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September 28, 2007

Fresh ingredients for a soccer stew

It's stew day today at the blog as we throw in a bit of this and a pinch of that to make a dish full of tasty soccer information. Yum!

Maybe the food analogy is over the top, but we've got a great excuse. Yesterday's Kansas City Star featured a story by Pete Grathoff on the culinary adventures of four Wizards, including former Quake (and "Emeril Live" guest)Jimmy Conrad. The story even includes Conrad's recipe for lemon cake, a yellow, rectangular dessert which seems somehow fitting for the one-time recipient of Club Quake's Sponge Bob award, given to Conrad the year he led the team in yellow cards.

If you're looking for more traditional news fare, we've got that, too. Ives Galarcep, who writes for New Jersey's Herald News, has a big scoop (no, it's not ice cream) on his blog, where he states that MLS will be expanding to Seattle in 2009. (The Seattle TImes says that it's not official yet, but that goes without saying—it's never official until MLS Commissioner Don Garber says it publicly, and he's unlikely to make any major announcements until MLS Cup weekend in November.)

On a purely speculative note, we'll play "what if" with this story from London's Guardian newspaper which notes that several of Chelsea's stars will be out of contract in the summer of 2010, which just may be the year that the proposed Earthquakes stadium will open. There are plenty of good American goalkeepers, so we aren't particularly interested in Peter Cech, but how about Didier Drogba or Andriy Shevchenko? Shevchenko is married to American model Kristen Pazik, who is said to have convinced her husband to sign on with a team in an English-speaking country. On the downside, Shevchenko will be 33 when his Chelsea contract ends (34 at the end of the 2010 MLS season) and he hasn't adapted very well to the speed and physicality of the EPL and may have the same difficulties in MLS. Drogba will only be 32 in 2010. Of course, if the Quakes want to splurge before the stadium is complete, Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack are both out of contract in June of 2009 — Lampard turns 31 that month and Ballack would be 32. All idle speculation on our part, but fun anyway.

Finally, we have an updated version of the piece Ann Killion of the Mercury News wrote on yesterday's US/Brazil match, complete with quotes from San Jose resident and World Cup legend Brandi Chastain. (The reader comments are up to a total of five pages now, by the way.)

We'll close with these quotes about that match, taken from the U.S. Soccer web site and the Chicago Tribune:

"In terms of having Briana start tonight, I don’t have any regrets about that." — U.S. coach Greg Ryan

"I'm not devastated by this loss at all. I'm disappointed for my players." — Ryan, again

"We're not where we were 10 years ago, but it's not because we're not better. It's because everyone else is investing rapidly in the game. Am I concerned? No." — U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati

Posted by Jay at 10:02 AM | Comments (3)

September 27, 2007

Killion hits the mark with Women's World Cup commentary

We know that some of our readers may be planning to watch the Women's World Cup semifinal between the U.S. and Brazil later today, so we won't discuss any of the particulars here.

For those of you who already know the result and are interested in hearing an analysis, though, we'll recommend that you check out Ann Killion's column, posted earlier today at the Mercury News web site. Not only is it a good read, but there are already three full pages of reader comments on it. Yup — a column on women's soccer has attracted as many comments as the column she wrote for today's paper on Barry Bonds' finale last night at (Phone Company) Park.

Addendum: We're up to four pages of comments on the World Cup story, and that's without any traffic from this site influencing the total. The region's soccer fans may seem invisible at times, but we're here, and in big numbers.

Posted by Jay at 03:21 PM | Comments (1)

September 25, 2007

Klinsmann eager to return to coaching

That's what Reuters is reporting, anyway, and since we haven't taken the opportunity to speculate much on who will end up in San Jose (aside from the obvious choices of Frank Yallop and Dominic Kinnear), we'll let Klinsi speak for himself:

"The work as Germany coach was incredibly fulfilling for me and after recharging my batteries there's definitely a yearning to get back to that. At the end of the day, what I enjoyed so much while coaching was working with players and helping them develop further and get the most out of their abilities," he said.

