Dear Earthquakes Fans: AEG, the investor-operator of the San Jose Earthquakes, announced today that the city of Houston, Texas will become the new home of the team. The move is effective immediately and all players and coaching staff currently under contract will transfer to Houston as part of the new organization. This is an emotional time for everyone associated with the team. The team owner, the staff, the city, and even many fans have been working hard to keep the Quakes in San Jose. I want to thank all of you for your support and ask that you continue to support us as we strive to bring the Earthquakes back to San Jose as soon as possible. To be successful, all teams in professional sports need appropriate facilities and committed local owners. Unfortunately, since 1996, the Earthquakes were never in a position to be financially viable. In total, over $50 million has been invested in the team since its inception, including $20 million by AEG. These losses were not sustainable long term. We are all disappointed that the Earthquakes will not be playing in San Jose in 2006. Going back to the days of the NASL, the Earthquakes have had a storied history and passionate fan base. It is our intention to continue this soccer tradition and bring the Earthquakes back to the Bay Area with a new expansion team as early as 2007. In fact, the City of San Jose and Major League Soccer have signed a Letter of Intent which provides a wide variety of support elements to attract a local investor for an MLS expansion team. The Earthquakes name, colors and competition records have been retained by MLS for this future expansion team. We will work hard over the next year to bring the Earthquakes back to the Bay Area. Regular updates regarding our progress will be posted on www.mlsnet.com and we welcome your feedback at sjfeedback@mlsnet.com. Sincerely, Don Garber Commissioner Major League Soccer let him know, my brethren...let him know...
I think everyone will agree with me that even if the Quakes do come back in 2007, it's not going to be the same ************ing thing!!!
My dilema is : should I leave or send a feed back,will anything change? Quakes forever! We will miss you
It won't, but ... we were losing players, we were losing coaches, we were losing someone significant after every season. As long as at least some of the players and stuff have prior connection to the Quakes, and some local guys are drafted - the difference between 2005 and 2007 Quakes won't be much bigger than the difference between 2003 and 2005 Quakes, for example...
Excuse me Mr. Garber.... What the ******** are you doing with the Adidas money? Quit ********ing talking about your ********ing numbers when we all know where AEG has lost it's money.... **************! You need to hire a new accountant cuz there's seriously something wrong with your numbers **************!
However, the big difference will be the coaching staff. As was evidenced in the five pre-Yallop years, good coaches are hard to come by. GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! -G
You have to read between the lines on Garber's e-mail. Yes, they will try to bring another team called the Quakes back to the Bay area. But that's only if a suitable stadium deal can be worked out. If the SSS never happens, then... Well, it's not a happy thought. Garber has taken the monkey off the league's back and given it to San Jose city government. Hopefully they will be up to the challenge.
It could also be the difference between 1997 and 1998. And therein lies the problem. There's usually a trial-and-error to finding good coaches, and there's no guarantee that "the next guy" will be the right guy. Unfortunately, good coaches aren't as commonly available as mediocre ones. We were very fortunate to obtain a then-unknown Frank Yallop (thank you, Tom Neale), and were equally as fortunate to have him followed by Dominic Kinnear, even if the latter only got to build "his" team in his second season here. But how many coaching staffs did San Jose have to go through before lucking out on Yallop/Kinnear? GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! -G
Absolutely. We need a stadium. The political and civic leadership of Northern California is telling the world that it is incapable of finding a place where a pro soccer team has a chance of succeeding. Thank you, Ron Gonzales. Thank you, Don Kassing. Thank you Gavin Newsom. Thank you, all you millionaire/billionaires who, for all your talent, mostly just happened to be at the right place at the right time, and have accomplished nothing more outside their own bank account than SSV was able to accomplish in their spare time. This area thinks of itself as so international, so sophisticated, so full of quality. Yet the political leadership will accommodate millionaire owners and players of sports few outside the US will give a hoot about. For the world's game, we don't have a venue -- even though there's evidence 350 miles south of here that one could operate at a profit. Is Stanford the only organization in these parts that knows how to get things done? Don't look to our pathetic local governments.
And if you do that, you miss the meat of the message: MLS wants to be back here. If not, he wouldn't have taken such painstaking efforts to draw connections btw the current SJE plight and Baltimore and Cleveland, two cities that lost NFL teams but are now better off on the field and off the field. American Rules Football is healthier than it every would have been in those 2 cities. In time, the same will be true for Houston and the NFL (although it still doesn't change the fact that there aren't 32 able-bodied quarterbacks in the US, but I digress...) and in time, pro soccer in NorCal (you see how nice I am, I threw you guys a bone by putting an 'r' in NoCal; next thing you know I'll start omitting the definite article when talking 'bout freeways) will be better off in a nice jewel of an SSS. I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to plead Goodsport-itis on this one. I heard margaritas are excellent medication. EDIT: just to be clear, what I'm saying is that by drawing the connections to Baltimore and Cleveland, MLS would run the risk of losing major face down the road. The relocation has been framed in the context of long-term health of the sport in the area. If MLS refuses to come back to the area, then it has set itself up as a failure in the terms that they used to frame the debate.
The difference would be huge, Frank Yallop inculcated an entire Footballing culture and style of play on the Earthquakes that was passed on to and elaborated on by Kinnear and Doyle. The heart of the Earthquakes has been ripped out. If there ever is going to another reincarnation of the Earthquakes it is going to take intense Fan participation and pressure to bring it about and re inculcate the footballing culture that was and even then it will be difficult to find another Dominic Kinnear or Frank Yallop.
I know this has been discussed before, but was this $20 million the gross amount spent by AEG or the net loss? Garber makes it sound like AEG had a net loss of $20 million, versus gross expenditures of $20 million.
he didnt say wht it was but i imagine thye MLS has its financials available to the public and since they have a portion of each team you would be able to see what the losses were.
I don't think there's any doubt about this. But with the situation as it is today, the league can afford to wait a very long time before coming back. The next year will tell us how serious this deal is going to be. Somebody is going to have to keep pushing for a stadium deal. Is it SSV? The Sharks? Even the A's? Unless somebody is willing to take the lead on this, it could easily get lost in local politics. And you're right about the quarterbacks. There aren't enough for 16 teams, let alone 32. But the real problem is in the NBA where there's no more than a handful of legit NBA-quality centers.
I just watched the news for the first time in months tonight. I don't know if it was me or what, but it just seems like San Jose has problems arising. Every other time a reporter spoke, it just seemed to be on the city of San Jose as a whole. Starting with Ron's bulls**t with the garbage company!!!
Great post. I think you've worded it exactly. Not until Yallop came along did we get the force that brought the game the way it is supposed to be played to Spartan. The heart and soul has definitely been ripped out. No other coach in the league has brought what Frank brought to the Quakes.
As far as coaching continuity goes, what about Cowboy? He's seen the other guys work, he's local, and well, he's getting coaching experience right now. I know, it's MISL, and they're geting their teeth kicked in. But if you want someone who's can continue the championship culture and tradition, and if he has any degree of success at all, then I think Cowboy's gotta be the guy to lead the posse back into town if and when MLS expands back in. Just my two cents on the possibilities.
First off sorry you lost your team. Tomorrow will tell if Houston is a completely different setup (Club America) and if so all your coaches would be free to return if your community announces a stadium. The whole thing seemed a big game of chicken with the fans as pawns (as usual). Now that the team really did mean it maybe all the knuckle dragging will stop and something can get done. If that happens you won't have to hold your breath every year. Good luck.
Ya it would be great to have one of them back.. Few former Quakes would be great as well..Maybe Joe Cannon and Eddie Lewis..