NEW YORK — Major League Soccer has called a Friday news conference to announce it is awarding an expansion team to Montreal.

A person familiar with the decision tells The Associated Press the team will start play in 2012 and be the league's 19th city. The person spoke Thursday on condition of anonymity because an official announcement had not been made.

The team will be owned by the Saputo family, which currently runs the Montreal Impact of the U.S. Soccer Federation D-2 Pro League.

Portland, Ore., and Vancouver, British Columbia, were announced in March 2009 as MLS expansion teams for 2011.