"Wanting to make every player better as an individual as well as within the team was what was special for me. That's what you miss. So from that point of view it doesn't matter if you're coaching a national team or a club."

There had been offers, he said. "It would depend on the club, the environment and it would have to fit with my family. But there's no reason to exclude the possibility of coaching a club."

Hmm... likes developing players, is willing to coach a club team, needs to fit with his family. Should we mention that Mrs. Klinsmann is said to be a San Jose native?

(Really, he might be a good fit or he might not. But isn't it fun to think that it's even a possibility? It's a great thing having competent, committed owners.)

Posted by Jay at 08:25 AM | Comments (7)

September 24, 2007

Wolff wants to make A's, Earthquakes global brands

There hasn't been a lot of public discussion about how the Earthquakes and A's will benefit from each other, so Lindsey Riddell of the San Jose/Silicon Valley Business Journal is breaking some new ground in her story this week, "A's hope global strategy will lead them to World Series." (Note: the story is three pages long, so be sure to click those additional pages if you want to read the whole thing.)

While the story focuses almost entirely on basebally, we do get this tidbit from Lew Wolff:

"The A's have a tremendous brand and I'm not sure we've maximized that outside our market area," Wolff says. "We're busy trying to win games... It's just a little different approach than the former people who had it. We're much more interested in building this into a much bigger brand. We want the A's and the Earthquakes to be internationally recognized."

What that means remains to be seen, but we think it's a good sign.

* * *

In other news, we were just glancing at the MLS playoff standings and noticed that Chivas USA, remarkably enough, is currently undefeated at home with a 10-0-2 record. As most of our readers know, the only team in MLS history to win all its home matches was the 2005 San Jose Earthquakes. Could Chivas USA equal this feat? We'll know in about a month. They have three home games remaining, against Chicago, Colorado, and a regular season finale against none other than the Houston Dynamo, many of whom set the current record as Earthquakes.

Posted by Jay at 08:44 AM | Comments (1)

September 23, 2007

New Fire owner also a fan

We're not ready to take back our claim that the Quakes' new owners are the coolest in MLS, but it looks as though Chicago Fire fans are doing pretty well in that regard as well.

As we noted about a week ago, the Fire was purchased by Andell Holdings, an LA-based private investment firm owned by Andrew Hauptman and his wife, Ellen. Today, the Chicago Tribune publishes a profile of Andrew Hauptman, who introduced himself to the Chicago media by playing in the Fire's annual media game. The paper also reports that he is taking Spanish lessons so as to better communicate with Chicago's Hispanic community and that he "even had a beer with Fire supporters Section 8 during last Saturday's Fire game."

Sounds like he's taking all the right steps to make a good impression. (Well, short of bringing back fan favorite GM Peter Wilt, anyway.)

Posted by Jay at 12:57 PM | Comments (0)

September 21, 2007

CC Times provides insight into A's, Quakes front office

We've seen a number of articles in both the national and international press about the potential for A's GM Billy Beane's involvement with the Quakes. Today, Joe Stiglich of the Contra Costa Times gives us the most detailed view yet of how Beane might be involved on the soccer side. (The story runs in the Mercury News, too.)

And now that the A's ownership group, which includes Beane, has sunk its teeth into Major League Soccer - it bought the rights to revive the San Jose Earthquakes franchise - he has a chance to put his passion to practical use.

Beane said his current involvement with the Earthquakes is on the "macro level." (He's helping conduct interviews to hire the team's director of soccer.) The big question, as it pertains to Beane's commitment to the A's, is how much his involvement with the Earthquakes might expand down the road.

"That's hard to answer," Beane said this week. "Right now, understand the Quakes are a part of our ownership umbrella, which I'm involved with. It stands to reason I have a vested interest in the success of the franchise.

"I'm interested in the business, but to say I have the knowledge to put together a team is (not true). I'm a neophyte. That being said, I love the sport."

The story even provides a bit more insight into the potential relationship with a team in the English Premiership:

Beane thinks there's much to be learned from soccer that can apply to baseball, and vice versa.

