AEG - Most popular for January 2010
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It's not surprising that many commentators have seen the demise of the LA Sol, regarded as the
flagship team of WPS in its inaugural season last year, as a very bad thing. The LA Sol had the
highest average attendance in the league, the highest sponsorship income, and thanks especially to
Marta, the highest profile.
After months of trying to unload its half of the LA Sol, AEG withdrew its support for the team. The
LA Sol, regular season champs, is no more.
The WPS's financial plan is not about turning a quick profit but developing a self-sustaining
league. But AEG has never acted like it believed in the Sol, or women's soccer - instead, the
structure around the team seemed intent on selling the women and the training staff short.
The Los Angeles Sol is being sold by Anschutz Entertainment Group, which also operates the Galaxy,
to a group of local investors. The pending sale, which the league says could be done by the coming
week, comes as no surprise. The team reportedly lost around $2 million last year and AEG had always
said that their involvement with the Sol and WPS was temporary.
Sports Business Daily (sister publication to the Sports Business Journal), is reporting that
longtime FIFA sponsor Continental Tire has signed with MLS as a league sponsor. The multi-year
deal provides signage at all MLS matches, hospitality arrangements at games and commercials on
league broadcasts.
I don't care how many times you've read that headline the past 24 hours. It's the last time I'll
get to use it, and I'm going to get milk out of the Comedy Turnip if it kills me.
Everyone now knows what has been obvious for weeks - the Sol have set. For a bad time, call
1-877-4-SOL-TIX.
Here's something that doesn't happen often on the soccer beat: I'm on the phone with WPS
Commissioner Tonya Antonucci, and I get an alert that MLS has a somewhat major development.
Fortunately, she understood when I stammered through my next question or two.
We'll look at the ramifications of both bits of news now, and by coin flip, we'll go with WPS
losing the Los Angeles Sol, at least for the 2010 season:
-- What it means for WPS as a whole: Not much, really.
Abner Rogers won't be coaching Sol star Marta, left, any longer.
Sol Coach Abner Rogers, a notable absentee at the L.A. Sol's table at the Women's Professional
Soccer draft today in Philadelphia, left the team Dec. 23, 100 Percent Soccer has learned.
The move was part of an organizational shake-up related to its pending sale to a new ownership
group.
Like you...provided you're a diehard LA Sol fan...okay, so probably nothing like you...I read Nick
Green's article the other week, about AEG bailing out of WPS, and "chimped out," as I believe the
kids are saying these days.
However, I've been told not to worry.The Sol sure are acting like they're in turmoil, but it's
still only registering as a 0.
I don't discuss a lot of women's soccer on this site but when I do it is usually some fairly
large news (though if you are interested in writing about the WPS contact me). Unfortunately that
is the case today. Arguable the best club on and off the field, the LA Sol will be ceasing it's
operations tomorrow.
This isn't the way I wanted to get back to blogging about WPS, not at all. I get sick to my stomach
when I see this:
"WPS 2009 Regular Season Champions - WPS discontinues operations of Los Angeles Sol - Dispersal
draft scheduled for next week."
There's a lot of shock and outrage in the blogosphere, from Dan's screed, to Bill's comment in Andy
Meade's post (which is somewhat hopefully in itself).
The Los Angeles Sol ceased operations on Thursday, WPS announced.
On Thursday, Women's Professional Soccer announced their cornerstone franchise the Los Angeles
Sol will fold.
Formerly owned by Anschultz Entertainment Group (owners of the Los Angeles Galaxy, part-owners
of the Houston Dynamo), the Sol leave WPS after an inaugural season where they finished with the
league's best record before losing to Sky Blue FC in the finals.
