Golden opportunity for Oscar?
For more than a decade, Major League Soccer tried to punch above its weight in the business world, hoping to convince heavyweight investors to buy into its vision for the game in North America. Now MLS is in the enviable position of being able to pick and choose from several legitimate contenders when it comes to issuing new franchises.
So why all the boxing puns? The answer lies in this scoop from Yahoo! Sports' heavy-hitting fight game expert Kevin Iole, who made another jump on the pound-for-pound journalistic rankings with the inside story on Oscar De La Hoya's interest in grabbing a piece of the MLS pie.
Following the decision of Microsoft's Paul Allen to pump cash into the new Seattle team, MLS understandably will be pleased that a business as successful as Golden Boy Promotions is keen to get involved with the league. The only question is where De La Hoya and his associates fit into the overall picture.
Do they want to purchase an existing franchise? Or do they want to invest in an expansion team, possibly even in Las Vegas?
With Philadelphia and St. Louis looking good to be the next two expansion franchises to be announced – and MLS likely to impose a medium-term cap of 18 teams – a straight fight between Vegas and Miami could emerge.
THOUGHT OF THE NIGHT
"He was here (at Arsenal). It was much earlier – he can tell you about it one day if he wants. I don't want to create any story, but of course we knew him. But Manchester United had a partnership with Sporting Lisbon through Carlos Queiroz, and that made a big difference" – Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger on how the Gunners let Cristiano Ronaldo slip through their fingers several years ago.
