Tampa gets pro team; Houston Dynamo expand into Texas Rio Grande Valley

Seven years after MLS folded the Tampa Bay Mutiny, a move that caused many to predict the sudden demise of the league, professional soccer is returning thanks to a new USL First Division squad. The new team will begin play next season.

This announcement comes one day after 'Hillsborough County commissioners gave limited approval to building a $15 million soccer complex and stadium at a site to be determined' but a spokesperson for the team says the two are unrelated as the owners want to build their own stadium in northwest Tampa. The proposed new stadium would seat between 6-7,000 and be expandable.

By joining the league now, the new owners were able to pay the current expansion fee of $350,000. After 15 August, the fee will increase to $750,000.

The new Tampa club will join the Austin Aztexs as an expansion USL-1 team next season.

This all sounds like a great move for the league and soccer in southern Florida, especially since the stadium project is not looking for public money. With a good place to call home and a stable financial situation, this new Tampa Bay club will have a much easier time then the Mutiny.


In other expansion news, it looks like the Houston Dynamo will expand into the Texas Rio Grande Valley. According to this report, after seeing the talent in the area through team sponsored youth academies, they feel a professional team could do well here and hope to bring a USL-PDL team in the area in the next 18-months.

It comes as no surprise that there are quality soccer players along the Texas-Mexico border. What is a surprise is that the no one else has stepped up to make this happen earlier.

If this does happen, there could be an interesting twist as the Houston area has a team in the PDL, the Houston Leons, however they are not affiliated with the Dynamo.

Home for the Dynamo

There is a new group getting into the fight for a downtown stadium in Houston, but this one is neither a boxing legend nor a university. Instead this new group is made up of fans that want to do something other then just complain about the situation.

Thus enters Home for the Dynamo.

Although their goal is to raise money towards building the new home of the back-to-back MLS Cup champions, they are under no delusions about their ability to bring in millions. Instead, they hope to be the epicenter of fan support for the stadium.

Several loyal and passionate fans of the team have gotten together to build this site in the hopes of doing more than just letting off steam or complaining. We are dedicated to supporting the fight for a stadium with our checkbooks. Money is the issue at hand and we have chosen to try and raise as much money as possible for this cause.

The purpose is to make it known to all who are involved that WE are going to act while THEY negotiate. No we dont [sic] think we will raise millions of dollars. That isnt [sic] the point. DOING SOMETHING instead of just talking IS THE POINT. We invite all soccer fans everywhere to join us in this cause. A soccer stadium in downtown Houston is a must as we progress into this millineum [sic].

Having a location for information is fantastic, but will people be motivated enough to actually due anything with it? If they do and their numbers grow, this group might end up playing a role in landing a stadium.

If you are interested in helping them out, they are asking for a donation of $5, which will get you a bumper sticker.

University wants to team up with Dynamo in stadium deal; De Rosario kicks like a horse

It is looking more and more likely that if the Dynamo want a stadium in downtown Houston, they are going to need Texas Southern University's backing. Good news for the Dynamo, TSU's new athletic direct Charles McClelland is very interested in such a venture.

"My understanding of the proposal is that the Houston Dynamo and Texas Southern University would share the use of the stadium, including some signage, so it would be the home of Texas Southern University athletics and football program," McClelland said Wednesday, two days after meeting with a city official involved in the stadium negotiations. "We're interested and understand that there has to be a financial commitment from the university, but we are very pleased with the direction of the talks and hope to be able to come to a resolution in the near future."

While McClelland declined to disclose the size or range of the financial commitment because of the ongoing nature of the talks, he is confident the range that has been discussed is "within the capability of the university."

If the two teamed up, the Dynamo would get a stadium, but come fall, it would also be used for American football, so the question is how bad do they want a stadium?

The always entertaining to read Dave Rossman of the Houston Chronicle has his spot on take concerning the situation. To sum him up, the Dynamo need TSU more then TSU need the Dynamo. Why?

It's about the political capital a public institution of higher learning such as TSU brings into the equation.

Even then, while not ready to disclose figures, McClelland believes what the Dynamo and the city are asking is within reach.

Hooray, the Dynamo say. An added bonus. Suddenly, city money being committed to such a project no longer solely finances a private sports enterprise that may or may not generate the tax revenue or jobs it promises to deliver long-term.

