Clever flyer if you ask me. Let’s hope their efforts pay off! (Thanks Eric for sending it!)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohOQFn7cNV0&feature=player_embedded

Thanks to DyanmoPlanet.com for posting this earlier this morning (via ABC13 in Houston). The club is now looking at another possible site near the Galleria in Houston.

“We’re looking at that location, along with our folks from the city and county, trying to figure out, if it’s better than the east end site. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t, we just don’t know yet,” said Oliver Luck, President of the Houston Dynamo.

Garber sees growth in MLS. (Getty Images)

I’ve spent a good portion of the day collecting my thoughts on a couple subjects and then it happen to be the same day that MLS commish Don Garber had his State of the League address. Yeah, let’s just say some of his comments just made my head go nuts (and your’s too judging by some emails).

For a full rundown of comments made by Garber head over to the Soccer Insider blog for lots of good quotes. Anytime The Don speaks we seem to listen and then discuss at length.

One big item that got a lot of people going loco today was the comment made about a single table format. Basically Garber bluntly told people to it’s not gonna happen next year so shut up. While I think the idea of single table is the right step for the league down the road I totally agree with not doing it next year.

The only thing I do disagree is not going to a single table format for the playoffs. What I mean by that is the league should restructure the current format to include the top eight clubs no matter the conference and get rid of the eastern and western conferences for playoff purposes. Keep the conferences for schedules and what not but let’s get rid of them for the playoffs. Basically I am tired like some of you of seeing a team from New York win the western conference and a team from Salt Lake win the eastern conference. What is this Major League Baseball 1992?

Garber also had a nice mention of future expansion to Montreal. That’s news we already knew right?

—————————————————

Houston Stadium Update

Link

Cross your fingers folks because things in Houston surrounding their stadium is getting dicey because of the Mayor race. One is for the stadium issue and one is (almost without saying it) against it from the way I read things. For all of the league we gotta hope this deal goes through and the Dynamo are in a new stadium in a couple seasons.

————————————————

Detroit Stadium Sold…Soccer Team On The Way?

Link

We know MLS doesn’t know where the 20th club will be located in a couple years but don’t count on Detroit. While this news speculates a new soccer team is part of the deal to by the Silverdome don’t jump on the MLS bandwagon just yet. Seriously, don’t do it.

—————————————————————

Wynalda Regreats MLS Time?

Link

So he wasn’t happy about his time with Major League Soccer. Should we be shocked by this comment by Eric Wynalda? I don’t think so because he typically has these foot-in-mouth moments.

Evening Links and Thoughts appear on WVHooligan typically each day (Monday – Friday). We try to cover topics that surround MLS, the US national team and other items that are of interest. If you have a link for the ELT send them in!

Now I’m not saying Richie Williams should be the next New York coach, because let’s face it the Red Bulls front office brass aren’t smart enough to hire him for the full-time gig anyways. They didn’t do it before when they took over a few years ago and they won’t do it now.

Sad too since Williams should be a head coach in this league and will eventually get his chance to someday soon.

But you want some fun perspective about Williams? He is the club’s best coach in the history of the club. I’m not even kidding. Brad Lewis wrote this yesterday about William’s return to the main seat and the proof is how they say in the pudding:

Williams coached the team to a 4-3-2 record in all competitions after Mo Johnston got sacked in 2006, including 3-3-2 in eight league games. It’s a sad indictment of this woebegone club that now, with 14 points in his nine league games, that’s statistically the most successful tenure ever as coach. No, seriously.

Only Carlos Queiroz (34 in 24 for 1.42 ppg) and go-for-broke Octavio Zambrano (who eschewed ties and amassed 131 points in 85 games for 1.54 ppg) come close. With today’s win, Williams jumped up to 1.55 ppg and leapfrogged both of them by getting this dysfunctional and dispirited team to band together and work for each other for 90 minutes.

I love when things are like that for a club that just can’t seem to figure it out. The answer is right in front of them and yet they still will screw the next coaching hire up.

More on the Red Bulls Future

Link

SBI got a big long interview with Red Bull front-man Erik Stover about the state of things surrounding the club. A lot of usual management speak out of Stover here. But still worth a read to see what he has to say about the club’s future going forward here. All I can say it is a long and bumpy road ahead for this club.

Houston Stadium Getting Closer

Link

There has been a lot of money and tax hold up in the Houston Dynamo stadium situation but it is getting closer and closer here. The Houston Chronicle says the deal is in the home stretch and that can only mean we are closer to seeing some shovels in the ground.

Thornton’s 2009 Successes

Link

Zach Thornton’s successes this season have been well documented and talked about on here and other places this season. Hard to believe Thornton has eight shutouts this season! If you had told me at the start of the season that he would have done that I would have thought you were crazy!