He has struck up friendships with executives from the Tottenham Hotspur club of the England-based Premier League. Tottenham's sporting director, Damien Comolli, and marketing director, Paul Barber, visited the A's last week to exchange ideas.

Beane has made similar trips to Tottenham's headquarters in London and has another planned in November.

Interesting stuff, eh? And isn't it great knowing that these guys are working on behalf of the Quakes and the fans?

We also have to compliment writer Joe Stiglich for mentioning the continued involvement of A's president Mike Crowley with the Earthquakes. Crowley has been sort of an unsung hero in this effort so far, working behind the scenes and leaving the spotlight to others. Come to think of it, that would make another fine story for a local paper to cover. Hey, Mercury News, how about a profile piece on Crowley? Here's your chance to scoop the rest of the sports press!

Posted by Jay at 07:27 AM | Comments (0)

September 20, 2007

Earthquakes in England

Two former Earthquakes crossed paths in England yesterday as Leicester City squared off against Nottinham Forest in a replay of a cup tie cut short by the half-time heart attack of Leicester defender Clive Clarke. The hero of the story is founding owner of the Quakes, Milan Mandaric, who won our admiration for his sense of fairness. We'll let The Times Online tell the story:

A goal adrift when the initial meeting was abandoned because Clive Clarke, the Leicester defender, suffered a heart attack during the half-time interval, Leicester stood aside and allowed Paul Smith, the Forest goalkeeper, to amble from the halfway line, exchange high-fives with Marton Fulop, his opposite number, and prod home to restore the advantage.

The idea came from Milan Mandaric, the Leicester owner, (Leicester City manager Gary) Megson and Tim Davies, the club’s managing director, after Forest’s response to events in the ill-fated first meeting. “It was a gift from everyone at Leicester City for the way Forest behaved in the first game,” Mandaric said. “We wanted to show that morality and fair play are not dead in the game.”

Who was the other Quake at the match? Striker Junior Agogo, who played for San Jose in 2001, started and went 90 minutes for Nottingham Forest.

Posted by Jay at 04:08 PM | Comments (0)

September 19, 2007

Vegas paper sets odds for MLS expansion candidates

Everyone is wondering which group of investors has the inside track on winning MLS expansion teams for 2009 and beyond, but leave it to a Las Vegas paper to publish odds for their success.

Today's Las Vegas Sun does just that, and they say the favorites for expansion are Seattle (3 to 2 odds) and St. Louis (4 to 1). Bringing up the rear are San Diego and Atlanta, both at 100 to 1. Well-regarded Quakes booster Ron Gilmore and his group MLS Phoenix Rising are given a 20 to 1 shot, not as good as a second New York team (8 to 1) or Las Vegas (10 to 1) but much better than Cleveland (60 to 1), Miami (35 to 1), Milwaukee (75 to 1), Portland (40 to 1), or Vancouver (70 to 1).

Locally, the odds of San Jose getting a stadium for the Quakes aren't mentioned, but they will improve if you send a message to local elected officials telling them that you support the proposal for the FMC site, so please do so before the October 29 sub-committee vote and the November 20 vote of the full city council.

Posted by Jay at 07:13 AM | Comments (0)

September 18, 2007

Those SoBs in Philadelphia

If there's anybody who knows about supporting a team that doesn't exist, it's Earthquakes fans — or at least it was from December 15, 2005 until July 18, 2007. So who better than us to salute the Sons of Ben, a group of Philadelphia soccer fans who have banded together in an effort to demonstrate the support that a Philly MLS team would receive if one existed.

The Philadelphia Inquirer profiles them here, and we definitely recognize some similarities between the SoBs and SSV. We remember our season ticket drive in the fall of 2004 which generated pledges for over 1,000 new season tickets in just three weeks, which helped the team set a new record for season ticket sales. The Sons of Ben are sponsoring their own season ticket drive, and over 2,700 people have signed their online petition urging elected officials to support a stadium proposal for nearby Chester, Penn.