Now, it also benefits one of the largest historically black colleges in the nation — one that has played a key role in the advancement of Houston for more than 60 years.

Don't think for a second the city isn't crossing its fingers for TSU to join in the negotiations.

Short of AEG or Golden Boy Promotions covering the ever growing construction cost on their own (something neither is willing to do), going in with TSU is the Dynamo's best chance of getting their stadium anytime in the next four years. Yes, it will suck to see the gridiron lines (although I think the damage done to the pitch by American football is far more offensive), but if the other option is another suburban stadium that makes it more difficult for fans, a few additional lines on the grass are worth it.

In other Houston Dynamo related news, it's official, midfielder Dwayne De Rosario kicks like a horse.

During their match on Saturday De Rosario shattered Chivas defender Lawson Vaughn's nose while attempting a bicycle kick in the box. Sadly, Vaughn will require three surgeries to repair his nose and other facial injuries. When asked about it, Vaughn's agent Ron Waxman said, "I was told it was as if he had gotten kicked in the face by a horse." Ouch.

Hopefully Vaughn will make a full recovery. He is expected to be out for four to six weeks.

The MLS disciplinary committee ruled that De Rosario would not face suspension or fines beyond the already awarded yellow card for the play.

To close out the Houston news, the club signed former DC United forward Guy-Roland Kpene to a developmental contract on Wednesday. His time with United didn't yield much, but with the Dynamo hurting on attack, he might get a better chance in Houston to show what he can do.

Houston stadium gets another tenant

The Houston Dynamo don't even have a deal lined up yet but they might already have a secondary tenant for their proposed soccer stadium. Texas Southern University, located just south of downtown Houston, is very interested in using the new venue for their American football games.

"Although I officially start on May 1 at Texas Southern University and I haven't had an opportunity to look at all of the data involving the proposed stadium, TSU athletics and its football program would be excited to be able to participate and partner with all entities involved in the project to ensure Texas Southern has a state of the art football facility," said Charles McClelland, the schools' new athletics director in an interview with FOX 26 Sports.

This one report doesn't give much information, so it is not clear if TSU would pay some of the cost for the stadium or if they would just be renters, but it is something to watch. Since the main sticking point for the Dynamo seems to be about a $20m tab they want someone else to pickup for construction, a joint venture with TSU might be the final piece of their stadium puzzle.

So the plus side, if this all falls into place, would be a stadium getting built. The downside, from August through November, there would be American football lines on the pitch. Not the worst trade off, but still a trade off.

MLS Commish gets a blog, reacts to Houston letter fiasco

MLS continued down the digital road this past weekend as commissioner Don Garber launched his blog, 'The Commissioner Speaks.' Although the first entry is not that exciting, this is a great direct to take. Hopefully they will soon figure out how to allow comments and maybe give it more linkage off the front page, but for now, it's just nice to know they are doing this.

Although there wasn't much in the first post, two pieces of information did pop up. First, MLS on TeleFutura was more popular with Hispanic men then "the Lakers/Spurs NBA game, the Yankees/Red Sox game on ESPN and the Masters on CBS."

Not a big surprise there, but still nice to know.

Then comes the other issue, a stadium for Houston.

As you can imagine, I was very surprised that Mayor White in Houston released to the media a letter I sent to the Dynamo ownership group. The letter stated my concerns with the lack of progress with the team’s discussion with the city regarding a stadium partnership. And anyone who read the letter knows, I was not threatening the Mayor in any way.

The Dynamo, no different than the Texans, Rockets and Astros, need a stadium of their own, and have offered to provide far more private capital to the deal than was required by the owners of the city’s other sports teams. Team President Oliver Luck has been working with the city to creatively construct an agreement that does not in any way take funding away from any key city services.

If it was not meant as some sort of threat, why send it in the first place? Perhaps the word 'threat' is the sticking point, but it seems obvious that he was warning the mayor that if things didn't get done, the league is ready to move the team. Is that a threat or a warning? I don't care what he answers because either way, it shows a huge disrespect for the fans (an issue he didn't touch on at all).

MLS commish threatens to move Houston again if stadium deal is not reached

MLS commissioner Don Garber has drawn the line with the city of Houston by basically saying help build the Dynamo a stadium or the team will move. His exact words:

It is inconceivable that MLS will allow the team to continue playing as a secondary tenant in a college football facility after the League moved the team due to the challenges at San Jose State.

