Measure for public funding for MLS stadium defeated in St. Louis

It looks like St. Louis will remain a two-sport town after voters defeated a measure that would have helped pay for a stadium as part of an effort to lure a Major League Soccer franchise.

It looks like St. Louis will remain a two-sport town after voters defeated a measure that would have helped pay for a stadium as part of an effort to lure a Major League Soccer franchise.

City voters turned down Proposition 2 on Tuesday by a 53 percent to 47 percent vote. It would have provided $60 million from a business use tax to help fund a soccer stadium.

MLS leaders have expressed strong interest in St. Louis, but only if voters agreed to public funding. The league is expected to award two expansion franchises this fall, both of which would begin play in 2020.

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Dan Courtemanche, Major League Soccer's executive vice president of communications, released a statement via Twitter following the official result of the vote.

MLS STATEMENT ON ST. LOUIS PROPOSITION 2 VOTE pic.twitter.com/hE4DUsmoFR

— Dan Courtemanche (@courtemancheMLS) April 5, 2017

St. Louis has two professional franchises, baseball's Cardinals and the NHL's Blues.