Article: Earthquakes to Houston closer to done deal?

Thanks for the info. I used to live in SF and that spot at China Basin would be cool. I assume thats right by the Giants stadium. you could make a whole night out of going to a game plus it would be more in the center of the bay area population. I'm sure you guys in the South Bay don't want it there though.

 

I'll go ahead and make a prediction.

The "nameless" investors in SJ are well known.

They have deep pockets.

They know soccer.

The hitch is indeed the stadium situation. I don't think it's the cost of the land that is a problem, I have a hunch that they want a "bigger" usage then just a stadium. Office park, perhaps a soccer academy complex. Those are a lot harder to get done then a simple stadium with a parking lot.

CA is (was?) the fallback plan. They get a discount for a good team, or they have to bid with Hunt for the Wizards.

I'll also say that if the deal falls through, we'll never be told who this nameless group was. They don't want negative PR in silicon valley.


I still believe the deal is done and SJ is staying put.

 

Steve Jobs or Larry Ellison?

 

Any tax attorneys out there - please feel free to correct my spouting here;

A business group can't take the $35K the local investors are spending for the local study unless it is for a business. If they don't buy the team and they're not operating (hence no "operating" loss), they lose the money. No deduction - it's $35K they're out without getting it back.

Now, when they buy the team, then they can use it as a deduction.

If I'm wrong, would someone let me know?

 

Does it read any better? Doubt it.

 

I'm sure that any group that is formed to buy the team would incorporate before doing much of anything....including funding a feasibility study.

 

They don't pass the "they know soccer" test.

It won't be a computer tycoon......

 

Just move everyone!

 

Well, at least in most forms of poker, people have to show their cards. As far as I can tell, SSV is playing liar's poker in the dark.

 

IMHO, bottom line is if the local investors are encouraged enough by SSS negotiations (since nothing will be final in the next month or two), they will make an offer soon. And if the offer is 75 to 80 percent or more of Club Am's offer, AEG will take it. Or try to get Club Am to make a better offer ... and so on ... and so on.

 

LOL

 

Yeah, but it does appear that SSV and their "mystery" partners are playing with the short stack.

 

It doesn't read any worse - and I've made much the same post.

 

This stuff is such spin the league puts out.

"Team X will play in Massive Stadium Y, but only until a new stadium is constructed."

Translation: Owner of Team X has told local leaders what a SSS is. Team X will play in Massive Stadium for a minimum of 5 years while new team in new professional sports league tries to gather hundreds of millions of dollars for new stadium, basically on spec, while hoping occasional low attendances don't kill the prospects in the meantime."

 

I don't know about any deal with AEG, but I do know they are spending an awful lot of time in Houston talking with the right people. Televisa is a large company, one of the largest in Latin America. They don't have the time to mess around with this just for fun.

 

No offense but why are you focusing so much on the "mexican" potential fans. What makes you think a CA owned team wouldn't attract soccer fans in Houston beyond the mexican ones? I would think CA has learned a bit from Chivas USa's folley and will field an international team much like the one that plays in the DF.

 

AND.....they won't be walking into a market where they have given another club a 10 year headstart on capturing the non-Mexican soccer fan. IMO, that's one of the biggest reasons why Chivas USA is struggling at the gate.

 

Maybe someone should post a screen shot of Arrowhead's game yesterday for perspective.

 

Sure thats a contributor as far as Chivas goes...but their ineptitude abd suckitude on the pitch is an embaresment and the biggest reason most stay away. Now if they start winning then i think you would see a resurrgence in fan support. They have a proud and determined owner so i don't worry about them too much.

If i lived in Houston and i heard we were getting an MLS team...i would be like hell yeah. I would assume CA would make this a Houston team not a Mexico team.

 

I disagree, in their second home game, when they had lost a game to last year's champion and drawn with San Jose away, they only had 12,700 at the game. Compared with the Galaxy's regular attendance that's horrible. They were second to the market and gave their biggest competitor a 10 year head start.

 

Just to add about the info on SF...

The parking lot around the SBC Park (Giants baseball) area was considered last year when Tony Amanpour was in the fold. When then Alexi Lalas and one of the SSV heads appeared at a round table in late March, they said that San Francisco was still in the mix, but they haven't heard from the mayor's office since last year.

Ideally, near the baseball grounds in SF is a nice spot for a SSS, but in all likelihood it will be reserved for parking or a hotel/office complex. To add, the 49ers also need a new home and they want to be first to get their digs.

While it's still a remote possibility that the Quakes could explore SF, the stadium effort is concentrated in the South Bay and a future venue will be most likely there within a 10-20 radius of San Jose. Cheers!