While another relocation would be equally traumatic, we both must consider our options to ensure that the team has a path to economic success. We learned an important lesson in San Jose: a passionate fan base is not enough to support the economics of operating a professional sports team. The team needs a soccer-specific stadium to ensure success.

Is someone over reacting or might der commish truly be looking at the Earthquakes/Dynamo and be thinking 'Miami Wanderers'*?

Whatever the reason, this letter is pretty much a bunch of spit to the face for Dynamo fans. Yes, teams need to make money, but to so callously say 'give us what we want or else' is really disappointing. It didn't work in San Jose so what makes Garber think it will fly in Houston? And what does this signal to the thousands of Dynamo fans that show up match after match? To me it means MLS might not yet be one of the big three sports in America, but they care as little about the fans as most in those leagues seem to.

By the way, I find it very interesting that Garber points out that San Jose didn't work because it doesn't have a stadium, yet the Earthquakes have just started playing again without a stadium deal in place. I guess they will have two years to make it work or Garber will threaten to take the team elsewhere. Hay, after he moves the Dynamo, Houston will be available.

As far as the actual stadium issue, it looks like the City of Houston and the Dynamo are at an impasse caused at least in part over the growing cost of the stadium (it is now priced at $105m, up from $80-90m).

Mayor Bill White has said all along that he didn't plan on using tax dollars for the construction of the site, which the Dynamo seemed okay with, however they now are saying 'the club and the City would share the cost of the project.'

Stadium deals have never been an easy thing, however this one could easily become one of the worse (although the DC situation might still be able to top it).

* I picked Miami because it seems like MLS really wants to go there, just like they really wanted to go to Houston. Plus, there has been stadium talk there of late. Anyway, I have no idea if there is even a city in mind.

The Dynamo get a little more golden with Oscar De La Hoya

The MLS Champion Houston Dynamo have new owners, sort of. Boxer Oscar De La Hoya and business associate Gabriel Brener are set to purchase 50% of the club while current owners AEG will continue to control the other half.

AEG has placed the value of the Dynamo at more then $40 million, meaning this is at least a $20m investment by the two.

Interestingly De La Hoya, president of Golden Boy Promotions, and Brener, a Mexican investor with ties to the real estate industry in the United States, will only be the second Hispanic ownership group in the league (Chivas was the first).

No word yet exactly what roll AEG will continue to play, however I would guess they would take over stadium issues while the Golden Boys handle the team. My reason for this guess has to do with AEG's desire to have a concert venue in the downtown Houston area.

With the city ready to move on the Dynamo stadium idea, possibly as early as tomorrow night, and with the ownership issue looking to be settled, it appears good news is on the horizon for Dynamo fans.

The one question I still wonder is how will the Dynamo make money off this? With AEG looking to front $70-90m of the construction cost, they will want to keep a large amount of any profits. The team will save money by not needing to rent Robertson Stadium anymore, however they will probably only get limited percentages from non-soccer events held in the facility and as FC Dallas can tell you, it is the non-soccer events that make you the money.

However, even with these concerns, it is still great to see this move forward. Sure it will be another soccer venue with a stage at one end, but at least it is happening.

2008 Concacaf Champions Cup schedule - Can Houston or DC win the region?

In just two weeks both DC United and the Houston Dynamo will play their first meaningful matches of the year as the final installment of the Concacaf Champions' Cup (CCC) gets underway. The winner of this the CCC will represent the region at the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan this December.

The tournament is made up of three stages with each stage being a two leg (home-away) affair. Here is the full schedule (all times Eastern - FSC will air all matches in the US, though some are tape delayed):

Quarterfinals
Leg 1
QF 1 - CD Motagua (Hon) 0-0 Pachuca CF (Mex)
11 March Estadio Tiburcio Carias Andino - Att: 35,846
QF 2 - Harbour View (Jam) 1-1 DC United (USA)
12 March Harbour View Stadium, Kinston - Att: 6,985
QF 4 - CSD Municipal (Gua) 0-0 Houston Dynamo (USA)
12 March Estadio Mateo Flores - Att:
QF 3 - Atlante FC (Mex) 2-1 Deportivo Saprissa (CR)
13 March Estadio Andres Quintana Roo, Cancun - Att:

