As reported on ESPN Radio 710 in LA... According to the league office in New York, Chivas will NOT be playing by different rules than other MLS clubs. Chivas will NOT be the second team in LA. AEG will NOT be selling the Galaxy (my interpretation only slightly added) League still on track to announce 2 expansion cities at MLS Cup. Done.
Re: Re: News On Chivas Do not doubt Dawgpound - a voice of reason in a sea of hysteria. It sounds logical and reasonable to me.
that better be right. If the league wants any credibility whatsoever, then they'll make everyone follow the same rules. Plus whoever heard of another countries team in another league, this is an American league, no all Mexican teams please. Make that any nationality, I don't want a Manchester United in the US either.
if true, this is good news. I guess everyone just wants the league (Garber himself actually) to just come out and quash the rumours in a very public way, which he has been unwilling to do.
I think people would like an official statement from Garber. Its stirred up quite a frenzy, I think it might deserve an official statement.
If the esq in your name means esquire, I'm surprised you're not mentioning how they'd have to be careful with any comment on on-going negotiations. Certainly they're free to make statements if they want to, but you definitely don't want to leave too much of a trail outside of official documents in case the deal goes sour. I think MLS is probably wise to say as little as possible on this or take the time to let their lawyers review whatever they say until the deal is signed.
Sounds good to me. NOW, it's going to be quite interesting to hear who the second expansion city actually turns out to be?
yes, the esq does mean that. so you are saying that the league should be just as silent as Vergara and his people have been????? oh, that's right, they haven't been silent at all. I think that any privacy agreements are pretty much out the window already with the way that the Chivas camp has been running off at the mouth. at some point, you have to do something for the public relations angle. but hey, if it all works out, i don't really care.
Wouldn't it be nice if a little bit of mainstream exposure to our league resulted from all of this speculation? Has any of this made it into conversations with your friends that are not predominantly soccer fans?
What kind of legal advice is that? Because the other guy's chosen a riskier tack, your guy should do the same? Just because Chivas has been running their mouths doesn't mean any confidentiality agreement is no longer binding on both parties. at some point, you have to do something for the public relations angle. but hey, if it all works out, i don't really care. Nah, not really. Public relations takes a backseat to liability until the deal's signed if you're smart. I wouldn't want to be Vergara in court, explaining why Sisniega told everyone that MLS expansion fees could be negotiated down to $6m, costing MLS $4m for the next few clubs and earning the enmity of, say, Kroenke who bought the Rapids for a price based on a valuation that expansion clubs were worth $10m.... If you want to put MLS in the same boat, go ahead.
And silly me listens to 1070 this morning on my way in because of the massive fire. Props to the ESPN employee who actually dropped the dime and got some comments from MLS HQ....guess they aren't all soccer haters.
You are adding your own angle to what i said. I am not advocating Garber give out SPECIFIC information about money and soforth, like Vergaras people are doing. however, a statement of their intention to enforce the rules equally for all teams would be nice. Garber has gone on record as saying OTHER things in regards to this, so obviously, just as vanilla a statement reflecting an even handed position on this would be just as fine. and yes, public relations does matter. Have you watched the defense team in the Kobe situation? if you haven't, check it out, and see how much the defenses innocent statements despite having a gag order, have helped him.
Regarding MLs Chivas not being in LA, and not getting special rules...I will believe it when I see it... Somehow, I just get bad feeling Garber will screw this up.
Of course you can go on the record. You just better be sure that what you're saying won't (a) hurt your negotiating position and (b) disclose anything that can be used against you at a later time. So what Garber has given us-- inconclusive vanilla mush-- is pretty much good practice. You're not happy with that and would like him to go further, as would we all. But this, in a transactional context, is not necessarily a good idea. I'm assuming you're in litigation and I agree with you about Kobe. Of course, public relations matters a bit more when your client is on trial for rape, rather than in the process of bilateral negotiations for a sports team.
Why, when you have choice between reputable sources (ESPN) or niche-market tabloids, is your most closely held belief one that comes from niche-market tabloids?
I understand your position and agree with your first paragraph, but i have just not been under the impression that he has ever given us any reassurance. the only statement he made was to say that they were looking at making some concessions. that was a little while back. if it ISN'T true, as people are now saying, why doesn't he say simply that everyone will be subject to the same rules. i know that one of Garbers minions has said that, but i just believe that it should be coming from his mouth. We're on the same page though. I certainly understand your point of contention. obviously, i'm more concerned with the final result than i am at the process at this stage. the league is still in a tenuous position.
OK. I think I understand your point: Whatever it was that Trey Fitz-Gerald already said is public. There wouldn't be any additioanl concerns about Garber saying it as well. Fair enough.
Let me get this straight: The league told you exactly the same thing they said a week ago and exactly the same thing Doug Hamilton said months ago? Not busting your chops - great work. Just amazing how many times it has to be said before it sinks in As for the people who want Garber to say everything, there's a reason they pay Trey Fitz-Gerald money to be the league's spokesman. (BTW, T-Dog is far from a minion) You don't bring the big gun out every time people on a message board want an interpretation. You bring him out when the deal is finalized and the final announcement is being made. That's just simple PR practice.
Re: Re: News On Chivas I would agree with you if it wasn't being reported that Vergara is making his own statements directly to the press. now if those reports of him speaking are untrue, I would tend to agree with you. It's just so hard to really pinpoint where all of these statements are truly coming from, and that's part of the problem. As I said though, it's all good. I guess that at most, we all have only about a month left before we can expect a big announcement (once again, if we can believe the rumors).
Re: Re: Re: News On Chivas Show me a quote from Vergara. I'll show you the statement where he denies it. His "minion" is the one with the verbal diarrhea about getting more Mexican players. But what can you do when T-Fitz - who as the head of MLS Communications is responsible for communicating - tells Dylan Hernandez and dawgpound flat out that Sisniega is full of crap and people still refuse to believe it? As far as I can tell, there is one statement out there from Garber from the Honda Symposium, and it's not a direct quote, where he says the league is working on getting Chivas more foreign players. Combine that with what T-Fizzle is saying and maybe you get a league-wide change in rules. But no one outside of Sisniega has said anything close to what people are worried about. And the final thing is, don't be pissed at Trey or Garber - be pissed at the dozens of media members who haven't followed upon this like Dylan and dawgpound did.