Americas Finest City should be a candidate for a professional soccer franchise. It will fulfill all of the league ideals and requirements. So far Major League Soccer has turned its expansion program into a successful endeavor. Since the initial league foundation and original ten teams, the league has seen a growth of up to nineteen squads- including three Canadian squads.
With the acceptance of the latest franchises, the mission is to continue its growth seeking soccer friendly markets for its immediate success, profitability and acceptance. Make it as popular as our national pastimes of football, baseball, basketball, hockey and NASCAR.
After the lads of the Montreal Impact made their league debut this year, it seemed like they were the last franchise of the league growth program. As many soccer enthusiasts in the US are waiting patiently if their city will get the nod. So far MLS is not showing any signs of compromise and announcing any inception of new cities for next season.
Even though those rumors still persist for a 20th franchise to be added to league play by next year- with the New York Cosmos being the prime candidate. This will make the Big Apple as the second city in the league which will have two franchises as Los Angeles has the Galaxy and Chivas USA.
In the case of San Diego it will be a great step taken in a good direction by MLS. With a city that loves soccer and its diverse communities who follow the sport, the league will fulfill all its goals if this city is awarded with a franchise. Even in 2005 many San Diego fans tough their turn for the go ahead, the league instead determined to award the city of Los Angeles the squad of Chivas USA.
San Diego is a border city and among one of the busiest in the world. Its sister city Tijuana, Mexico is a good supporter base made of more than half of the followers for this team. Add to the benefit of this franchise people coming from cities like Ensenada, Tecate and Mexicali from the Mexican side bringing another large contingent of followers. Also don’t forget from the American side enough fans to make this project flourish from: Riverside, Imperial and Orange Counties. They can provide a significant fan base!
As seen at Qualcomm, many national teams and clubs of international prestige have filled this venue magnificently. With a seating capacity of 70,000 current home for the San Diego Chargers and host for two Super Bowls. With no doubt the setting of Qualcomm Stadium will be ideal to house a MLS squad.
In this city this sport has produced the creation of various youth clubs and leagues like the Crusaders, Albion, Quest, Rangers, Surf, Pumas, Peninsula, Manchester and Nomads. These clubs been recognized nationally by their level of play. A tournament called the Surf, named after the organization, attracts various clubs from the US and abroad, bringing the attention of various scouts from the amateur and professional levels.
San Diego sees the likes of many players develop into college and then professional levels. This city has two squads in the National Premier League Soccer League: the San Diego Flash and San Diego Boca; the latter one has become as serious as a soccer school and squad that it is considering the location and plans to construct a possible venue to more than 18,000 fans.
If Boca goes with these plans, possibly MLS will already have a venue with its requirements was built- clearing one major obstacle.
The Xoloizcuinltes from Tijuana, Mexico, owners of their own playing venue, seating up to 15,000 fans. Since their foundation and debut in this league, they are a success story with sold out performances at every home game and great income generator to this border city. The club front office is thinking of expanding their current site to add 5000 more seats due to its acceptance and success.
The team academy has already produced two talented players, Joe Corona and Edgar Castillo, who currently were selected by Team USA Manager Jürgen Klinsmann for the CONCACAF Qualification rounds for the upcoming World Cup 2014.
Imagine San Diego and Tijuana squads playing friendly games before their league compromises-making it a friendly cross border rivalry and naming this event as the “Border Cup” or “La Copa Fronteriza”.
As a league imperative many of the new franchises build their own venue, Qualcomm will be ideal for San Diego. It currently sits vacant during the football offseason, and the city can generate revenue lost when the local baseball team moved to its own playing grounds in downtown Petco Park
In the past many have said that finding an ideal city isn’t a problem. Chula Vista, San Ysidro, Escondido, Oceanside, Encinitas or Del Mar can be considered for the construction and site of a soccer stadium which will fill all of the league requirements.
In these days and hard times finding an investor for an enterprise like this. It takes courage, vision and patience for a project to flourish and generate revenue in the long run. Hope is there to kindle an interest in numerous investors or groups to come forward and start their own piece of history.
Many have all the possibilities and capital to invest in a MLS franchise for this city, due to their strong presence in the San Diego community.
· TV Azteca in San Diego has a strong presence in the community and a partnership with a local TV Station. It owns a couple of teams in Mexico. One of which is Monarcas Morelia which has been a foe to few MLS teams in CONCACHAMPIONS. This television network has been in constant and accelerated growth in Mexico and is the main competitor of Televisa Network for the audience in the Mexican and Latin American markets.
