Meh, maybe? I feel it's more of the Mexican owner thinking he&his league are better and wants to come here and show it I just wish the higher ups at ChivasUSA would take this league seriously or sell the team to someone who actually cares.
If race is a factor in choosing then by definition it is racist. It may or may not be illegal but I think the real question becomes about the team's motives moving forward. If indeed Vergara now sees CUSA as a development team for the Mexican club, then he is going to have to hire coaches who will bring in Mexican Americans or else they can't move up to the Mexican club. It becomes a bigger issue if indeed the club becomes a development team for the Mexican club, because lets say Mikey Lopez is selected at #2, is he or other young Mexican American prospects going to be given more playing time to develop over black/white/asian/other hispanic players? The question becomes what is the point of the team? If the point is to try to someday bring Mikey Lopez to Mexico, then you have to play him and develop him. If the point to the team is to just win, then you can't make decisions based on race only by what player is best. Its a really difficult line they are going to be walking now that Vergara owns 100% of the club.
Well I was thinking there is not enoght threads in Big Soccer thant talk about Chivas USA or are related to Chivas USA failures, we really need another one
My biggest problem with the whole issue is simple. I wonder how MLS would react if an owner came out publicly and stated that he would from now on only field a team of white players. Or better yet only white players of a northern European lineage. There would be an unholy public outcry. It would be on every news station. It would be called racist (because it would be) and MLS might even move in and attempt to manange the situation. Major League Soccer teams should not be oprated as minor league feeder teams for any team. United States soccer teams should be operated free from any outwardly racist policies. Vergara needs to go.
Chivas USA has been overtly racist since the day they were announced as an expansion team. The only surprising thing here is that this hasn't been the policy from day one.
I do think that by definition stating that you are only looking at players of one race in a draft is a racist statement, but I don't fault CUSA for this. I'm not Mexican and I'm totally OK with CUSA having this kind of policy in MLS...now I'm not sure if its totally legal but that is a different issue. So why am I cool with it? Because everyone knows exactly what Chivas is in Mexico and Vergara offered a big check to MLS to form an American version of Chivas during a time when MLS needed big checks. MLS cashed that check and gave him a franchise, it is his to operate as he chooses. If he wants to create a brand that will alienate people than that is his choice. If he wants to have his coaches only look at Mexicans in a draft and possibly overlook the next Clint Dempsey or Tim Ream and weaken his team and loose out on millions in a future transfer...that is on him. He payed the money and he gets to do whatever he wants. I think its clear that CUSA has been a failure, and if CUSA wants to draw a line in the sand and limit themselves to potential talent than it will probably mean CUSA will continue to be a failure. But its a failure on Vergara's dime and not any of ours. If you don't like them, then don't support them. And as far as comparing it to another sports team in America, I think it can't be done. Sure if the Red Sox started saying they will only look for Irish Americans or something, yea it would be a big story and it would really hurt them publicly. But the Red Sox didn't have a century history as an Irish only team before buying a MLB franchise. It is a unique situation that can't be compared to any other league. If MLS didn't want this to happen they shouldn't have cashed that check, but they did and now they have to deal with it.
So we would be ok with Africa FC in the USA with only black players? Look I think Chivas is a joke but every single team in this league needs eachother to succeed. MLS is only as strong as it's weakest link and Chivas needs to be fixed as the bane of MLS
The thing is that is not a racist thing, is also not Xenophobic, it is another word that I can't think of it right now (another word for people that discriminate). Africa FC would not only have black players, they could have Arab players (North Africa) and even white and Indian players as long as they were born (or their parents) in Africa. BTW, USLPRO has a team that only plays teams form Antigua and Barbados (I think that is the island); because they are funded by their FA and used as their national team training (they do not have a high caliber league in the Island). Is not the same for sure, but there is that precedent in an American league.
True, but since each team in USLPRO is a separate entity (unlike MLS's single-entity) and that team is based in Antigua there's no legal issues to deal with.
If there was an 'Africa FC' that existed for a century doing nothing but playing Africans in an African league and then came to MLS and offered 25M to buy into MLS to create Africa USA and only hire African Americans than I would be ok with it. Why? Because everyone knew exactly what Africa FC was and MLS could have just told them no. But MLS accepted that expansion and cashed that check with the understanding of what they were going to do.
im not talking about legal issues, more ethics. the fact is that Chivas USA is IN the USA and not linked to the Mexican FA. VERY different situation
Yes similar to the Charlote eagles, not the same with the single entity issue for sure. BTW I read in the USL forums that the team will be based out of florida this year to save on travel cost I assume. Actually barbers do not split hairs, they cut hair. All I want to say is that is not racist is bigotry (that is the word I was looking for).
it's their policy going forward from what i read. of course they have plenty of non mexican players already on their team so what happens to them i wonder?
i'm definitely white as hell, but I would probably say something like "this team is going to be epically boring" not to mention the fan base would then probably be mostly white, which means the concession stands probably won't sell papusas...