which includes familiar NFL faces Jonathan Kraft and Arthur Blank) in mid-July.“We’ve had a lot of engagement already,” Panthers team president Tom Glick said. “We’ve been consulting with them and doing our homework here, and we’re now in a position to say that this is going to work incredibly well and we can play earlier or later to best suit their needs. We’ll be meeting with the commissioner and perhaps the expansion committee very soon.”Competing groups from Sacramento and St. Louis are scheduled to meet with the expansion committee the week of July 15, before the league’s board of governors meets for the All-Star Game in Orlando. Unless the expansion committee plans to gather more than once, it makes sense that the Charlotte presentation will be made then as well.While MLS has long preferred soccer-specific stadiums, the Panthers can offer Bank of America Stadium without waiting for construction. They’ll be renovating the place soon anyway, and have sent out surveys to locals regarding soccer-specific seating options.While MLS might like a smaller building that doesn’t need tarps https://www.carolinapanthersfanshop.com/Christian-Miller-Jersey , they might also enjoy having someone in their club who is already the richest single owner in the NFL.And Tepper is clearly not one to dawdle. When he was in the process of buying the Panthers, he threatened to pull out of that bidding in mid-stream, only to be approved for the sale despite offering Jerry Richardson the lowest bid of the finalists.By having a building ready to go, and cash on hand, he could put a team on the field as soon as 2021.“We’re in their hands on the process. We will now be emphasizing that we are turn-key,” Glick said.Glick was hired by Tepper in part because of his familiarity with the soccer industry, having worked for Manchester City as they became one of the biggest brands in world sport.The Panthers also just put nearly 60 Will Grier Jersey ,000 fans in Bank of America Stadium for Gold Cup games Sunday (between Mexico-Martinique and Canada-Cuba), suggesting the market is ready to support the team, whenever MLS is ready.Tepper clearly is, and has been for some time. The Panthers made Jake Peetz’s hiring official, announcing they have hired him to coach the running backs. He replaces Jim Skipper, who announced his retirement Wednesday.Peetz arrives in Carolina with nine years of NFL experience, having spent time in various roles with the Jaguars (2008-12) https://www.carolinapanthersfanshop.com/Greg-Little-Jersey , Washington (2014) and the Raiders (2015-17).In 2018, he served as an offensive analyst at Alabama under head coach Nick Saban, a position Peetz also held in 2013. The Crimson Tide led all SEC teams last season with 522 yards per game and 45.6 points per game.Peetz coached quarterbacks in his final two seasons in Oakland (2016-17), serving as assistant quarterbacks coach in 2016 and quarterbacks coach in 2017. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr earned two of his three consecutive Pro Bowl selections working with Peetz. Peetz originally joined the Raiders as a senior offensive assistant in 2015, working primarily with the running backs. He helped Latavius Murray earn Pro Bowl honors after rushing for 1,066 yards and six touchdowns, the first 1 Brian Burns Jersey ,000-yard rushing season by a Raider since 2010. Peetz spent one year with Washington as the offensive quality control/assistant receivers coach in 2014. Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson, in his one season working with Peetz, led the NFL with an average of 20.9 yards per reception and led the team with 1,169 receiving yards.His NFL coaching career began in 2012 as Jacksonville’s offensive assistant/assistant quarterbacks coach. Before joining the team’s coaching staff, Peetz worked in scouting, serving as the team’s BLESTO scout from 2010-11 after starting as a scouting assistant in 2008.Peetz began his coaching career with two years on the collegiate level at Santa Barbara City College (2006) and UCLA (2007).