We think that the league's supporters groups are one of the best things about American soccer. Looks like Philadelphia and the Sons of Ben are well on their way towards making a contribution.

Posted by Jay at 09:29 AM | Comments (1)

September 16, 2007

Finally, Quakes news from the Mercury News

In some ways, it's been a difficult year. To see something that you've lost finally return, only to be greeted with disdain or criticism in the press, is either depressing or infuriating, depending on your state of mind. So our sympathy goes out to fans of Britney Spears everywhere.

As for Quakes fans, the local paper has given us cause for celebration this morning. After being scooped by the New York Times, the Toronto Star, the Toronto Globe and Mail, and the mighty Salinas Californian, the Mercury News have finally stepped up to the spot and fired in a winner. Today, columnist Ann Killion provides us with two articles that may just re-establish the Mercury News as the paper of record for the Earthquakes.

Killion's main column states that she is now "cautiously optimistic" about the return of the Quakes and gives three main reasons for the turnaround in her attitude. The first will be music to the ears of Earthquakes fans everywhere:

I can't promise that (Frank) Yallop will be the new coach of the expansion Earthquakes... but I wouldn't be at all surprised if he was.

Yallop is the very good, very smart coach who built the old Earthquakes into a two-time MLS champion before leaving to coach the national team in his native Canada. He currently is coaching the Los Angeles Galaxy, otherwise known as David Beckham's ATM machine.

That means Yallop has the most high-profile soccer job in the country. The dysfunctional Galaxy is the worst team in the league, a fact that embarrasses Yallop's bosses at Anschutz Entertainment Group, who like to meddle with the team and think plugging in an injured superstar should equal automatic success.

So I fully expect Yallop to be relieved of his duties at the end of the season. And I expect David Alioto, the executive vice president of the Earthquakes, to call Yallop one nanosecond later. Yallop would bring instant legitimacy and a connection to the Bay Area (and probably would be relieved to be away from the AEG folks).

We realize that this is just speculation, of course, but this would be a great development. It would be impossible to simply turn back the clock two years and bring back everyone who played for the 2005 Quakes, and it wouldn't even be wise to do so—a lot can change in two seasons. But there are elements of that era that we'd love to see carried into the team's future, and hiring a coach who knows the Way of the Quakes would be a great way to do it.

What's the Way of the Quakes? Take a look at the team from 2001-2005 for an answer. The players play for each other, they go all out, they emphasize attacking but play team defense, they don't dive, and they never, ever give up. It's hall-of-famer Johnny Moore's oft-quoted statement that "the name on the front of the shirt is more important than the name on the back of the shirt." Above all, it's honoring and respecting the game and recognizing that it's a privilege to pull on a shirt that says "Earthquakes." It's the Earthquakes spirit, and bringing in the coaches who understand it and know the success it can bring would be a great way to go forward.

Killion says there may be others returning, too.

Don't be surprised, when the Earthquakes are finally put together, to see familiar names involved, such as John Doyle or Brandi Chastain. The Earthquakes need to tap into people who know and believe in the Bay Area soccer market. Don't be surprised if former Earthquakes employees return to the fold. Many were bitter over the move to Houston, and would love nothing more than moving home and proving that soccer can succeed here.

Killion saves her highest praise for the team's new owners, Lew Wolff and John Fisher. As we've been trumpeting both here on the blog and privately among our fellow fans, we think that Quakes fans finally have the owners they deserve—committed, smart, professional, and dedicated to the game. (Plus, we have the coolest owners in MLS, as Grahame Jones of the LA Times confirmed when he wrote about Fisher's trip to the 2006 World Cup where he was "strolling around Germany with an American flag painted on his head.") It's nice to see them getting some recognition in the local press, too.

The second story from Killion is a timeline for the next few months. She says that the director of soccer operations will be named in early October, which will also be the time we find out more about where the team will be playing in 2008. Late October will see an announcement of the new coach. The expansion draft will be held in November, the Quakes tryout tour will come to eight Northern California cities, and the city council votes on the stadium proposal. In January, 2008, the Quakes will start off the MLS SuperDraft by taking the first pick.

