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May 30, 2007
And now, the Earthquakes press roundup...
It's been such a busy few days since the release of the City of San Jose's staff report on Lew Wolff's proposed plan to bring back the Earthquakes (PDF, 4.26 MB) that we haven't had an opportunity to update the blog. (We'll also pass along a tip: try to avoid the flu bug that's going around just now. Yuck.)
The first story to cover the proposal was "Council to debate soccer stadium," which appeared in Wednesday's Mercury News. At first, we were astonished that Barry WItt could write a story that presented the pros and cons of proceeding with the project so even-handedly. Then, we noticed that Barry Witt had nothing to do with it—it was David Pollak's byline on the story. We are hoping that Pollak continues on the story from here on out; Witt's ranting attempts to create controversy where level-headed fact telling is needed have grown stale and tiresome.
So far, we're getting our wish. Today's paper features another story by Pollak, "Pro soccer could return in '08," which provides more details on the potential return of the Quakes next year, as first reported last week by Bloomberg News and Jonah Freedman of Sports Illustrated.
Pollak's story quotes Lew Wolff:
"If they'll make the sale to us, trusting that we'll probably get a venue somewhere, we want to field a team next season," said Wolff, who added that he thought MLS was leaning in that direction.
There's more, including mention of the possibility that the team would not play in decrepit old Spartan Stadium but instead could play in several different venues next year, including McAfee Coliseum in Oakland. That's the biggest news in the article, though, because it ups the ante considerably on the June 12 San Jose City Council meeting where his proposals will be reviewed. It looks to us that if the council meeting goes well, we will be watching the Earthquakes take the field next season. Keep those cards and letters coming, folks, or better yet, make plans to be at City Hall on Tuesday, June 12 at 1:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, the aforementioned Mr. Freedman managed to work a mention of the Earthquakes into yesterday's SI.com World Soccer Power Rankings. He ranks Inter Milan at number 5, adding the following:
Hernán Crespo is staying, and Inter may be reconsidering letting Luís Figo leave for Saudi Arabia. All signs that say the Nerazzurri are serious about keeping their nucleus intact. On a completely biased note (and this is totally jumping the gun), if the Bay Area truly is getting the Earthquakes back next year, Figo should be designated-player target No. 1. What better guy is there to build around for a new era? The former Portuguese captain is still enchanted by MLS, he's fond of the Golden State and the Luso-American population just south in Central California is one of the largest in the country.
We haven't seen Figo play lately and the first thought that came to mind was "he's ancient." (We just checked and he'll be 36 next year.) Still, it's an interesting idea—an expansion team could use a drawing card like Figo, and San Jose's Portuguese community would be likely to welcome him with open arms. Freedman's right, though—we're totally jumping the gun even thinking about anything past June 12.
Finally, Mercury News columnist Ann Killion wrote Wednesday about the Julie Foudy Sports Leadership Academy, which will be holding a six-day session for girls aged 12-18 with a keynote presentation by Billie Jean King in Moraga starting July 29. Foudy is taking a unique approach by emphasizing both sportsmanship and community involvement. Sounds like a great opportunity for young women.
Posted by Jay at 05:55 AM | Comments (0)
May 28, 2007
New stadium complex working wonders for Rapids
We sometimes get so wrapped up in the day-to-day dramas of our stadium quest that it's easy to forget our ultimate goal: "A permanent home for soccer in the Bay Area," just like it has said on our home page for nearly three years.
What difference can this kind of facility make for the soccer community? We don't know yet, but they're starting to find out in Colorado, where the Rapids opened their new stadium complex earlier this year. Denver Post writer Mark Kiszla says that "This 917-acre site, with a drop-dead gorgeous main arena encircled by two dozen soccer fields, has become the beating heart of soccer that Colorado has long needed."
Sounds good to us, too. We'll have what they're having.
Posted by Jay at 12:10 PM | Comments (2)
May 26, 2007
Chronicle: Quakes deal reported near
The chorus of voices reporting the potential imminent return of the Earthquakes grows to include Tom FitzGerald of the SF Chronicle today.
FitzGerald's article is the first to quote a league official. MLS spokesman Dan Courtemanche tells FitzGerald that, "We remain in discussions with Lew Wolff and John Fisher regarding the opportunity to (bring) back a Major League Soccer team to the Bay Area in the near future."
The "near future," eh? We like the sound of that.
Posted by Jay at 06:56 AM | Comments (0)
May 25, 2007
ESPN: MLS return to San Jose edges closer
His first few paragraphs sum up the situation pretty well:
Wolff and MLS are in negotiations to revive the Earthquakes franchise to begin play in 2008. The agreement could be reached even without a soccer-specific stadium, a source with knowledge of the deal has confirmed to ESPN.com.No agreement has been signed as of yet, but Wolff met with MLS Commissioner Don Garber in New York last week, and the source confirmed that both sides are eager to move forward. The league is eager to add a 14th team so it can get rid of the unbalanced schedule that is currently in place. Wolff is hoping that by having a team up and running, it will be easier to get a soccer-specific stadium built in the Bay Area.
