Well guys, this just in...

[Sempuukyaku]

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/13392462.htm



Unless an unbelivable miracle happens in the next 2 days, looks like the team is yours. Congrats, Houston fans.


Sucks for SJ, though.

[fireman451]

I think Houston shouldn't get too far ahead of themselves. Believe it when you see it Bayou City. And yes, it does suck for SJ if the Quakes move. Mayor is horrible there, SJSU is a complete joke for not wanting the income. I can see the same thing happening if MLS Houston has to play at Robertson. UH is not exempt from making totally stupid decisions . . not at all exempt.

[The Gribbler]

Sweet, roadtrip!

[chapulincolorado]

Unless an unbelivable miracle happens in the next 2 days, looks like the team is yours. Congrats, Houston fans.
Sucks for SJ, though.

It does suck if SJE do move. I understand the biz part of it all, but...hey...this Tejano ain't celebrating getting a team via SJE.

Linder's memo said the Sharks wanted public help financing a new stadium and assistance covering operating losses until a new stadium was built. The memo included no specifics on how much public assistance the Sharks wanted.

Assistance?!

Well...we, in Texas, can give them this:

http://www.hhsc.state.tx.us/providers/LoneStar/images/ACSLoneStarCard2.jpg

Is $200 a month good for y'all? :D

[DrLudicrous]

As happy as I am to have a team here (assuming they do move) I do wish it didn't come at the expense of other fans. Most Houstonians know what it's like to lose a sports franchise to another city.

Of course, I don't know if the Earthquakes have found a place to play in Houston yet so they may not be able to move here. I guess it'll be official one way or another in a couple of days.

[truthandlife]

Very interesting development. I am really wondering if Houston really does have a plan to get a team. The comissioner was just using Houston and now since things have collapsed in SJ, can Houston put a temporary deal in place. It will be interesting.

[IRguy]

Well i hope your team does not become a Club America knock off. That will turly be a shame, other wise road trip!

[CeltTexan]

When this goes down, San Jose WILL NEED TO KEEP its colors, logo, crest, 2 Cup Victories and anything else that made them an outstanding MLS franchise for the league to be proud of.

Secondly, Garber will need to disband this team as De Ro will obviously end up with Toronto in 2007. The other players can be distributed in a draft set up.

The front office staff needs to be identified early with an ephasis with a local leader that has expereince with pro outdoor soccer in Houston.

Next, Houston and South Texas has very professionally done "Open" tryouts for Team Houston starting in Janruary.

Thus, if this is a go for April kickoff in 2006 than the logo can be created in Jan. also. Team Houston's crest, colors and kit can be released to the world in Feb after the Super Bowl. Ticket sales can begin over Christmas. All this leading up to a beautiful spring day in April! If it is Robertson than a full house of 33K will be there with many faces from many races that are fans of the beautiful game!

[IRguy]

Secondly, Garber will need to disband this team as De Ro will obviously end up with Toronto in 2007. The other players can be distributed in a draft set up.


It's not 2007 yet and why would there need to be a distribution draft set up? The team is moving not folding everything should stay the same expect for the name, colors, and some of the staff.

[anderson]

Well, as we've mentioned in the poll thread, even if the stadium negotiations with San Jose are dead, there's still a chance of a stadium deal with Santa Clara. So I'm not sure that all the local options have been exhausted just yet in the Bay Area.

The San Jose negotiations may have collapsed, but if SVS&E has also been negotiating with Santa Clara, then they may be able to get comfortable enough with the prospect of a stadium deal there to purchase the team from AEG.

...

The front office staff needs to be identified early with an ephasis with a local leader that has expereince with pro outdoor soccer in Houston.Brushing up the ol' resume, Celt? CeltTexan for Houston MLS GM sounds good to me! :D

[cristoforo7]

So, assuming Quakes move to Houston, will it be Robertson, Rice or Cy-Fair? One would think AEG has a deal in principal lined up at this point, and is waiting to sign on the dotted line on December 15 at 5:01 p.m. PT/7:01 p.m. CT.

