And yet another city is officially on record with a bid today. This time it's Hotlanta.

Courtesy of the Atlanta Business Chronicle. Here is an excerpt:

Arthur Blank has applied for a Major League Soccer franchise.

Blank’s AMB Group LLC, which owns and operates the National Football League’s Atlanta Falcons and the Arena Football League’s Georgia Force, announced Tuesday afternoon ahead of MLS’s Oct. 15 deadline that it has chosen to formally apply.

"Our discussions with the league and potential public partners have been very positive to this point, and filing this application represents an important next step as we continue to explore the possibility of bringing Major League Soccer to fans throughout metro Atlanta,” Blank’s group said in a statement. “As part of our conversations, we're also looking at how best to create a sports and entertainment center that can not only serve as a premier soccer destination, but also a community resource for soccer enthusiasts at various levels of play throughout the region.

"We think there's an opportunity to make a significant, long-term contribution to the community, which is a key consideration in all the Blank businesses."

Blank is a co-founder and the former CEO of The Home Depot Inc.

The AMB Group said it signed a confidentiality agreement with MLS that prevents it from disclosing details of the application. The expansion fee is $40 million.

Other cities in the running include New York, which would add a second team, Montreal, Vancouver, Ottawa, St. Louis, Miami and Portland.

The Oct. 15 deadline applied to MLS’s next round of expansion in 2011. At that point, the league will have 18 teams.

MLS commissioner Don Garber has stated his interest in expanding the league to 20 teams within the next five years.

Blank’s bid must come up with a plan to build a stadium. Soccer only facilities, which seat about 25,000, have been a successful model for MLS.

What do you think of this bid>? Does the South need MLS as this article maintains, or is it a no-go zone?