Earlier this week Jorge Vergara held his first press conference as owner of Chivas USA. He took the opportunity to lay out a grand plan for the future of his latest investment. There was talk of a vast search for a new coach, a new stadium in downtown Los Angeles, and a new style of play for the team overall.
For those who don’t know, I am a die hard Columbus Crew supporter. I do not care about any other team outside the league nor do I care about MLS as a whole. I do not like the way MLS is run, but as long as they give me Columbus I am placated.
Despite all of that, I am absolutely fascinated by Vergara’s vision for his club’s future.
I first started paying attention to Chivas USA on Sunday night when I saw a random tweet saying the team would use Vergara’s press conference to announce Marco Van Basten as their new head coach. This did not turn out to be the case. Instead Vergara announced that Johan Cruyff is heading up the search for the new coach as an adviser to the club. Despite a less than stellar track record (Van Basten failed to guide his native Netherlands to success while constantly feuding with its more high profile players), the fact that such a name appeared in the rumor mill says a lot about Vergara’s ambition. MLS has seen a lot of foreign coaches in its rank, many of whom have failed, but Van Basten is by far the most high profile in terms of his ability as a player. Van Basten was a truly world class player in his prime. His technical ability was phenomenal. MLS has never brought such a talented player into its rank. While Vergara says the search spans the US, Italy, Mexico, and the Netherlands it will still be fascinating to see if Van Basten is in fact named head coach. Someone of Van Basten’s skill level coaching up MLS players would truly be something the likes of which the league has not yet seen.
Vergara also spoke of a future where Chivas USA is truly an extension of its Mexican predecessor. He talked about wanting to capitalize on the multi-cultural resources that America offers. Mexicans. Salvadorans. Hondurans. Panamanians. Colombians; a truly Hispanic club both in terms of the players it employs and the fans who support it. MLS has always searched for a way to grab the support of Hispanic immigrants as a means to boost its profile. But would the league be cool with a club wanting a 100% Hispanic identity?
Along a similar note, Vergara talked about how Chivas USA has tried to match the physical style of MLS and failed miserably. This is where I started to become intrigued. Vergara spoke about wanting future Chivas USA teams to use the speed and technical ability that Hispanic players seem to develop so much more naturally than non-Hispanic (aka white American) players. Having perhaps the greatest Dutch footballer of all team advising on all personnel decisions would certainly suggest he is serious about such a transformation. Personally, I find MLS games to be incredibly boring most of the time. MLS players, both Hispanic and non-Hispanic, tend to try to overpower one another rather than beat them off the dribble or with a spectacular pass. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if a team came along and shattered that norm?
Then Vergara mentioned wanting to get out of the Home Depot Center. He talked about wanting a new stadium in downtown Los Angeles. Clearly he wants to get out of the shadow of the LA Galaxy; as he should. Chivas USA is very often overshadowed by their glorified landlords. Vergara even went so far as to say that an unnamed city in Texas offered him “the moon and the stars” to move to the Lone Star State. But Vergara says he is committed to finding a new home for his team in downtown LA. Too bad for Vergara, MLS is currently putting a very large amount of its resources towards finding a downtown stadium in New York for a second New York franchise.
This is where the plot thickens and I start wanting to get behind Vergara’s vision. In order to achieve his ambitions Vergara will need to fight MLS and its single entity structure tooth and nail. I hope he does. I am very much opposed not only to the single entity structure of MLS but also their quest for a new stadium and team in New York. I find it fascinating that Vergara basically wants to do what MLS is doing in New York; only he wants to do it 3,000 miles on the other side of the country. New York may be more cosmopolitan, but there is a steep tradition of soccer excellence rooted in Southern California. And yes, a large part of that excellence comes from across the border in Mexico.
I’m not sure if Vergara realizes the fight he is in for against all the rules and regulations MLS clings to in order to preserve its bottom line. But I hope he fights it kicking and screaming. Several weeks ago a story came out that Toronto FC ran into difficulties with the league in trying to sign Swedish center back Olof Mellberg back in July. Toronto executives were furious and their defense suffered dramatically without the addition of a player whom they genuinely could have used to get better. It is entirely possible (and likely) that Vergara will run into this type of situation in his efforts to re-make Chivas USA into a powerhouse uniquely bound by Hispanic and Dutch technical influence. Let us hope that he is outspoken if and when the league decides it cannot “afford” such a team. Let us hope Vergara raises a huge stink when he is met with resistance by the league office in New York.
And now let us imagine the future if Vergara is successful in achieving his wildest ambitions.
Imagine an MLS with no salary cap. Imagine Jorge Vergara wants to spend unlimited resources trying to build his club up to be the ‘Barcelona’ of MLS. He would not be limited to just three “designated players”, but rather he could buy as many as he wanted. He could create a team the likes of which MLS (and America as a nation) have never seen before. Now doesn’t that sound like fun? Doesn’t that sound like a team everyone can all enjoy?
Let’s just hope MLS and its single entity, salary capped structure don’t get in the way. And if they do, let’s hope Vergara fights it with the same passion he is displaying for his vision for the future of Chivas USA.
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