· Grupo Modelo who is the owner and bottler of Corona beer and current sponsors of Chivas USA based in Los Angeles. Is a prominent sponsor and with an active presence in the Mexican League and markets in La Liga of Spain and the United States. An investment for a franchise it can become a wise one for Grupo Modelo.
· Grupo Marinela current owners of Bimbo bread and sponsors of the Philadelphia Union.
If proposed with the ownership of a MLS squad, it can spark an interest for this company to become an investor in the MLS. They already sponsor and invest in several squads from the Mexican First Division League and the MLS.
· Grupo Caliente from Tijuana, Mexico can be a great suitor to invest in this city franchise; they own all of the online in sports and Casinos betting in the northern part of this country. They are the current owners of the second year First Division Team in Tijuana Xolos and can build a soccer prone stadium in San Diego to. Be used for all of the MLS matches and local soccer leagues. As Mr. Jorge Hank Rhon and his son Jorge Alberto Hank JR. has seen a fruitful investment in their squad, which it can be repeated if they brought one to this side of the border.
· Grupo Televisa from Mexico. This giant television consortium has a presence throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. They currently own several teams in the Mexican league from First Division to the promotion leagues. Once they wanted to invest in a franchise for San Diego, they were thinking of getting a twin squad for its premier team Aquila’s Del America to compete with the likes of Chivas USA. For many, this team is compared to the likes of Manu, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Milan or Rangers. Televisa can get some rights to transmit some of this squad games which can bring a big audience and exposure of MLS to the markets I mentioned; attracting more sponsors and more audience to benefit the league and bringing a surplus to its coffers.
· The almighty Barcelona can be invited if they are interested in a project of this magnitude that will include a school and academy in the Americas as its rival Real Madrid has done in cities like Ensenada, Mexico along a partnership they have with the Monarchs of Real Salt Lake in the MLS. This squad has a numerous fan base in this city and can consolidate its image with investing in a franchise.
Back in2009 there was an article that spoke of a couple of investment groups from the D.C. area and Michigan trying to lure the league with a squad by doing a construction of a site in San Ysidro.
When I asked the author of this story, Rob Davis from Voice of San Diego, he just replied that after his story he never heard anything else.
Once there was an interest from former San Diego Padres owner John Moore’s as a possible sponsor and sought an interest in getting a professional soccer team to this city.
San Diego has a very supportive and sports minded Mayor. With his strong presence and support in the possible construction of a football only stadium for the San Diego Chargers, Mayor Jerry Sanders is seen as a big advocate of fulfilling his goals on investments in big name sports for San Diego.
As sites and articles make mention of a franchise in the works, I found a site that has been recording entries of people interested in bringing a team to this city. It also includes a list of names like Armada, Boca San Diego, Real San Diego, Jaws, Surfers, Sails, Athletic San Diego, Friars, Destroyers, Seals, Fleet, Internationals, Flash, Orcas, Sharks, Finest, Sockers and others.
Many fans agree that San Diego Sockers is the ideal name for this squad; in remembrance of that squad in the late 70’s that saw luminaries like Leo Cuellar, Volkmar Gross and Hugo Sanchez.
The latter after his stint with the Sockers, went on to the Spanish league to become the first Mexican striker to win five scoring titles with powerhouses Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.
Many still remember the San Diego Sockers post NASL when the outdoor league went out of business and created an indoor league where the San Diego Sockers wrote many memorable moments in their stint with this league by winning several titles.
So far Major League Soccer has a vision for this city’s potential, to flourish thanks to its great year round weather, multiple attractions and strong fan base. A franchise can be given to this city if it shows a sign of attracting a group of stakeholders eager to invest in a professional soccer franchise. Like I mentioned before the only squad prone for an upcoming expansion is the New York Cosmos, which has shown an organized plan and locating a place to build their own playing grounds, and an ambitious GM in the great Eric Cantona.
San Diegans dream of seeing a franchise awarded to this city by MLS. It is among one of the league’s goals to bring a team to this city due to its high- ranking prospects, but realistically speaking it is something that’s not going to happen any time soon. But hopefully we can see a possible group of prospects disposed to show the league some seriousness and convincing it of awarding this city a franchise that will bring us the beautiful game to town.
Major League Soccer for San Diego!
© Copyright All Rights Reserved Fern Mc Costigan 2014
Qualcomm Stadium it’s the ideal site to house a MLS franchise for America’s Finest City San Diego to house a squad as previously did in the late 70’s with that disappeared NASL and use to house the San Diego Sockers.
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