A mexican star wouldln't hurt but i also don't see it as necessary to bolster attendance. The LAG do like marketing gimmicks, explains why they are supposedly pursuing Rondaldinho.
First off, I don't think it's an obvious money maker. Pretty much only TFC and Seattle and the 2 new expansion markets are obvious money makers, especially with LA already in that market. 2nd - he doesn't have his own stadium which will hurt his revenues. So it is not worth the risk for him to invest that heavily in MLS to build a new stadium but he is staying there because it increases his Chivas brand and modest ticket revenues. Thus MLS needs somebody who actually wants to invest in their league and not use it as a personal brand promotion. I could be entirely wrong and he could be an MLS guy through and through - but I am highly skeptical of that and that is my perception of Vergara at least. And perception with these issues matters as much as reality.
i know he responded one post back, but i want to respond for him anyway! i think what he's implying is, Vergara, egomaniac that he is, is more intent on growing his brand Narcissisticly then he is 'weakening' his brand, or worse, admitting defeat. it's kind of like going to the Hershey family and telling them they have an obvious money maker if they stop producing some of their chocolate products add a margarine line to their inventory. the profit aspect may be irrefutable, but the family does chocolate. that's their thing. i just can't see Vergara admitting defeat on the Chivas USA thing.
Which is why MLS is not going to go to the trouble of kicking him out. Without a legitimate business reason, i.e., making more money, it would be idiotic. This is so often just a lame attempt to justify acting on ones prejudices. Please explain why your perception is more important than reality when determining when to just jettison a team.
I didn't realize Ms. South Carolina was a soccer fan! Tell us, Ms. Anne Elise Parks, which club earns more corporate sponsorship money: New England or Chivas USA? Which club has a higher attendance: NE or Chivas USA? It seems to me that Chivas USA is beating an "American" as apple pie franchise like New England. Who the **** says that apple pie has to be the only dessert? Am I not 'Merikan if I eat flan or tres leches? Actually, a real American would eat all 3. BOOOOOM! And yet, corporate America has responded to Chivas USA more than NE. Why are you obsessed w/ "mainstream America"? Dude. That's just a way of saying, "I'm not racist, but..." Get off it. You're privileging whites over Hispanics as if it mattered or anybody cared. And yet it doesn't. Ahhhh. Sooooo... is the border completely sealed? Is the birth rate amongst Mexicans and Latinos 0%?
I don't know how many times this needs to be said: Vergara doesn't run Chivas USA. Cue does. Also, you keep barking about the league becoming insolvent if Chivas USA didn't hop on board. That's a load of shit. Stadia were popping up and/or finding financing left and right at the time: Dallas, Chicago, Colorado. The league was doing fine. In fact, if Chivas didn't join, Seattle probably would have, and wouldn't have been as successful.
OK, Tom, you laid out your argument, which is that he's too stubborn and/or too beholden to spreading the Mother Ship's brand to change the brand of Chivas USA. As to the first part, well, is that just you guessing that since he's a rich guy he must be stubborn? A reasonable assumption, but then, you know what happens when you assume. As to the second part, an idea can't simultaneously be good financially and bad financially. If he'd gain X by changing to the LA Aztecs, but lose 2X with the mothership, then rebranding isn't a moneymaker, it's a money loser. Finally, I'm with SYoshonis...whenever I see someone write about how perception is as important or more important than reality, I examine the truth of that statement. And 90% of the time, that statement is lazy, wrong, and cynical-for-effect. I mean, how does your perception of how Vergara sees CUSA in terms of his business empire have one damn thing to do with the reality??? What matters is the REALITY of dollars and cents and profits and losses.
Speaking of Cue, I saw this posted on the Chivas USA board: Chivas USA, en revisión. glyconerd summarized the article: Who owns the other 50%?
I don't blame them one bit for not venturing out of BS's own Warsaw Ghetto. Seriously, the amount of subtle bigotry ("well they're not really American") bull shit out there and the incessant digs at their very existence as Americans... er... I mean... uh... a franchise... yeah... a franchise, yeah... that's what I meant... [/sentence fragment for dramatic effect] It's get to the point where you get tired of constantly fighting.
I think this fact is lost on a lot of people who think Chivas USA is all about Vergara expanding the "Chivas brand." That is, no doubt, an issue........but not 100% of this club's mission. It sounds like Chivas is going to go head-first into the youth development and "homegrown player" arena. That's fantastic news. They've got quite a talent pool to mine.
'Bout the Warsaw Ghetto... Yeah. But the CDUSA fan traffic in N&A is not nearly as high as it should be. And like I said, I don't blame them one bit.
Indeed. Chivas may be slightly mis-branded due to the anti-Chiva crowd among the likely fan-base (i.e., Mexican-Americans), but I think there's a way to right this ship... Re-focus on Hispanic-American footballers, Latin style of play, Latin coaching, youth development, etc. It's not a bad idea, but one that wasn't implemented well and then half-way abandoned (e.g., Jesse Marsch, Justin Braun, Alan Gordon). There's still the market there and I'd like them to find it. The US is a big pot and there's room for such a team.
Then name it Chivas Los Angeles or Los Angeles Chivas or something. Chivas USA sounds horrible. Look at how well Team America worked out.
Exactly as well as the San Jose Earthquakes and the Seattle Sounders and the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Portland Timbers did back then.
Except there hasn't been a reincarnation of Team America in any division II or III leagues, or a major Team America fanbase patiently waiting their return. But you're right, Team America is exactly the same as the San Jose Earthquakes, Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers, and Vancouver Whitecaps....except all those teams are in MLS now.
Los Angeles FC , Sporting L.A. , Los Angeles 04? Nick Name = The Goats or simply go to San Diego or Sacramento
Team America was also made up of US National team players. No way they'd bring that back in this day and age.