sounderfan
19 Nov 2004, 07:00 PM
GARBER ON SEATTLE'S EXPANSION BID:
"Seattle was very close. Seattle and Adrian Hanauer, his family and partners were very committed and we met with Dave (Checketts) at a time when we had not yet finalized our deal with Adrian (Hanauer) and we believed that Dave (Checketts) in this city could get going in 2005 in a fashion that would lead to more success short term and long term than what we were looking at in Seattle.
"It doesn't take away anything from the Hanauer family or our belief in the market. They are certainly at the top of the list. We've had lots of discussions in the last couple of weeks after we finalized our decision with Dave (Checketts) and I'm very excited about the opportunity there. It's a strong soccer market with a great history of success both at the A-League, college level and women's sports level. It's a great sports town. We also like to think of Seattle as the gateway to Asia and we've had a lot of interest from teams in Korea and Japan to get more involved with Major League Soccer. Adrian (Hanauer) has had great discussions with the Seahawks and as you know this League was very instrumental in helping to push the vote for the approval of funding for Seattle Seahawks Stadium. There are many things there (in Seattle) that have us encouraged."
Hmmm. Seattle as a gateway to Asia/Asian soccer?
http://www.athletic-scholarships.net/major-league-soccer.htm
"Seattle was very close. Seattle and Adrian Hanauer, his family and partners were very committed and we met with Dave (Checketts) at a time when we had not yet finalized our deal with Adrian (Hanauer) and we believed that Dave (Checketts) in this city could get going in 2005 in a fashion that would lead to more success short term and long term than what we were looking at in Seattle.
"It doesn't take away anything from the Hanauer family or our belief in the market. They are certainly at the top of the list. We've had lots of discussions in the last couple of weeks after we finalized our decision with Dave (Checketts) and I'm very excited about the opportunity there. It's a strong soccer market with a great history of success both at the A-League, college level and women's sports level. It's a great sports town. We also like to think of Seattle as the gateway to Asia and we've had a lot of interest from teams in Korea and Japan to get more involved with Major League Soccer. Adrian (Hanauer) has had great discussions with the Seahawks and as you know this League was very instrumental in helping to push the vote for the approval of funding for Seattle Seahawks Stadium. There are many things there (in Seattle) that have us encouraged."
Hmmm. Seattle as a gateway to Asia/Asian soccer?
http://www.athletic-scholarships.net/major-league-soccer.htm