This report echoes the stories published yesterday by Bloomberg
News and Sports Illustrated's Jonah Freedman, both of which spoke of Wolff's desire to bring MLS back to the Bay Area as soon as possible.
Obviously, we at SSV are excited at the possibility that we might be able to watch the Quakes take the field a scant 10 or so months from now. We also think this news speaks volumes about Wolff's confidence in his ability to land a stadium deal.
Posted by Jay at 02:06 PM | Comments (1)
The Merc, once again, misses the point entirely
With Sports Illustrated and Bloomberg News reporting that the Quakes are close to coming back for the 2008 season, yesterday was a pretty big day for soccer fans in the Bay Area. It was enough that even those of us on the SSV board, who have learned through hard experience that a deal is not a deal until the ink is dry, were starting to think that we might have a lot more to celebrate at our June 2 fundraiser than we anticipated.
So, it's the next day and the response in the Mercury News is this: a discussion of the semantics of an e-mail that Lew Wolff wrote four months ago. Wolff said that San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed thought his idea for funding a new stadium had "a great deal of merit," and Reed says now that he also expressed "some misgivings" about it. The Merc, as they have done in the past, tries to play this into a big controversy, as though an proposal can't have both "a great deal of merit" and elements that give rise to "some misgivings." When you consider that Reed is commenting on something that Wolff wrote four months ago about an initial proposal that has certainly evolved since then, the Merc's story has so little relevance that we have to wonder why it was even printed.
One note: According to David Alioto of Earthquakes Soccer, and we got permission to publish this just this morning, the name of the team will be the (City Where the Stadium is Built) Earthquakes. Sorry, Goggle! ;-)
Posted by Jay at 08:39 AM | Comments (0)
May 23, 2007
SSV succeeds with renaming request
With so much of SSV's efforts going towards long-term goals that seemingly take forever to unfold, it's nice to be able to say "we did it!" every once in a while. Thanks to a recent effort spearheaded by SSV president Don Gagliardi, we can so just that. On Tuesday, May 15, the San Jose City Council voted unanimously to rename the Watson Park soccer facility the "Umberto Abronzino Soccer Bowl at Watson Park."
"Umberto Abronzino was an ordinary man who became a legend by devoting himself to his passion and in the process he helped to bring joy to thousands of kids over several generations," says Gagliardi, who lives in the Northside neighborhood surrounding Watson Park. "Honoring Umberto at the soccer bowl is really important not only for keeping his memory alive but in recognizing the remarkable growth of the game of soccer in the Bay Area. Fifty years ago, the organized game was virtually non-existent here. Thanks to Umberto, and others like him, our region is one of the top soccer-playing areas in the entire country, and the Abronzino Bowl is 'ground zero.'"
Abronzino, a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame who passed away last July at age 85, is a legend in the local soccer community. Although he lived in the Willow Glen neighborhood of San Jose, his true home was at the Watson Park soccer bowl which will now bear his name in honor of his contributions to the development of the game in the Santa Clara Valley. Abronzino was also named to the California Soccer Association and California Youth Soccer Association halls of fame and served as Mastercard Ambassador of Soccer at World Cup 1994.
Abronzino, a barber, emigrated from Italy in 1937 and played for and managed several Connecticut teams from 1937 to 1952. He later moved to California and helped form the Peninsula Soccer League in 1957, a time when organized soccer was unheard of in this region. As the National Soccer Hall of Fame noted, Abronzino was a "major force in the development of youth soccer in the region." The San Jose Mercury News wrote in his obituary in 2006 that, "Since arriving in San Jose . . . Abronzino helped establish the game [of soccer] where none existed. He . . . established the foundation for a youth soccer system that now numbers an estimated 50,000 players in Santa Clara County. The league produced teams such as the San Jose Lobos, the forerunners of the original San Jose Earthquakes professional team, and the San Jose Oaks, winner of the 1992 [U.S. Open Cup] national championship."
Abronzino was a referee and evangelist of the Beautiful Game who, his son Al Abronzino recalls, was always paraphrasing John F. Kennedy: ask not what the game of soccer can do for you but what you can do for the game of soccer. Former players and coaches universally remember Abronzino with fondness. Rich Kubec, who was both, remembered Abronzino in a note to SSV:
"I can remember when I was a young boy, sitting across the dinner table with my dad, when he coached my Almaden youth select team and he said to my mom, 'I have to go over to Abronzino's to get our passes.' I must have been 8 or 9, and 22 years later there I was managing the Grenadiers [youth team] and doing the same thing . . . I was awestruck that he was still doing the same thing for that long, keeping soccer alive and well in the Bay Area.
