Major League Soccer Gets Closer
One team fell by the wayside, three more were added, and financing has been secured. Yet Major League Soccer Chairman Alan Rothenberg fielded skeptical questions Tuesday about his new league.
Such as: Why is it taking so long to start a league that was supposed to capitalize on last summer’s World Cup?
“It takes many ingredients to start a new league and to do it the right way, and that is what we insisted on from the beginning,” Rothenberg said at a news conference in New York.
“A lot of people said, ‘Just start and see what happens.’ It would have been a folly to rush in and try to start up a new league. . . . I would hope now that there would be no skepticism about whether we are going to have a league.”
Perhaps the biggest credibility boost has been the signing of Mexican goalkeeper Jorge Campos, who will play in Los Angeles. The official announcement was made Tuesday along with the additions of franchises in Kansas City, Denver and Dallas. Dallas replaces Chicago, which could not find an investor-operator.
Several international stars are being courted, and it is expected the league soon will announce the signing of Colombian midfielder Carlos Valderrama.
But more than three-fourths of the players will be Americans. Each team has a salary cap of $1.3 million, but there is a pool for transfer fees. Teams can also use revenue streams from the league’s endorsement partners.
The 10-team league, scheduled to open next March 31, will feature a 32-game season. In the Western Conference are Dallas, Denver, Kansas City, Los Angeles and San Jose. In the East are Boston; Columbus, Ohio; New York/New Jersey; Tampa, Fla.; and Washington, D.C.
The Los Angeles franchise, which may play at the Coliseum or in Orange County, is run by L.A. Soccer Partners, led by investment banker Marc Rapaport. He worked with Rothenberg at the law firm of Latham & Watkins.
Colorado billionaire and arena developer Philip F. Anschutz, who is bidding to purchase the Los Angeles Kings, will be the investor-operator in Denver.