Leg 2
QF 2 - DC United (USA) 5-0 Harbour View (Jam)
18 March RFK Stadium - Att: 12,394
DC United win series 6-1
QF 4 - Houston Dynamo (USA) 3-1 CSD Municipal (Gua)
19 March Robertson Stadium - Att: 14,348
Houston Dynamo win series 3-1
QF 1 - Pachuca CF (Mex) 1-0 CD Motagua (Hon)
19 March Estadio Hidalgo, Pachuca - Att:
Pachuca win series 1-0
QF 3 - Deportivo Saprissa (CR) 3-0 Atlante FC (Mex)
20 March Estadio Ricardo Saprissa, San Jose - Att: 23,000
Deportivo Saprissa win series 4-2

Semifinals
Leg 1
SF 1 - Pachuca (Mex) vs. DC United (US)
01 April Estadio Hidalgo, Pachuca
SF 2 - Houston Dynamo (US) vs. Deportivo Saprissa (CR)
02 April Robertson Stadium

Leg 2
SF 1 - DC United (US) vs. Pachuca (Mex)
08 April RFK Stadium
SF 2 - Deportivo Saprissa (CR) vs. Houston Dynamo (US)
09 April

Finals
Leg 1 - Winner SF 2 vs. Winner SF 1
23 April
Leg 2 - Winner SF 1 vs. Winner SF 2
30 April

The schedule means that if DC United advances to the end, they will host the second leg in all three rounds. Houston, meanwhile, will get to host the second leg only in the first round.

Both MLS sides will face the challenge of meeting teams in the middle of their season, but in the first round, Houston looks to have the tougher opposition. Municipal is a historic club in Guatemalan soccer and their current roster contains a large number of players from their national team, including Juan Carlos Plata. Also, chances are good that their 30,000 seat home stadium will be near capacity for this match.

DC should have an easier time with Harbour View as they are a good club but not a dominant one. However, the Caribbean winner has often given their first round opponent trouble, so United should not look past them.

Last year both DC and Houston had good runs in the CCC, only to fall in the second round to teams from Mexico. This year they have a little easier time of it as the matches start two and a half weeks later then they did in 2007, giving them more time in pre-season training to prepare.

Houston stadium deal delayed

The city of Houston is giving itself an extra week to consider the proposal to purchase land for a Dynamo soccer stadium.

The City Council will look at the $15.5 million land deal on Wednesday but is expected to delay any decision to next week. If the city goes ahead with the purchase, they will acquire 5 blocks just outside of downtown currently owned by former Councilman Louis Macey. They are trying to get hold of the sixth block by swapping already owned land.

Although the main hope for this deal is to land a stadium, there is no guarantee that the Dynamo will build a stadium on the location. It is also not know if the city would sell or rent the land to the team.

It does seem that the city is very much hoping to make this happen, provided no tax dollars go to actual construction, so the pressure is on the Dynamo organization. The number one reason for the team's move from California was a lack of a stadium deal. Now it appears that a deal is coming together, however it might be the team that keeps it from happening.

AEG has said in the past that they are very interesting in building a stadium, however they also want to sell their Houston franchise to focus on their other club the LA Galaxy. Since MLS wants teams to own the facilities in which they play, if AEG does sell the team, they would have to work out an agreement over the stadium with new owners, but this could take some time to accomplish (look no further then the year long delay with the New York Red Bull stadium after AEG sold the team).

So in the end, we have a situation that appears to be more common then ever in the league, a city ready to help make a stadium happen (Houston, Miami, St. Louis) but either the team or league holding back.

MLS boss Garber talks about Houston stadium, international players/competition and profit

MLS Commissioner Don Garber had a few things to say about just about everything in the league when he talked with the Houston Chronicle. Overall, he likes where the league is at and the direction it is heading. As far as specifics, there were not a lot, but what few there are, are very interesting.

Since the interviewer is from Houston, the Dynamo topped the conversation list with their long sought stadium deal being the major issue. All though he didn't have any new news to spread, Garber was encouraged by the city's decision to purchase land for a stadium. He did point out that the recently finished Philadelphia deal took three-years, however said they will not wait 6-7 years for a stadium in Houston.