Posted by Jay at 10:47 AM | Comments (4)

September 14, 2007

Playing catch up

It's been a busy week away from the blog, so we apologize for the infrequent updates. Here's a brief wrap of the latest and greatest:

Posted by Jay at 10:32 AM | Comments (5)

September 10, 2007

Weekend roundup

It was a disappointing weekend for American soccer fans, especially with the U.S. 4-2 loss to Brazil yesterday afternoon in Chicago. (Ah, referee, why must you torment us so? When Josh Wolff was taken down in the box, that should've been a PK, and the foul that led to Ronaldinho's free kick goal wasn't a foul at all.) So, imagine our surprise in saying that two stories in the Mercury News were among the high points of our soccer weekend.

On Friday, Ann Killion wrote a column bemoaning the lack of attention paid to the U.S. Women's National Team and the Women's World Cup, which started today in China. We agree that the tournament deserves more coverage than it's likely to get, especially with the games starting at such odd hours for us West Coast fans. The U.S. group stage matches begin at 2:00 a.m., 2:00 a.m., and 5:00 a.m., with the first of those being played tomorrow morning against North Korea. U.S. Soccer's web site is the best source for news on the team, and they're even providing some behind-the-scenes video and a team blog.

What really surprised us, though, was the Merc's story on the balance of residential and commercial property in San Jose. This topic has been mentioned a lot in the paper, usually without much regard for the nuanced decision making that goes into city planning. In fact, many of the paper's previous stories on the proposed soccer stadium have attempted to frame the issue by using Lew Wolff's proposal as a catalyst for the discussion, usually by soliciting knee jerk reactions to the words "soccer stadium," and ignoring the benefits that Wolff is offering the city.

On Sunday, we finally saw that error redressed, as reporter Joshua Molina submitted a thoroughly researched story which looked at both past and present city policies and actions. In that context, Wolff's stadium proposal was finally recognized as a progressive, ground-breaking deal.

One of the major changes that has developers worried is a proposal to require builders who want to rezone industrial land to replace the loss of job capacity - either on site or elsewhere in the city. That way, there is no net loss of employment potential.

For example, developer Lew Wolff has told the city that if it rezones a parcel of industrial land he owns in Edenvale, he'll increase space for retail and commercial uses in another parcel he owns near San Jose's airport where Wolff proposes to build a soccer stadium.

Part of a newspaper's role in the community is to provide unbiased information about issues affecting their readership so that we can all participate in the decision-making process. Molina's story give us hope that when negotiations are concluded between Wolff and the City of San Jose, the details of the proposal will be presented with the same appreciation for facts that we see in this story.

Posted by Jay at 08:07 AM | Comments (0)

September 06, 2007

Don't underestimate MLS, warns writer in Sports Business Journal

One of the talking points from the anti-soccer crowd has been to cast doubt on the future of MLS. We first saw it among San Jose State football boosters who couldn't imagine trading in their 74-year-old stadium, which they've shared with a soccer team for 30 or so years, on a brand new stadium that they'd have to share with a soccer team. (We still don't get that, but whatever.)

On the other side of the issue has been a virtual chorus of voices praising Major League Soccer's business strategy and their track record to date. Some of those voices have come from as far away as England, as we noted in June.

We found another story praising MLS in Street & Smith's Sports Business Journal, one of the bibles of the biz here in the U.S. We were so impressed with it that we contacted its author, Jeff L'Hote, and got permission to run the piece in its entirety. You'll find it below, once you click on "Continue reading 'Don't underestimate MLS, warns writer in Sports Business Journal.'"

It’s foolish to underestimate MLS’s potential for success

By Jeff L'Hote

As a sports fan, I remain intrigued by the continued need of some to denigrate soccer publicly, claiming in particular that MLS will never be a success in the U.S. While I, for example, don’t find NASCAR interesting as a spectator sport, I do not feel compelled to point out its perceived shortcomings, particularly as compared to our “traditional” professional sports.

