With the lifeless carcass of Chivas USA still warm, the massive, 22-person ownership group of the new MLS club in Los Angeles that will take their place in 2017 was unveiled at a press conference on Thursday. Perhaps fitting for a club based in Hollywood, the list of names reads like the cast list of a bizarre new reality show.
Basketball legend and LA Dodgers investor Magic Johnson, two-time FIFA World Player of the Year and recently appointed AS Roma board member Mia Hamm, her husband and former Boston Red Sox player Nomar Garciaparra, motivational speaker Tony Robbins, and Cardiff City/ex-Premier League super villain owner Vincent Tan are some of the more notable members of the group.
Vietnamese entrepreneur Henry Nguyen will serve as executive chairman, ESPN NBA analyst Tom Penn will be president and Hollywood producer/Golden State Warriors owner Peter Guber will be managing partner. But that's just scratching the surface. Look at all of these people (note: the shadow person isn't the faceless presence of evil, but a placeholder for yet to be determined partners)...
The LAFC name is just a placeholder, though. That, the crest, and the kits will be decided by fans, according to the club's new Twitter account. Meanwhile, ESPN's Taylor Twellman says the team could play at the LA Coliseum until a new stadium is built. Unlike Chivas USA, it seems they will not share a stadium with MLS's more established local presence, the LA Galaxy.
As much potential for having too many cooks in the kitchen as this group presents, the one name that raises the most red flags is that of Vincent Tan. Though he says he is still negotiating his position in the club, he tells the BBC, "I believe the MLS will be a good investment."
"I enjoy investing in a football club and I believe that you can make money in a football club," Tan said.
"I didn't really start off well investing in football, I wasn't that lucky.
"But there are a lot of clever owners who make money every year so I now understand the business so much better.
"I joked that I invested so much money in Cardiff and it is my tuition fees to learn the football business."
Luckily, Tan and the rest of the group have a few more years to study up.
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from Yahoo Sports http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/soccer-dirty-tackle/magic-johnson--mia-hamm--vincent-tan--all-part-owners-of-new-mls-club-in-la-185104640.html
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