He also said that Houston will not see a MLS Cup or All-Star Game without a stadium saying, "...we have so many stadiums coming online in so many cities, my commitment to those cities and those owners who have made great commitments to build those stadiums is to bring them our premier events." I guess DC will not be seeing another MLS Cup for a little while.

As far as a possible sale of the team slowing down stadium talks, Garber doesn't think it is true. In addition, he would like to see an ownership group made up of locals takeover the team, but it is not a necessity since a number of other teams are owned by folks not from their market.

On the non-Houston related front, Garber thinks that at some point MLS will need to reevaluate all the international competitions that currently crowd the schedule, but in the mean time these games are needed to bring in more of the 'Hispanic or Latino community.' However, one tournament the league likes but appears unwilling to jump into is the Copa Libertadores. "It would be great to compete in Libertadores. Right now our focus is to win (CONCACAF's) Champions League and make it to the FIFA Club World Cup." This seems to be the club level argument of the Gold Cup/Copa America discussion from last summer.

All this is interesting, but the biggest two pieces of information, for me at least, have to do with Garber's take on developing American players and profitability.

When asked about all the foreign players coming to MLS and how this may hurt the league's goal of growing homegrown talent, the commish said, "We can't sign a player who might not want to play in MLS or is not worth what he thinks he's worth to play here versus going to the second division in Norway, for example. We have to make business decisions that are right for our product, right for our television partners, right for our sponsors and right for our fans."

The first part is obvious, if an American doesn't want to play in MLS then he is not going to play here. The second part seems a bit, um, condescending. Seeing how a large number of players that have signed overseas in recent years are players make less then $100,000 a year in MLS, it is hard to argue that they are not worth more. A good argument can be made that MLS is a more competitive league then Norway or other second/third tier European leagues, but when it comes to money, MLS is still behind. Instead of admitting this and saying that it is something the league needs to work on in the future, Garber attacks the players. Not the classiest way to go.

But let's end on a good note. He takes down the 'money-losing business' argument so many soccer detractors use against the league perfectly by pointing out that they are still in an investment mode and pointing out how many people are looking at buying into the league. If MLS were failing, why would people put money into it. To make it a little simpler to understand, you've got to spend money to make money and we are still spending money.

US roster for showdown with Mexico

Bob Bradley has released his roster for Thursday night's match in Houston against Mexico. He has called 22 into town for the 'friendly' with 12 of them coming from European based clubs. All but one of the players has earned a cap for the national team. The one player who has not, Houston Dynamo Stuart Holden.

Here is the full list:
GK (2): Brad Guzan (Chivas USA), Tim Howard (Everton FC)
D (7): Carlos Bocanegra (Fulham FC), Ramiro Corrales (SK Brann), Drew Moor (FC Dallas), Oguchi Onyewu (Standard de Liege), Michael Parkhurst (New England Revolution), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock), Eddie Robinson (Houston Dynamo)
M(9): Freddy Adu (SL Benfica), Michael Bradley (SC Heerenveen), Ricardo Clark (Houston Dynamo), Bobby Convey (Reading FC), Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo), Maurice Edu (Toronto FC), Benny Feilhaber (Derby County), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Eddie Lewis (Derby County)
F (4): Jozy Altidore (New York Red Bulls), Clint Dempsey (Fulham FC), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Pat Noonan (Aalesund FK)

If there is any shock from this listing it's how strong it actually is. I wasn't sure how hard Bradley would push for European based players, but it looks like most of the best Americans from overseas are included. The midfield will be interesting to watch as four of the nine have 3 or less caps while all but one have less then 15 caps. However, Adu, Edu, Bradley Holden, Clark and Davis all are either in the middle of or coming off wonderful seasons, so there is plenty of talent available.

Of the 10 MLS players, four of them are from the Dynamo. This again is no surprise as the game is taking place in Houston and the club is league champion.

One last thing, I'm not sure what to make about Twellman not making the roster. I don't think he has ever really produced on the international level, so his exclusion makes sense, but I do wonder if this is a sign of Bradley moving on to other players or just a one time thing.