Which leads to the compound question: When is a sport deemed a “success” and what constitutes a “successful” professional sports league?

For the most part, American sports fans have, understandably, a skewed perception of sport and success: The Big Three (NFL, MLB, NBA) are the richest, best-marketed and highest-attended professional sports leagues in the world. Comparing MLS to the NFL, however, is like comparing Super Bowl I to FIFA World Cup 2006.

Yet it is impossible to contest soccer’s popularity here. More American children play soccer than baseball or football, and have for many years; 140 million in the U.S. watched at least part of the 2006 World Cup in Germany; and certain “foreign” soccer teams sell out NFL stadiums. There are numerous other examples of soccer’s relevance and growth potential in the U.S.

Those who are irked, threatened or misinformed about soccer almost universally look to compare MLS to the more established U.S. professional leagues. Or to the failed NASL (almost the only thing the MLS and NASL have in common is the sport they played, and there are even differences with that). The publicity around David Beckham — to be clear, the main reason the Los Angeles Galaxy and MLS rightfully signed him — seems to be acting as a current irritant. Do detractors truly feel threatened?

They shouldn’t. MLS currently falls well behind the Big Three in most meaningful measures — attendance, commercial revenue, media exposure — and will for years to come. But such comparisons are, on their face, unfair. Besides, MLS is competing more against professional soccer leagues from other countries than it is the Big Three.

MLS, in only its 12th season, is a young and growing league which, unlike its predecessor the NASL, continues to strategically position itself for the future. The NBA has already celebrated 50 years; MLB and NFL are much older. MLS is focused on stability and growth, building infrastructure (stadiums and training facilities), increasingly attracting expansion interest (about a dozen U.S. cities are now actively seeking a franchise) and solidifying media and corporate partners. Surely few would consider Phil Anschutz, the late Lamar Hunt, Robert Kraft, Dave Checketts, Stan Kroenke, Lew Wolff and the other MLS team owner-operators ill-advised or naïve, particularly when it comes to professional sport.

While Forbes reported last year that Manchester United has surpassed the Redskins as the “most valuable team in the world” (and Real Madrid had moved in front of the Yankees), the most commercially successful professional soccer league, England’s Barclays Premier League, still falls well shy of matching the revenue or attendance of the Big Three. Were MLS to deliver EPL results — anticipated revenue of $3.4 billion for the 2007-08 season; average attendance at 90-plus percent of stadium capacity or 33,000-plus a match; league televised in more than 200 countries — soccer detractors likely still would not consider MLS or soccer successful.

It is worth noting that the Big Three are, in effect, international monopolies. Yet they are increasingly focused on expanding international reach and revenue streams. Similarly, American investors are looking to soccer as a global investment opportunity. MLS is buoyed by the real opportunity to increase its fan base through converting existing soccer supporters and youth players in the U.S., of which there are tens of millions. This is a more attractive prospect than convincing those in other countries to support our “foreign” leagues and teams on TV.

Indeed, MLS and soccer in the U.S. are both already being backed heavily. Well before Beckham, ESPN paid $100 million for the combined English-language U.S. TV rights to the 2010 and 2014 FIFA World Cup tournaments (Univision paid $325 million for the equivalent Spanish-language rights); Adidas is in the midst of a 10-year, $150 million sponsorship of MLS; other long-term supporters of soccer in the U.S. include Anheuser-Busch, Chase, Pepsi and Nike.

While such figures may pale in comparison to the much more established leagues, it is risky to minimize what MLS has accomplished thus far and to underestimate soccer’s potential. Given continued interest in soccer as a participatory sport and the changing demographics of our country, is anyone willing to bet against soccer’s future in the U.S., particularly as a futbol-centric Hispanic population continues its growth and influence?

