Peter Wilt will be involved with chicago's entry into the new women's league announced to begin in 2009.
I couldn't agree more about the league needing you. I was kind of hoping that RSL would get smart and bring you in...and I know that Milwaukee soccer hopefuls would hate anything like this... ...but Du Nord has this rumor on today's blog: And Chivas' owner says that an announcement of the new GM will be made by Monday afternoon, and that it will surprise everyone: So, any comment?
While my role with the women's team in Chicago would allow for adjustments in order to take on a full time position elsewhere, i am not a candidate for the Chivas USA position. peter
Which means you are still a hope for Milwaukee and available for other teams who are smart enough to realize what you have to offer. This is a good thing. The best to you, Peter.
Hhmmm . . dunord's pretty reliable. Peter, this isn't one of those trick answers where you indicate you're not a candidate for the GM position because you are already the GM, is it?
Peter, Last week in a Washington Post on-line Q&A session with Steven Goff there was the following exchange: "D.C.: I don't follow soccer much, but I'm curious to find out how D.C. United are able to get these international players (such as Emilio) while other teams don't. Does D.C. United have a better scouting system, or is it simply a matter of personal preference for the player? Steven Goff: Every MLS club has international players, some work out better than others. Angel in NY, Toja in Dallas, Schelotto in Columbus, Emilio and Fred in D.C. have all had significant impacts. DCU does have an impressive international scouting network in place. In addition, their video library includes clips of hundreds of players from around the world, so in case they have a chance to sign someone, they can turn on the TV and watch him in action. In the past, MLS teams have had to scramble for information and highlights, and make an abrupt -- and perhaps uninformed -- decision. Things are changing as the league evolves." I'd love to get your thoughts in what Goff says. From my outsider's perspective, it feels as though the gap between the haves and have nots in terms out scouting is wider than Goff seems to believe. I get the feeling that DC's on one end of the spectrum while clubs like (my current hometown) Columbus just don't possess anything close to a comprehensive scouting/player identification and tracking system. Would you agree? If so, why is this the case? Are certain clubs just too cheap to invest in a true scouting capacity? Or do they just not have a freaking clue how to do it? Have MLS's rules governing player acquisition and the relative inability of clubs to pocket transfer fees for players who leave the league (rules that have changed modestly in the last couple of years) been part of the problem?
It's mentioned in the Galaxy boards that Shawn Hunter is already in for the Chivas job, I believe it even links to an article quoting Cue saying it.
Hey Peter, Thanks for taking some time out to talk to a random citizen yesterday. I really appreciated it. I know that you've met with a ton of different people, but have you met with Herb Kohl yet? You want me to set up a meeting with him?
I've met with him personally in my role with Peace Action Wisconsin, but the subject was Iraq, not MLS. His possble involvement in MLS had been broached previously by intermediaries and we were told he has no interest. If you have direct contact with the Senator and find out differently, please let me know. Thx, peter
Hey Peter..... This is not Milwaukee specific but with the new coaches this year showing various degrees of success, how much credit goes to the new coach and how much is really the old coaches work Specifically Bob Bradley and Preki in Chivas and the DC squad. How much of it is really the coach this year?
No two situations are alike, but in both these cases you have worhty assistants promoted to take over talented, well coached teams. I believe that the current coach should get the bulk of the credit, but previous coach deserves credit as well for providing the foundation of success. peter
peter have you talked to anyone at the university of milwaukee? they have a very competitive soccer program, if you did talk to them what did you propose and what exactly did they have to say? thanks, go milwaukee.
yes. We proposed that they play at the new stadium as a paying tenant. They said they wanted to stay on campus. That was a couple years ago, though and i recently read that they would like to move soccer off campus. The revenue wouldn't be enough to make or break the project though and if we had a grass field, the damage to the field could actually outweigh the economic benefits. peter
peter, i heard through the grapevine that a possible spot for the stadium (should it fall through) was near the bradley center. truth, or just a rumor?