Mexico is also bringing a strong squad which means the game in Houston should be, like normal, very fun. Here is their roster:
GK (3): Luis Michel (Guadalajara), Moises Munoz (Morelia), Guillermo Ochoa (America).
D (6): Israel Castro (Pumas), Jonny Magallon (Guadalajara), Rafael Marquez (Barcelona), Fausto Pinto (Pachuca), Oscar Rojas (America), Carlos Salcido (PSV).
M (5): Fernando Arce (Santos), Andres Guardado (Deportivo), Antonio Naelson (Toluca), Pavel Pardo (Stuttgart), Gerardo Torrado (Cruz Azul).
F (5): Adolfo Bautista (Jaguares), Juan Carlos Cacho (Pachuca), Giovanni Dos Santos (Barcelona), Antonio de Nigris (Ankaraspor), Carlos Vela (Osasuna)

If you are in the Houston area and want to see something special on Wednesday night, tickets are still available.

Houston Dynamo stadium land worth $20m

If the Houston Dynamo stadium plan goes through as currently planned, the city of Houston might end up paying as much as $20 million to acquire the land.

The appraised value of the six blocks that will house the stadium and other relevant facilities is just $5.1 million, however the owners of the property think that is undervalued since it is a 'hot' site for development. Go figure, people that own something that someone else what think they should get more money for it.

Overall, this article points again to the fact that the city is very interested in keeping the Dynamo within the downtown area. The fact that they are willing to invest $5-20 million to get the land shows where they stand. Now it is up to AEG or whatever ownership group is going to purchase the club (if they are close to finishing that deal), to put up on their side. The whole reason the team went to Houston was to get a stadium and it looks like the city is committed to making it happen.

Site of Houston Dynamo stadium selected

There might not yet be a deal to build a soccer stadium for the two-time MLS Champions, but at least the city of Houston and the Dynamo have decided on a location.

The city has agreed to purchase six-blocks of land near downtown that could become home to a Dynamo stadium. However, the two sides still need to workout a great number of details before an actual stadium deal is reached.

Interestingly enough, one issue might be the sale of the team to local owners. One of MLS's big missions is to get every team owned by a local group, however in Houston's case, that might be causing a delay in another one of MLS's big missions, get every team in their own soccer stadium. AEG, the current owners of Houston have said that they are willing to pay for a large majority of the $70-80 million building cost for a home, however the possible local ownership group is not so interested in paying that much. Since Houston's Mayor Bill White does not want taxpayer money to pay for the stadium itself, there is a problem.

AEG could always build the stadium and lease it to the Dynamo's new owners, however that would deprive the team any chance to make money from non-soccer events at the stadium, so it really is not that much better then their current situation.

So as for now, the team that moved from San Jose two-years ago because they couldn't get a stadium deal still can't seem to get a stadium deal. I can only imagine how the players feel about this.

2008 Concacaf Champions' Cup Schedule

The draw is done and teams now know their opposition for next year's Concacaf Champions' Cup (CCC) quarterfinals.

Quarterfinals
1 Houston Dynamo (USA) - Municipal* (Guatemala)
2 Atlante FC* (Mexico) - Saprissa (Costa Rica)

3 DC United (USA) - Harbour View* (Jamaica)
4 Pachuca (Mexico) -Motagua* (Honduras)
* Host of first leg

The quarterfinals are a home-home series with the first leg taking place March 11-13, and the second leg the following week. The winners of series 1-2 and 3-4 will face off in the semifinals. The first leg for the semis will be staged April 1-3 with the second leg a week later. The final will happen April 22-24 and April 29-May 1.

The timing of the 2008 event is a bit more favorable for DC and Houston as it will take place just a couple weeks before the start of the season rather then a full month ahead like it did this year. That said, if either team goes the distance, it is very likely that they will play 11 meaningful matches in a month and a half (6 CCC, 5 MLS).

Winning the CCC earns the team a spot in the 2008 FIFA World Club Cup.

So here are the dates:
Quarterfinals - March 11-13, March 18-20
Semifinals - April 1-3, April 8-10
Finals - April 22-24, April 29-May 1

Gold medalist boxer wants to be a Dynamo - Sale will not hurt stadium deal

A group that includes boxer Oscar de la Hoya wants to purchase the Houston Dynamo from current owner Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG). It is not clear how far along talks are, but MLS is very interested in seeing the sale take place.

AEG at one time owned over half of the league, but now stands with just two teams, Houston and LA.

