Galaxy Would Welcome Chivas

Galaxy Coach Sigi Schmid was quick to see some amusing possibilities if Mexican businessman Jorge Vergara wins approval from Major League Soccer to have his 2005 MLS expansion team, Chivas USA, share the Home Depot Center with the Galaxy.

“It means fewer road games for us, so that’s good,” Schmid said Friday, tongue firmly in cheek. “I guess we could put the players on a bus and drive them around the block a few times and pretend we’re on the road.”

Then Schmid got serious.

“No matter what happens, it’s not my decision,” he said. “It’s something that other people are going to decide.

“As I said the other day, if they go to a new city [Houston and Chicago are two additional possibilities now that Vergara has ruled San Diego out of the running], I think it’s great.

“If they stay here, there’ll be an in-city rivalry within MLS for the first time, and those things have worked well for Manchester City and Manchester United or Liverpool and Everton or Bayern Munich and 1860 Munich.

“Maybe that would be a plus as well.

“So the way I look at it is from the positive side. If they come here, we’re going to have a rivalry in the city that’s going to be very passionate and it means that there are going to be [at least] four games that are going to be sellouts, because either they’re home against us or we’re home against them.”

Doug Hamilton, the Galaxy’s vice president and general manager, reiterated Friday that he had no qualms about having Chivas USA play at the Home Depot Center.

“I know that our ownership group [the Anschutz Entertainment Group] has been in dialogue with the league on this,” he said during a recent Galaxy conference call. “At the end of the day, this is going to be a league-addressed and ownership-addressed issue.

“I know they’re considering all the parameters and how it affects us or does not affect us. I know that they’re going to make a decision that is in the best interests of the league and the Galaxy and of the ownership of Chivas, if they’re truly interested in this market.

“I’m confident that whatever the outcome is, it’ll be in the best interests of all involved.”

Schmid, on the same call, said he saw “positives either way” the decision went.

“Obviously, if they go into another market, that opens up another market to MLS and opens up another TV market and just helps the footprint of the league expand,” he said.

“The main thing is we’re getting an additional team [in the league] and that’s most important.”