Sounders
MLS in Seattle unlikely for 2005

By Craig Smith
Seattle Times staff reporter

E-mail this article Print this article Search archive Most read articles Most e-mailed articles

The possibility of Seattle becoming a Major League Soccer city in 2005 is fading.

"With every day that passes, we are focusing less energy on 2005 and more on 2006," said Adrian Hanauer, general manager of the Seattle Sounders of the A-League.

"Emotionally, I would still love to find a way to pull it off for 2005," said Hanauer, who is leading the efforts to get an MLS franchise. "But financially, logistically and organizationally, it makes more sense for 2006."

Trey Fitz-Gerald, senior director of communications for MLS, said an announcement is likely to be made in the second week of July regarding an expansion site for 2005. Seattle, Houston, Philadelphia and Salt Lake City frequently are mentioned, with San Antonio and Rochester, N.Y., considered longshots.

MLS also will announce next month whether Chicago or Los Angeles will be the home for another 2005 expansion franchise that will be owned by Jorge Vergara of Mexico. The new team, expected to be called Chivas, will have an Hispanic flavor. Los Angeles and Chicago already have MLS teams, but the concept is to create an instant rivalry and also "tap into Hispanic talent and fans," Fitz-Gerald said.

MLS presently has 10 teams and is averaging about 15,000 in attendance. After adding two teams in 2005, it plans to add two more in 2006 to bring the total to 14.

Hanauer, whose family would be lead owner of the MLS team, said yesterday there is "still a chance" that Seattle could wind up in the league in 2005. However, he said it would require "the right deal with the league and stadium (Seahawks Stadium)."

"If they make it unbelievably easy to be in in 2005, it could still happen," he said.

Hanauer said he expects to make an announcement "in the next couple weeks" whether his group will stay in the hunt for a 2005 franchise.
 
If he decides to make 2006 the target year for joining the league, Hanauer said he would press the league for a decision this year to allow more time for preparation.

The MLS board of governors — consisting of franchise owners — makes expansion decisions.

Hanauer declined to say what a franchise is likely to cost other than to say it is a "multi-million-dollar" investment.

This is the ninth season of MLS, and nine of the 10 charter franchises survive. The league had 12 teams from 1998 to 2001 before the Miami and Tampa Bay franchises folded.

The league, which plays from April to October, has enjoyed a publicity boost this year because teenage sensation Freddy Adu, 15, is playing for D.C. United (Washington, D.C.). League attendance is up about 12 percent.

Seattle has had only minor-league soccer since 1983, when the then-big-league Sounders team was a member of the North American Soccer League. The big-league Sounders folded after a rancorous 1983 season, and the NASL collapsed in early 1985.

The current Seattle professional team uses the name Sounders but plays in the minor A-League. Last year, the team averaged about 3,500 fans at Seahawks Stadium.

The NASL Sounders began play in 1974, averaging 13,436 fans in their first year.

The highest average attendance was 24,247 in 1980. Attendance dropped to an average of 8,181 in the final year.

If Seattle gets a franchise for 2005 or 2006, one decision Hanauer will face is whether to continue to call the team the Sounders for familiarity or select a new name for a fresh identity. He admits he is leaning "toward a new brand" and said a lot of young soccer fans weren't born when the Sounders were in the NASL.

Craig Smith: 206-464-8279 or csmith@seattletimes.com.