The good news for Houston fans, any sale will not effect the negotiations to get the club a soccer stadium as any sale would include a non- relocation clause which would severely penalize the new owners if they moved before the lease for the stadium was up.

However, the stadium might face an issue of a different sort from the NBA's Houston Rockets. It seems the Rockets have a provision in their lease of the Toyota Center that 'prohibits the city from promoting or helping build a rival venue that would stage concerts.' Since AEG is all about building soccer stadiums that can be used for concerts, this could be a problem. However, if the Rockets will not budge, AEG might hold off staging any concerts in the new stadium till the agreement ends in 2013.

Of course a better solution would be to just build a stadium without a stage, but good solutions don't always equal profit, thus it will never happen.

Still, it looks like the Dynamo will soon have local owners, which would mean the league would have 14 owners for their 15 teams (I'm including Seattle) and a stadium. Now if the Hunt family can just find a buyer for the Crew, all will be right. Hard to believe that as recently as 2003, there were only three owners for the whole league. A lot has changed in four years.

Houston Dynamo stadium deal close

The Dynamo have had an easier time winning titles then getting a stadium deal but it looks like that might just change in the next couple weeks.

City and team officials have both said that a private-public deal to build a stadium could be in place within weeks. Dynamo's owners Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) want to build a 22,000-seat, open-air stadium costing around $80 million. AEG would cover a majority of the construction costs for the stadium with the city chipping in to provide infrastructure improvements.

Houston Mayor Bill White does not want to see any public money used in the building of the stadium.

The location of the new stadium has not been released, however, it will be in the downtown area.

This all sounds wonderful and I hope the deal gets closed soon, but I do wonder about the open-air stadium. With a number of games taking place in the summer months, I would think some coverage for the fans would make it a bit more enjoyable. Also, with a roof, the sound echoes, making the home field that much more hostel to the opposition.

I'm guessing since this is an AEG project, a stage will be included with the plans, although it would be very funny if they elected not to have one after their arguments with Red Bull over the New York stadium. Also, I wonder if any of the money Red Bull paid AEG for the New York rights buy out is not in the Houston stadium fund?

Dynamo victory rally at Houston City Hall tomorrow

Any Houston Dynamo fans who want to salute their back-to-back champions can do so tomorrow evening from 5:30-7:30pm on the step of Houston's City Hall. The players, coaches, GM, mascot and Dynamo Girls will join the mayor and local soccer personality Glenn Davis for this party. All are welcome to attend this free event.

WHAT: Houston Dynamo to host championship rally on the steps of City Hall
WHEN: Tuesday, November 20, 5:30-7:30 p.m. CT
WHERE: Houston City Hall
900 Bagby St.
Houston, TX 77002
WHO: Houston Dynamo players and Head Coach Dominic Kinnear
Houston Dynamo President and General Manager Oliver Luck
City of Houston Mayor Bill White
City of Houston Councilmember Adrian Garcia
Local recording artist Mike Jones
Soccer Personality Glenn Davis

Good idea having this Tuesday night because after Wedneday's expansion draft, the Dynamo might just be one player short.

Houston Dynamo downtown stadium deal coming together - MLS stadium update

Back in May, the Houston Dynamo signed a letter of intent with the city to negotiate a stadium deal. The letter called for a deal to be reached by mid-July. Well July is long over and forgotten with no deal reached. However, it now looks like a deal could be worked out by the end of the year as the club is looking at a location just east of downtown (a previous location near the baseball stadium has been ruled out).

The new deal will actual involve two different locations. The first location will be a 22,000-seat, open-air stadium downtown costing $70-80 million while the second location will be a satellite public soccer complex and training facility on the city's south side. To me, this makes the most sense. Put the stadium in a central location that is easily accessed by the city's population and put the bulk of the playing fields further out where the land is cheaper.

No official world on city money has been given, however it looks like AEG (the owner of the Dynamo) will invest over $60 million in this project.

As far as the players, they feel it is about time to get a deal done. Having moved from San Jose because they could not get a stadium, a few players are wondering what is taking so long, including defender Craig Waibel:

"We feel like we're a championship team, and we've won one, and regardless of what happens here in the (playoffs) we've done very well this season, we've had great attendance (average attendance was 15,883 in 2007), we've done everything we were supposed to do.