Like any growth industry, soccer represents an investment opportunity. Between Saturday morning games for kids and MLS, a wide range of soccer-focused activities exist. As nonsoccer people and organizations in the U.S. become more comfortable with the sport, through continued education and exposure, they will recognize soccer’s diverse commercial opportunities, at home and abroad.

And even though MLS has clear and substantial challenges around increasing its popularity and relevance, including improving its on-field product, creating a consistently enticing game-day atmosphere, convincing its TV partners to abandon their "Americanized" telecast and embrace what works in other countries and generating consistent profits at the team and league levels, it is extremely well-positioned for a league that has not yet completed a dozen seasons. Can any of the Big Three claim to have been in a similar position at the equivalent stage of their development? To be sure, success is a relative term — and MLS and soccer in the U.S. are here to stay.

Maybe the more relevant question becomes: Will anyone be surprised if we Americans, in the form of MLS, ultimately lay claim to the most successful professional soccer league in the world?

It will take a while — 15 years or more — but it wouldn't surprise us at the blog a bit.

Posted by Jay at 07:14 AM | Comments (1)

September 03, 2007

SJ Business Journal reports Sharks to invest in Quakes

In a story in the August 31 issue of the San Jose Business Journal, reporter Lindsay Riddell writes that Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment, the group which owns the Sharks and operates HP Pavilion, is preparing to buy a minority partnership in the Earthquakes. The story comes on the heels of a New York Times report last week which said that it was "very likely that the owners of the Sharks, the N.H.L. franchise, will purchase a part interest in the soccer team."

While Jack Bell of the Times spoke to Lew Wolff, Riddell speaks to Greg Jamison of SVS&E:

"I think (soccer) is going to continue to grow," Jamison says. "The advent of more soccer-specific stadiums, that's a strong push. And I think more and more and more kids have played soccer in school and understand and believe in the game. I think it's a long-term play but longer term plays can pay off. "

Riddell also provides the first published report on the status of stadium negotiations since the June 12 vote in which the San Jose City Council entered into a Memorandum of Understanding and an Exclusive Right to Negotiate with Lew Wolff. It's good news for soccer fans:

"We're going gangbusters and my expectation is we'll have a satisfactory agreement by Sept. 15," says San Jose chief development officer Paul Krutko.

That's the news today—please resume your regularly scheduled barbecue.

Posted by Jay at 07:51 AM | Comments (0)

September 02, 2007

Beckham defends MLS in wide-ranging interview

London's Observer newspaper features a long interview with David Beckham today, billed as "his first major newspaper interview since arriving in the US." It took place before the latest wrinkle in the Beckham saga, the sprained knee he suffered on Wednesday night in the Superliga final, but there's lots of interesting info there (if we may for a moment admit that there's anything interesting about someone who plays for the Galaxy—who, by the way, lost to Real Salt Lake last night, thereby cementing their hold on the bottom of the MLS standings).

Here's a bit of Becks:

'When I came (to L.A.) with (Real) Madrid two years ago, I was a little surprised how professional the people here were. It really hit me then how determined they were to make the MLS better and that was a big factor when it came to me deciding to move to this league and to the Galaxy. Putting the football to one side, how this club is run as a business is up there with the biggest clubs in Europe. The owners of the Galaxy - and of the other clubs in the MLS - are very powerful businessmen; they know how to do this properly. Just look at the stadium. Just look at everything around it. The facilities in the US are second to none.'

On joining the Galaxy: 'I could feel straight away how much they wanted to do well as a team; how much they want to make the MLS bigger, make it a league that's known around the world. In a different way, you could feel it these past few days as well: how much it hurt them when people who don't know anything about it were turning round and calling the Galaxy a pub team and calling the MLS a Mickey Mouse league. I don't know whether it's ignorance or snobbery or whether it's that the people saying these things have never played the game or watched it being played here, but they should be sitting here now, watching us beat a team that's won the Mexican league two years running. The standard is nowhere near as low as people have been saying it is. For a start, you have to be incredibly fit and physically strong to play here: America's a country, after all, that produces some of the best athletes in the world.'

Posted by Jay at 07:54 AM | Comments (0)