MLS Expansion

Looks like if I do relocate to Florida, I'll be rooting for Orlando. When the Dynamo visit, I'll root for the Orange.

 

Countdown to Dynamo back the the West has begun....

 

Yay for playing Dallas more. We need that cannon back. Hasn't been the same without firing it before the game.

 

So which expansion club will replace Chivas USA? San Antonio, San Diego, Sacramento, or Las Vegas?

 

Does Vergara want to move the team?

 

I counter that with Phoenix, Las Vegas, or San Antonio.

 

I thought word was that he specifically wanted LA in the first place which is what was the deal to buy the team.

 

None. Chivas is staying in one incarnation or another. The only question is how long Vegara will be the I/O. It's worth too much money to MLS to move Chivas. They might find a way to dump Vegara and rebrand but that won't happen unless A) Vegara sells B) Vegara violates some clause in his I/O agreement (it might be more loose than some later ones...)

We're stuck with them. The real problem child is DC. We, as a league, desperately need them to find a home. Everyone esles situation is tenable for now. Theirs isn't.

I do hope SanAn joins the ranks eventually. That'd be badass.

 

At this point, I'm concerned about the effects of expansion. There are some cities that may seem like a good idea but may also struggle. San Antonio, and Miami seem a bit risky.

 

SanAn would be a luxury, but it could be a solid market like RSL. Miami would be good for TV deals, a la Atlanta. After those 2 things get interesting. Maybe SanAn, Indy, TwinCities...I dunno. St Louis would be badass because of the history there

 

More proof that MLS is a Mickey Mouse league.

 

Chivas USA is a drag on revenue, its not worth too much money. To subsidize a team who doesn't draw more than 8K and 4K turnstiles does not benefit the league. The owner/operator agreement has to have an out if there is a vote of owners. They could vote to disband the team but would have to pay him the purchase price in the agreement. LA can't hold two teams. The Galaxy's attendence has been slipping too. You don't move the team. Just have a dispersal draft of its players. I'm sure Orlando would take a few of their players, the rest can return to Mexico and play second division.

 

Even with Orlando City, NYCFC, ATL, & Miami, there's still room for 1 more to 24. I too think Chivas stays as USC seems pretty serious about replacing the LA Sports Arena with an SSS.

As for San Antonio, it looks like if the Scorpions push for MLS, it will likely involve Gordon Hartman selling the team or adding investors to make that happen. Maybe that's where the Spurs (whom were also interested in soccer in SA) come into play ...we shall see.

 

In light of Dup Post, let this be my Congrats to Orlando City on today's stadium vote passage.

 

I've the impression, without the evidence necessary to have a high degree of confidence, that Garber will not allow the Dynamo back into the Western Conference as long as AEG owns a significant share of the team. No matter how much geographic sense it might make.

 

LA can support 2 very successful teams. LA's attendance has been "slipping" for a couple reasons, no the least of which is that they charge more than anyone else in the league.

Chivas itself, as a property, may not be worth much but an LA team is very valuable. Given the right ownership, it too could be a flagship franchise. They've all the natural resources to make it work. Can/Will Vegara turn things around? Doubt it. Who knows what Donnie G has up his sleeve to get rid of him but it won't be a dispersal draft, that I can ppromise you. He also might be forced to wait until a new owner comes along before forcing Jose out, on whatever clause is applicable.

What complicates things is that whatever "charge" you can lay at Vegara's foot can also be layed at Krafts, minus the lawsuits. Say what you will about the man, but I imagine he still weilds a lot of power on the BoG.

Now if Jose looses the lawsuits and/or the State investigates...that might change things.

 

Good Points, but I think we'll just disagree on how 'valuable' any franchise in LA is to the rest of the owners when in fact its been a failure. The argument 'with the right ownership' is code for 'an ongoing successful team'. That's not guaranteed because we already know a man with alot of money, trying to tap the huge hispanic population, with alot of success with football teams couldn't do it. That doesn't mean anyone could do it. I'm sure there are clauses in the Owner/Operator agreements for an owner vote. To compare Kraft and Vergara is not accurate. While Kraft hasn't gotten a stadium deal at least he's hired responsible soccer people who's had the in multiple Cups, they've had good teams, and whilel there was a lull of a few years has invested properly in talent to have them on the edge of the playoffs I'm rooting for them.

 

why does everyone want to get rid of Chivas USA. every league* needs it Wigan.

*even a single-entity one. this ain't FPPS!

 

Interesting, didn't put that together in my head.

 

Let me explain my Kraft/Vegara comparison a bit more: Kraft doesn't spend much on the Revs. If their fans are to be believed, he spends next to nothing, using many of his Patriots FO to do the same jobs. The stadium situation is self explanatory. He has also been extremely reluctant to grab a DP over the years and his attendance has been average at best over the last 5 years or so.

Outside the ethical/legal issues in Chivas, many fans/commentators have raised these same issues with Vegara. Hence my comparison. And I don't think ownership wants to get into League-Owned teams anymore so they'll wait until an LA buyer comes along.

Agree to disagree on the value of a 2nd LA team.

Oh and welcome Orlando City! Hope they keep the lion motif when they're promoted!

 

Wigan is more competently run than Chivas. We don't need that, but we are stuck with it. DC is more akin lately

 

Leveraging the business acumen and relationships of an NFL franchise in the US a good business proposition. See the bloomberg piece and see that having the Seahawks involved is one of the major points of success for the Sounders.
http://www.bloomberg.com/video/soun...ey-hayzlett-10-15-QqdMrRnmQDiQvWKhLfBBGA.html

Signing a DP isn't a sign of value. Many teams succeed without significant DPs. Houston, RSL, Portland.
If they make the playoffs the talent/value/salary proposition would be one of the best in the league. That's a good team. Don't get me wrong Kraft isn't promoting the team, attendence is weak, and Revs are a true second thought he is no Vergara in those areas. Vergera is really bad while Draft is poor. Its the difference between grade F- and C. One is barely passing, while the other should be kicked out of school.