''We feel a bit frustrated that there hasn't been an announcement, but we understand there's a lot more things to this than just our feelings and our team."

If the Dynamo can end up with a stadium downtown, then the wait really would be worth it, but what about everyone else in MLS? One of the odd events, or non-events of this season has been the lack of stadium news, still things have been moving along. Here is a look at the way the future stadiums look right now:

Chivas USA - There is occasional talk of a possible move from the Home Depot Center, but nothing major has come of it.

DC United - How to sum this one up? There was a lot of movement on building a stadium along the Anacostia River at Poplar Point, however in July talks broke down. United offered to pay for the $150 million stadium, however it wanted '$200 million in city subsidies, including roads, tax incentives and the right to develop additional land.' The city has since put out a call for open proposals on ways to develop the land, some of which will not include a soccer stadium. There has also been talk about building a stadium next to RFK (which would then be torn down) or move the team out of DC (something the owners have said they don't want to do). With nothing set as of yet, it looks like United will play at least through 2009 at RFK.

Kansas City Wizards - Last November, the Wizards saw a $75 million soccer complex voted down by a large margin. Since then, their focus has turned to the site of a mall. The Tax Increment Financing Commission of Kansas City as scheduled a special meeting for 7 Nov. to listen to the proposal for Bannister Mall and its surroundings in south Kansas City. A new stadium would anchor the site and would open in time for the 2010 season. As far as the 2008 season, the team might end up playing at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.

New England Revolution - Despite occasional noise concerning a move from the much too big Gillette stadium, there really has not been much of a push to get the Revs a home.

New York Red Bulls - On 19 September 2006, the New York franchise broke ground on a stadium that they hoped would be ready by 2008. However, due to disputes between co-owners Red Bull and AEG, the progress on the site has been minimal at best. At issue is AEG's demand that a stage be included at the site in order to make it more profitable. Needless to say, the stadium will not be ready for 2008 and might not be up and running by 2009.

Real Salt Lake - After a very rocky process, Real got their stadium deal in Sandy and construction has been moving along very nicely. They still seem on pace to open in 2008.

San Jose Earthquakes - The team is still hoping for the city of San Jose to rezone some industrial land so owner Lew Wolff can develop it for residential purposes. He would then take the money made and build a stadium near the airport. The city has yet to move forward on this idea.

2007 SuperLiga - Houston looking for payback against Pachuca

Pachuca vs. Houston Dynamo
10pm ET/7pm PT - Houston, Tx
TV: TeleFutura
Internet: Live on MLStv or SuperLiga website

The path is simple, win two games and get a million dollars. As if the budding rivalry between two of the best sides in Concacaf wasn't enough to get the players moving, I'm guessing the amount of money at stake will be. When these two faced off earlier this year, it was a back and forth that really could have ended up any which way, but with Houston in the middle of their season and playing at home, they have to have the upper hand here.

The Dynamo have beat themselves over the last two weeks in MLS play, so they need to come out calm and get some shots on goal right away. Pachuca is a smart team that knows how to wait for their chances however by forcing them to sit a step or two back, Houston can very much limit those chances.

Houston will need to keep an eye on Márquez Lugo because he is amazing at finding space and popping in shots, but more then anything else, they need to find a goal scorer of their own. This team is just not finding net like they once did. Dwayne De Rosario is having one of his worst year's to date and Brian Ching isn't getting the balls in that he needs to smack home, which means it might come down to Stuart Holden or Joseph Ngwenya to be the hero.

In the end, Houston should be able to pull this off, but it is going to be a very difficult 90 (or 120) minutes.

Predictions: Me Pachuca 0-1 HD, Wife Pachuca 1-2 HD

Oliver Luck gives downtown Houston stadium 50-50 chance

Houston Dynamo president Oliver Luck gives a downtown stadium for the club a 50-50 chance of happening since the city is looking at this as a chance to spark an interest in the east side of town.

The stadium talk seems to center around a 22,000 seater and a cost of $70 million.

Interesting enough, Luck says tax dollars will not play an important part in these plans.

"There will not be sports authority tax funds used as there were for the three other venues, Minute Maid, Reliant and Toyota Center,” said Luck, who incidentally is the former head of the Harris County Sports Authority which funneled the tax dollars for those facilities.

The proposed 10-acre complex might be official as early as July.