"I got to know him through managing the Grenadiers, and I remember one time I got to the field early because we were the first game of the day and Umberto needed help setting up the field. It was around 7:30 am and Umberto was really old at this point and I got there and he was there already, slowly, slowly walking across the field, hardly moving really, with the nets and corner flags, methodic, determined and strong, to set up the field for the day. And I realized that this is what he had been doing for all those years I was growing up, making it possible for thousands of people just like me to keep playing soccer at the bowl. It was humbling."
The city plans to refurbish the Abronzino Bowl as part of the master plan for Watson Park, which has been closed for toxic remediation after lead was found in an area of the park (not the soccer bowl) which had previously been a city dump in the early part of the 20th century. The local neighborhood is raising funds to assist with the effort, including building a memorial to Abronzino at the soccer bowl. The Friends of Watson Park, part of the Strong Neighborhoods Initiative (SNI) 501c(3) non-profit 13th St. NAC, is accepting tax deductible donations to help with the effort. You can donate online at www.13thStNAC.org. Click on "Friends of Watson Park" and follow the instructions; a donation receipt will be automatically emailed. You can also contact Gagliardi via e-mail or at (408) 291-2752.
Posted by Jay at 06:51 AM | Comments (2)
May 22, 2007
Mark your calendars...
Well, actually, they're probably already marked on June 2 for the USA/China match, but we're suggesting you set aside a few more hours after the match — SSV is throwing a party! We're still sorting out a few details but we'll be making an announcement soon. Watch your e-mail boxes — SSV members will get the first crack at reservations, and then we'll announce it on our home page.
Posted by Jay at 06:37 AM | Comments (0)
May 11, 2007
Congratulations, A's!
We at SSV want to send our congratulations to the A's on passing another milestone on their way to a new ballpark in Fremont. Yesterday, the A's announced that they have "completed the land transaction and control 226-acres of land in the City of Fremont where the new Cisco Field ballpark and the urban village will be built." That's a big step!
We also think that the A's proposal provides an interesting perspective on what is happening with the Earthquakes in San Jose. Specifically, yesterday's A's press release notes that the team will "continue to work with the City staff on the steps necessary to commence the public application process."
Yes, that's right—the public application process hasn't even begun and they're already working with City of Fremont staff. Yet despite the fact that it's been almost six months since the A's first announced their plans for Cisco Field and the A's have presumably been working with city staff during that time, we've seen no hysteria about back-room deals like the Mercury News seems so frightened of with the Earthquakes in San Jose. It's almost like the people of Fremont recognize that a developer may require input from city staff in order to put together a comprehensive proposal for a $500 million project.
As we observed when the Mercury News was clamoring for a public announcement about the SJSU/Earthquakes negotiations, creating projects like this require a lot of work and communication before there's even a firm proposal on the table. Now that the A's proposal is almost complete, the time for public review and comment has nearly arrived in Fremont. In San Jose, let's hope the Mercury News steps back and provides space for the city's staff to do their jobs as the Earthquakes work towards their own stadium project. There will be plenty of time for public input, and then San Jose's elected officials will have the final say.
But we digress. To get back to the main point, we once again extend our congratulations to the A's on this great milestone. As you might expect, this announcement is getting wide press coverage, including articles in the Chronicle and the Mercury News.
Posted by Jay at 07:30 AM | Comments (0)
The future of San Jose is in David Beckham???
We wanted to share an e-mail that SSV member Carl Desousa sent to San Jose's elected officials. The "Subject" line of his e-mail was the headline you see above. Here's the rest:
Dear Mayor, Vice Mayor, and city council officials,Please, please, take time to understand what a soccer specific stadium can potentially do for our great city.
The amount of soccer loyalists are many in the bay area. The potential for increased revenue and prosperity is sadly and grossly underestimated.
When David Beckham joins MLS next month the future of the most popular sport in the world will forever change in the US. The timing for San Jose couldn’t be better. The wave of interest in this great sport is on the increase. I’ve been a San Jose resident since 1966 and I can’t describe how long myself and others have longed for our city to participate in pro-soccer like the wonderful days of the old Earthquakes.
My kids play it, my neighbors kids play it. Our family watches the English Premier League regularly and now EPL players coming in to the MLS! All the signs are pointing for a new future for MLS. San Jose would lose out on a historic wave of change and growth if our leaders can’t see the opportunity at hand.
The EPL alone is a multi-billion dollar business because it has a rich history and fanatic fan base. San Jose has great soccer history and can easily tap into enthusiasts like myself who don’t want to see the beautiful game tarnished by worn and battered football fields. It’s a proven concept--just look at what is happening in Toronto! Local soccer supporters are packing their new soccer stadium.
