Rip City Crystal Ball: MLS in 2020

This post is the first of the Rip City Crystal Ball series.  Throughout the next few weeks we at Rip City will be doing our best Shawn Spencer (Psychic detective) and divining what MLS will look like in 2020.  With all of the recent success of not only MLS but of soccer in the United States the future looks bright but for many the development of MLS is painstakingly slow. Have no fear though because this series will give you a sneak peak into the glorious future of MLS.  This week we look at the always exciting and hot topic of expansion.  Where will MLS stop?  Which cities will get the final spots?
 As of right now MLS will have eighteen teams in the league next season with the addition of Portland and Vancouver. Montreal is set to join in 2012 and the general consensus is that Don Garber will finally get his second New York team.  That makes twenty and FIFA discourages leagues from growing beyond that size but what FIFA wants has rarely decided what MLS does and that will continue to be the case here.  The United States simply has too many quality markets to limit the league to twenty teams.  Garber has already said that he can't imagine there not being teams in the Southwest. Considering that I think that Miami will resurface as an MLS team and Atlanta will also recieve a team almost more by default than by merit.  The league can't just have Miami by themselves in the Southwest. That takes us to 22 teams. Perhaps that would be enough but I don't see them stopping until they reach at least 24.  St. Louis will eventually get their act together and get one of the last spots.  The last team I see joining was a difficult decision for me. To begin with I see Chivas USA possibly moving from LA to San Diego but that doesn't count as a new team.  My winner for the 24th spot in the league goes to Orlando.  The Austin Aztex just moved to Orlando and weren't quiet about their intentions to bring MLS to Orlando. The Aztex were successful while in Austin and having another team in Florida makes sense geographically.  My last psychic whisperings are telling me that fans in Columbus had better be supportive in the post Schelloto years or else the Crew may look to move to a more traditional sports city.