is pursuing milwaukee a lost cause then? i feel like they could very well be interested in something in the future, but do you think it would be worth it to the club if an arrangement could be made? or is it too hard to tell at this point.
life support... :-( i don't think a UW-M soccer partnership would be worth much honestly. at one point we considered a much larger uw-m partnership - using our hoped for real estate development in the fifth ward as an off campus college for nursing and/or engineering, blah, blah, blah....never got far. San Jose, St. Louis, Seattle and Philly are looking pretty good and that puts us out a long way....2011 at least is my guess...and i don't have that much patience. peter
Very sorry to hear it put that way, simply out of respect for the work you've done and the respect you garner around here (and leaguewide, I hope). Do you consider with interest any of the GM opportunities at these expansion clubs coming in the next couple years, or is it unlikely that anything at that level would motivate you to leave Milwaukee or Chicago?
i miss MLS a lot. i would consider any of them seriously. A few teams have spoken to me over the last couple years, but it hasn't worked out to this point. Some day, i'll be back. peter
I'm sure everyone here looks forward to that day! PS -- My view won't be popular, but I hope it's St Louis.
Peter, Sorry to hear your efforts aren't looking great right now. You have an incredible passion for MLS and the club culture that is unmatched. Hopefully you'll be back in MLS someday. Anyways, considering the recent news/rumors with regards to the Seattle Sounders entering MLS, a central part of their bid is they would play at Qwest Field with no immediate plans for their own SSS. Considering the history of MLS in NFL stadiums, is this good for MLS, and is it feasible for a Seattle franchise?
Thx. I think Qwest Field will work just fine. The desire for SSS is two-fold - atmosphere and revenue streams. Qwest Field is vertically designed with a 30k lower bowl. I think it's the most intimate of NFL stadia and it's already paid for. Paul Allen's involvement ensures that the stadium's revenue streams will go to the team, so i believe the Seattle MLS team would have a very good business model while based at Qwest Field. peter
So, Peter... I know that you're a Midwestern guy, but what are your thoughts of... oh, I don't know... the Greater Boston area?
The North End is one of my favorite places on earth, my wife and i went to Fenway on our honeymoon and Providence is a great place, too...that being said, the Revs have very good leadership right now, are the current US Open Cup Champions and MLS Cup finalists...why would you need me?
So, it's obvious that the region has already sold you on it's own merits. In the words of Monty Burns... "Excellent." We'll have to agree to disagree about what constitutes "very good leadership". While you'd have to search long and hard to find a member of "Revs Nation" who doesn't appreciate the job that Steve Nicol has done coaching the franchise, there are those of us - I'd hazard a guess that it's a significant portion of the fan-base - who believe that our U.S. Open Cup Championship and multiple trips to the MLS Cup Final have been achieved in spite of the ownership and front office, not because of them. It took us twelve years to capture our first piece of hardware, the aforementioned U.S. Open Cup. We are 0-for-MLS Cup. We played a significant portion of this season with open spots on the roster, putting us at a distinct disadvantage when it came to depth. This, despite the fact that we're still sitting on a portion of the Clint Dempsey replacement allocation. Ownership and the front office are big on paying "lip service" to building a soccer-specific stadium for the Revolution (or, improving the atmosphere at Gillette Stadium), but not so great when it comes to follow-through. Ownership and the front office have twice surrendered home-field advantage in the CONCACAF Champions Cup. Finally, call me crazy, but I'd like the president of Kraft Soccer and the Revolution to be a Greater Boston resident whose sole focus is stewardship of the franchise, as opposed to a New Yorker who splits his time between a teaching post at Columbia University, the Chicago-based presidency of the USSF and then - if we Revs fans are lucky enough - leadership of New England's premier professional soccer team. In short, as good as it's been to be a Revolution supporter, I harbor the belief that it would only get better with the likes of Peter Wilt at the helm.