Please take the time to study this most critical opportunity.
San Jose needs a soccer stadium!
Well said, Carl. The one line that really sticks out for us is this: "San Jose would lose out on a historic wave of change and growth if our leaders can’t see the opportunity at hand." Sums things up pretty well.
Posted by Jay at 06:35 AM | Comments (2)
May 10, 2007
Airport noise appears to be a non-issue
We've receied a few e-mails from SSV members voicing concerns about the noise from the airport at the FMC site, and that was one of SSV's initial concerns as well. However, the indications are that the noise from jet takeoffs and landings lessen considerably for locations that aren't in the flight path.
Noise from airports is measured using a formula to create "Community Noise Equivalent Levels." CNELs are a 24-hour average noise level with noise occurring during evening hours (7:00-10:00 pm) weighted by a factor of three and nighttime hours weighted by a factor of 10 prior to averaging.
The federally designated threshold for incompatible residential land uses is 65 dB CNEL and Mineta San Jose International Airport has an ongoing noise monitoring program to determine where noise generated by planes exceeds this level. The most recent noise monitoring map on the airport's web site (PDF file, 2.9M) shows that the FMC site is just outside of the 65 CNEL contour, which seems to mean that you could legally build housing there. It's also important to note that, thanks to the way that CNELs are calculated, the airport has an incentive to minimize noise after 7:00 pm—which, coincidentally, is the starting time for most MLS matches.
Even with the ambient noise from I-880 and Coleman Avenue, it sounds to us like the loudest thing in the stadium will still be the Casbah. So let's cross "airport noise" off the list of potential problems with the site. It doesn't appear to be an issue.
Posted by Jay at 12:32 PM | Comments (1)
Wolff speaks on FMC site
The A's held a conference call with Lew Wolff yesterday regarding their efforts to build a baseball stadium in Fremont, but it turns out that wasn't the only stadium on people's minds.
Today's Mercury News features a follow-up story on Wolff's pursuit of the former FMC site near Mineta San Jose International Airport, with some quotes from Wolff taken from the conference call.
The prospective owner of a revived San Jose Earthquakes pro soccer team said Wednesday his interest is "quite high" in the city-owned former FMC plant near Mineta San Jose International Airport as a potential stadium site... "If we can work with the community, that would be a great location," Wolff said on a conference call with reporters.
Wolff is eyeing the property for more than just a stadium. The paper reports that he would be interested in buying or leasing the entire 75-acre property, with additional commercial development in mind. In addition, Wolff's team has another connection to that area.
Wolff said he envisions a development that would include offices, retail and hotels, along with the stadium. He noted that his partner in the sports teams, John Fisher, also is "involved with" the owners of an adjoining 20-acre parcel in Santa Clara at Brokaw Road and Coleman Avenue. Santa Clara planners want the area redeveloped with more intense commercial and residential uses to support a future transit hub, assuming the BART extension to Santa Clara County is completed.
It's obviously too early to start celebrating, but it appears that the stars are lining up for this site. There has been a significant amount of recent retail development on Coleman south of I-880, so that seems to indicate that Wolff's idea of an office/retail/hotel complex is sound. It's also interesting to note that John Fisher has connections to an adjoining parcel.
Posted by Jay at 11:35 AM | Comments (2)
May 03, 2007
49ers express interest in sharing stadium
It is said that when one door closes, another one opens. Our personal experience has shown something to that effect but we still have to admire Lew Wolff — it seems like for him, one door closes and five or six open.
It's been two weeks since the end of the SJSU talks and so far, Wolff has confirmed that he's looking at other sites in San Jose, so he has options there. We noted on April 21 that the Sacramento Bee reported that Placer County was interested in a stadium/soccer complex, so he has an option there (well down the list, we hope — after all, we aren't called "Soccer Sacramento").
Today, Mercury News reporter Mike Swift checks in with the news that the 49ers are willing to share their proposed new stadium in Santa Clara with the Earthquakes. The story notes that Wolff may be open to the idea if his efforts in San Jose fail to bear fruit.
Wolff said if the latest round of talks with San Jose fail, "I will have some interest" in talks with the 49ers. "Those guys are very creative," he said.
Surprisingly, the story notes that the two organizations previously discussed a shared stadium last year, "when the NFL team was still considering construction of a new stadium at Candlestick Point in San Francisco, and the 49ers' and Wolff's stadium design teams had a follow-up meeting."
Our readers will undoubtedly already realize that a shared NFL stadium is not the optimum solution for an MLS team — there's a reason, as the article notes, that MLS expects that "up to 10 of its 13 teams will be playing in soccer-only stadiums" by the end of next year. Still, it's always good to have options.
Posted by Jay at 11:00 AM | Comments (3)