[anderson]

So, assuming Quakes move to Houston, will it be Robertson, Rice or Cy-Fair? One would think AEG has a deal in principal lined up at this point, and is waiting to sign on the dotted line on December 15 at 5:01 p.m. PT/7:01 p.m. CT.Assuming that AEG relocates the team:

Robertson -- the Chron reported on Nov. 17 that AEG had re-opened negotiations with UH, so maybe they've been able to reach substantive agreement with Maggard by now.

Cy-Fair -- the facility won't be ready until next April, but the team could open on the road for a few weeks. Leiwecke, FWIW, seemed to really like this facility when he commented on venue options last month.

Rice -- my understanding is that the Rice Board of Trustees is meeting on Wednesday and Thursday of this week. The main item on their agenda has to be finalizing the Search Committee for the Rice football head coach position. But they may also consider a proposal for MLS in Rice Stadium if such a proposal is ready -- I'm not saying that such a proposal is in place for the BOT, just that the timing would work out well.

There's also a stadium in Galena Park ISD (on the East side of the metro area) that's apparently been suggested to AEG by the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority. I haven't been there, but am told that, like Cy-Fair, it's one of these snazzy ISD venues that put some college stadiums to shame.

[IRguy]

Cy-Fair -- the facility won't be ready until next April, but the team could open on the road for a few weeks. Leiwecke, FWIW, seemed to really like this facility when he commented on venue options last month.



That may work out well, because it would give the team a few more weeks to build up a buzz and sale more tickets at last for the first game.

[CeltTexan]

It's not 2007 yet and why would there need to be a distribution draft set up? The team is moving not folding everything should stay the same expect for the name, colors, and some of the staff.


No, no I think you missed where I'm going with that line of thought. Since De Ro, who would be Team Houston's flagship player, WILL BE in Toronto in 2007. That is unavoidable. Thus, how could all the marketing effort to put him out there as our leader/best player/Mr. Houston in the local posters and media be better spent if he is only in Houston for next season and then moves on???

O sea, Team Houston can field a competative first XI from players strictly from Texas! California can also. Other states can as well but what seperates Cali and Texas is that our local high school lads and U-23 age group types have earned the praise of the USSF national techincal director. Houston in particular was singled out by Juan Carlos (who played in Houston back in '80) in our unique combination of flair and grit. It would be a great way to really capture the Latino and other immigrant markets if true "open" tryouts are held. Even more so if the franchise is in a huge hurry cuz of the quick move!

IMHO I would do a massive talent search. Then select a 50 man and young man group to use in year One. Obviously working with the best to get them ready for a April kickoff. Have that core group play as many scrimages to see who can really be at an MLS level by Spring. Then in the draft plug the holes that are seen from those scrimages with seasoned veterans of MLS. Like a solid defender in Nick Garcia who just also happens to be from Texas but is a class defender. A Richard Mulrooney to be a midfield leader and head hunter. And so on.

As a new club we are expected to get pushed around and not make the playoffs. If that holds ture like it did for LA Chivas and RSL than why not get our local talent the cuts they need so by year 2 and 3 we have an expereinced core group of highly talented ballers like Dane Richards and Kevin Villalobos from my barrio of Sharpstown. If you haven't seen these two 19 year olds play than you outta!

As I've seen in Houston we have the talent in our backyard! Also I believe in creating as close to what the rest of the Americas has been doing at the club level for more than a century now. Within the MLS structure I would just desire to have Team Houston with all its local potential from players and fanatics alike to really see what they deserve. Team Houston would be the first franchise to hit home with the immigrant market that Garber and Co. have been drooling over for years now. Fan support cannot be purchased in ethnic buys like a Carlos Valderrama, Luiz Hernandez, Raul Diaz Arce sabes??? Cuz once those dudes are traded or retire....MLS has seen that their repective cult following hasn't bought into the club or its colors just what that ONE INDIVIDUAL can do with the ball.

Team Houston can be the first MLS franchise to grow its own talent with a youth academy and thus being confident that the local barrios are full of lads playing the game that their local MLS side, however new to the club scene, will treat them with a great chance to one day play at the stadium in front of their friends, family and neighbors. IMHO only nada mas amigos mios....that's when MLS as a whole starts to turn the corner in brand recognition and following in ethnic and immigrant communities. They all already know the beautiful game and the beautiful game speaks to all....they just want to be sure that their purchased ticket is for a club that represents what has always been pure to a community. That cultural link felt in the hearts of the followers for the dudes on the field are often homegrown ballers that bleed for the fans!