I have to say thought he is easily on the fast track for Comeback Player of the Year and possibly Goalkeeper of the Year this season.

Jozy Experiment Going Well So Far

Link

Not a bad start to his EPL life for Jozy Alitdore. He comes in late in the game for Hull and quickly helps his club to a game-winning goal. I like this Big Soccer post because of the fun Twitter comments from Jozy. Its a decent read.

Some bit of good news for those wondering about the Houston Dynamo stadium situation. Yesterday in a report by the Silicon Valley Business Journal, the Dynamo stadium only has a couple minor hurdles to clear before construction begins this fall.

Oliver Luck, president of the Major League Soccer team, says although he did not expect the deal to drag out this long, he never believed the project would be derailed since serious discussions began with the city 18 months ago.

�Considering the downtown location, the growth of the sport and the changing (racial) demographics in this city, and the fact that the team was going to carry the preponderance of risk � unlike the other big sports stadiums in town that were mostly publicly financed � I really was never dismayed during the whole process,� Luck says. �How long it took is a different story, but now I feel we�re close.�

At least three or more undisclosed banks have submitted term sheets to finance the bulk of the stadium�s construction costs, with separate negotiations on the books to provide financing for the Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, or TIRZ, the six-block area in which the stadium would be built within a stone�s throw of Minute Maid Park.

�It�s good news for the economy that banks are willing to lend for a big construction deal,� Luck says.

At this point, the total cost for the stadium � which would have a capacity of 21,000 or 22,000 spectators � is still pegged at about $80 million. Approximately $60 million � split roughly equally between debt and equity financing � will be covered by the Dynamo ownership group, and about $20 million will be provided up front through TIRZ financing. The city provided the land within the TIRZ.

Other options for the financing could also be getting federal tax credits.

The delay in getting this stadium built hasn’t been due to the economy says Luck and the club is going to be able to get cheaper quotes from construction companies at this time, which should save the club money.

The location of this stadium will be pretty cool too and will easily attract a good following for this club.

According to the Houston Chronicle, the Houston Dynamo are hoping to get their stadium up by the 2011 season. And from the sounds of it the talks are heating up for Oliver Luck and the club.

�May is a make-or-break month,� Luck said. �In the sense that it is important we get into this building by 2011.

�To use a soccer analogy, we�re in extra time now.�

As far as the details goes, as you can see from the image above the stadium could be on of the more impressive ones in the league.

The Dynamo want to have the roughly $85 million, 22,000-seat stadium ready for opening day 2011. They envision an all-round two-level, all-seater venue with 34 suites, 86 concession point-of-sales, a 3,000 square-foot club level and a party deck on the southeast corner.

Plans also call for at least one canopy (west stands) and a stage (permanent or removable) on the south end. The field would be 13 feet below street level. The first seating level would be set on concrete, with aluminum for the upper level.

For it to be ready on schedule, work on the 16- to 18-month project would have to start no later than this fall.

For that to happen, Luck said, the team will need to complete its financing package agreement with the city and have the county, by way of Commissioners Court, vote in favor of contributing $10 million to the project (an amount similar to what the city would contribute) by joining the city�s East Downtown Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone, which includes the site.

�No one wants to commit until all the financing is lined up,� Luck said.

Dynamo ownership is willing to incur 75 percent (approximately $60 million) of the stadium cost, with the rest of the financing coming from the TIRZ ($20 million total) as well as federal tax credits and incentives. Another reason May is key.

Here is to hoping this month goes well for the Dynamo. We all know how important getting this stadium is to the club and the league.

Loads of goodies coming out of Houston tonight. The Dynamo are closing in on that all important stadium deal that they have been working towards for months now.

KHOU is reporting the club is getting a little help from a Spanish bank too.

They cleared the last big hurdle this week by getting funding from a Spanish bank based in Madrid.

“We’re delighted the BBCA Compass Bank has stepped up to the plate and given us and the city and the county a term sheet that we think makes sense,” said Dynamo President Oliver Luck. “It’s a big step for us. We’re very happy we’re one major step closer to getting the stadium deal finalized.”

The Dynamo is paying about $60 million toward the cost of the $80 million stadium.

The City of Houston and Harris County will pick up the rest of the tab, chipping in $10 million each.

The stadium will be built across Highway 59 from Minute Maid Park where the Houston Astros play.

Apparently this stadium won’t be overly big either. Just another 21,000 seater, which is good for the league right now. No need to build a stadium that would be half empty (though I think the Dynamo supporters can fill a 30,000 seat place more than most clubs can).

Best of all the club hopes to keep the average ticket price under $20.