Wednesday, August 18, 2004

Report Says 'Quakes Will Be Sold This Week

Representatives from Silicon Valley Soccer, a group dedicated to keeping Major League Soccer's San Jose Earthquakes in town, are saying the San Jose Mercury News will have a story in tomorrow's paper about the team.

An official from San Antonio is saying that the deal will be done this week and the team will be relocated to Houston next season.

Both San Antonio and Houston were hopeful cities in the last round of expansion. While San Antonio lacked a soccer-specific venue, MLS has long been enamored with becoming co-tenants with the NFL's Houston Texans at Reliant Stadium. Like Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, the stadium was designed with soccer in mind.

I find it hard to believe that MLS would give up on such a soccer hotbed, but it is a fact that the team has consistently averaged around 10,000 fans a game during a span of two MLS Cup championships.

If the Earthquakes do leave, it's plausible that the final blow was the awarding of a second team to the L.A. market--Chivas USA. MLS might not have seen the point of having three California-based franchises.

1 comment:

M. Santos said...

This is why I must leave the state!!
Viva la Paulden!!