Report: LAFC to release plans of $250 million stadium on Sports Arena site, to open 2018

Ahead of LAFC's "big news" as officially teased by the club set to break on Monday morning, comes a report from the Los Angeles Times' Kevin Baxter and some apparent corroborating information from the club and its employees on social media, regarding what the news will actually be.

On Sunday evening, Baxter published an article and it confirms what we all expected: On Monday, LAFC will announce plans for a soccer-specific stadium, a 22,000-capacity facility to be located on the Sports Arena site near USC and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. The project, to be privately funded by the 24-strong ownership group, will cost an estimated $250 million, making it the most expensive soccer stadium ever built in the United States, and according to Baxter, $100 million more than the club's initial estimate for a stadium.

Additionally, Baxter reports what has long appeared to be an inevitability: That due to delays in completing the project, including a required addition to the environmental impact report, which he says could take as long as a year, as well as actual demolition of the Sports Arena and then construction on the new stadium, the stadium won't be ready until 2018. Though I suppose there's room for LAFC to still begin in 2017 on a temporary site, all indications so far point to the club not starting play in MLS until their permanent home is ready to go. That is likely something that will be confirmed on Monday by the team.

Corroborating Baxter's report, which I think is as good as gospel at this point, is LAFC retweeting his tweets about it, as well as releasing a rendering of the stadium, which Baxter once again reports was designed by the Gensler firm.

Home. #LAFCinLA #MLS pic.twitter.com/eUthdkxkQB

— LAFC (@LAFC) May 18, 2015

Let's see that a bit more blown up...

Well, that looks pretty nice, doesn't it? Who wants to catch a game? Only have to wait a few seasons.

Another tidbit:

The 22,000-seat stadium is the first open-air professional sports venue to be build in the City of L.A. since Dodger Stadium #LAFC

— Kevin Baxter (@kbaxter11) May 18, 2015

We'll have more information and reaction to Monday's event, but again, consider this to be "essentially confirmed."

In the meantime, what do you think? Leave a comment below!