Read the Archives Previous Posts ----- 2008 ---- April 18 April 25

Like many of you, I watched the recent episode of ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption when co-host Michael Wilbon vilified the practice of MLS fans throwing streamers at opposing players when they’re getting ready to take a corner kick. PTI showed video of Red Bulls midfielder Claudio Reyna with dozens of streamers around him. Wilbon, who has been a supporter of MLS and the sport of soccer in the past, was literally outraged at this practice and referred to it as ‘minor league.’ Clearly, I disagree. This is a unique phenomenon that happens all over the soccer world. We're playing soccer, not baseball, football or basketball. Our fans are a part of the game experience (click to watch video). That's one of our points of difference and part of what will drive our future success. There are plenty of sports leagues in the U.S. and we are not trying to offer the same in-stadium experience. We need to embrace the passion and electricity that makes soccer the world's most popular sport. By the way, I was recently watching a River Plate – Boca Juniors game on Fox Soccer Channel and there were streamers flying everywhere.

While this type of fan interaction is a key part of our game, we also need to recognize that our stadiums must to be safe for our fans and we must be careful that this practice does not affect the game on the field and the safety of the players.

Last Friday I traveled to Salt Lake City to attend a press conference and tour RSL’s new stadium (click to view photo gallery). It says a lot about the quality of players in MLS that the LA Galaxy’s David Beckham and Chris Klein arrived in town a day prior to their game on Saturday to be part of the festivities. I enjoyed spending some time with David, Chris and RSL’s Nick Rimando and Kyle Beckerman.

RSL’s new stadium will be fantastic. It replicates some of the great small stadiums in Europe, from both a design and quality perspective. And it has some terrific fan amenities that I believe will become standard in future MLS stadiums. Dave Checketts and his team will deliver a very special environment for RSL fans and the entire Utah soccer community. This will be Major League Soccer’s seventh soccer-specific stadium, which is clearly one of the drivers of our stability and recent success. The Red Bulls are still focused on a 2009 opening of Red Bull Park and Kansas City is making progress on their new complex.

I remain hopeful that DC United will be able to finalize their new facility plans either in the District or Maryland. The team has always been a leader in MLS, on and off the field. They deserve a facility that celebrates their strong brand heritage. Houston's stadium situation is relatively unchanged, though team president Oliver Luck is working on some creative ways to work with the city to bring both sides back to the negotiating table (and how about Oscar De LaHoya wearing orange boxing gloves and a Dynamo logo on his shorts during his fight last Saturday?). When Lamar Hunt built the first venue in Columbus in 1999, we knew it would be a game-changing moment in the history of our League. The fact that in nine short years we have constructed so many world-class facilities (and with many more to come) is a point of pride for me and everybody involved with our League.

Last weekend I traveled to San Jose to experience the first game played at Buck Shaw Stadium. It’s great to see the ‘Quakes back in the Bay Area and we’re thrilled to have owners like Lew Wolff and John Fisher join the soccer family. The game was a standing room only sell-out. Understandably, some fans were not quite sure what to do when they saw me at the game, but most were just ecstatic to have the team back home. Supporting AEG's decision to move the team to Houston was one of the more difficult decisions I have faced as Commissioner. At the start of the third year after the move, the team has a committed local owner and is on target to build a new stadium. Stadium discussions in San Jose continue to move forward and I was able to meet casually with members of the San Jose City Council and other City leaders who were in attendance. I also had a chance to say hello to members of Soccer Silicon Valley -- a group that was integral in helping to bring the team back to San Jose.

Finally, I would like to pay my respects to Gordon Bradley who recently passed away. Gordon was a true builder of the sport of soccer in this country. Without people like Gordon and the NASL, we would never have had the foundation that was needed to create Major League Soccer. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Gordon’s family.