Thanks for the vote of confidence Anderson........Club Seats all around for you and sua familia vielo! :)

[cristoforo7]

This just in from an AP article about the Wizards staying put in KC for the 2006 season:

Hunt's decision leaves the San Jose Earthquakes as the only one of 12 MLS teams without a definite home next year. On Nov. 16, the league gave the Anschutz Entertainment Group permission to move the team, with a 30-day deadline to decide. Houston is the front-runner to land the team if it relocates.

Anschutz Entertainment, which owns the Quakes as well as the Los Angeles Galaxy, Chicago Fire and New York-area based MetroStars, has said it needs a soccer stadium in San Jose or it will move or sell the team.

That decision is expected before Christmas, MLS spokesman Dan Courtemanche said.Since Christmas is on a Sunday, Friday, December 23rd looks like the drop dead date. It will be quite a Christmas gift for one city or the other.

[chapulincolorado]

Next, Houston and South Texas has very professionally done "Open" tryouts for Team Houston starting in Janruary.

OT---One day I will figure out why, oh, why lord, does Houston gets labeled South Texas.

You want South Texas?

This IS South Texas:

http://ekb.dbstalk.com/TVMarkets/City%20Maps/Brownsville.gif

:D Now...back to your topic....

[anderson]

This just in from an AP article about the Wizards staying put in KC for the 2006 season:

Since Christmas is on a Sunday, Friday, December 23rd looks like the drop dead date. It will be quite a Christmas gift for one city or the other.Nonetheless, I suspect that decisions on at least the material terms of any deal will still need to be made this week.

The key decision-makers and their lawyers at SVS&E, AEG, and MLS LLC may be working next week (and on through the Christmas and New Year's holidays), but it may be unlikely that the public sector people at the City of Santa Clara (and at SJSU in the event that SVS&E is still trying to work out a short-term solution) will be accessible to get much done next week. Even if all the private sector (SVS&E, AEG, MLS LLC) key people are available next week, it's a very difficult time to get people focused on big decisions.

I've spent several end-of-year periods, including the week preceding Christmas and on through Christmas and and New Year's, working to finalize the definitive documents for transactions, but the material terms in all of those transactions had already been decided by the principals well in advance.

Unless the material terms in the various potential transactions between SVS&E and Santa Clara, and SVS&E and AEG (and MLS LLC), and perhaps SVS&E and SJSU are all already well on their way to resolution, it just seems unlikely that those terms will be resolved in the ten days or so before Christmas.

[cristoforo7]

Very true.

I think the only point one can take from the AP article is that nine days is a little bit more time than two days as far as getting done whatever will cause AEG to contact the Commissioner's office with either "the team is basically sold, so schedule the home games for ----- Stadium in the Bay Area (see SVS&E for further details)" or "the team is moving to Houston, so schedule the home games for ------ Stadium in [or near] Houston."

[chapulincolorado]

Nonetheless, I suspect that decisions on at least the material terms of any deal will still need to be made this week.


Someone refresh my memory, please. But. By when do the MLS teams need to start finalizing their: A) game schedule and B) their season ticket game plan, i.e., start getting staff to call potential ticket buyers, etc? :confused:

[cristoforo7]

Someone refresh my memory, please. But. By when do the MLS teams need to start finalizing their: A) game schedule and B) their season ticket game plan, i.e., start getting staff to call potential ticket buyers, etc? :confused:A) Yesterday.

B) Day before yesterday.

Seriously, the 30 day timeline was given with scheduling in mind. So MLS really wanted to know by Friday the 16th where the Quakes would be playing in 2006 so that it could have enough time to work up the full schedule for release in mid-January or so.

On season tickets, even if AEG announces tomorrow that it is moving the team to Houston, I doubt it will have a season ticket purchase mechanism in place before the first week of January. It's probably more of a concern to get it up and running in San Jose, so that you don't lose season ticket holders who get frustrated and/or might spend Christmas money on tickets.

So season tickets are not the primary concern; the 2006 schedule and the timing of its release is.