MLS and City of San Jose hope to bring expansion team by
2007
New York – It’s official. The San Jose Earthquakes Major League Soccer team is packing its bags and moving to Houston. AEG, owner of the Earthquakes, announced Thursday that the move is effective immediately and all players and coaching staff currently under contract will relocate to Houston to be part of the new organization.
AEG, who has owned the team since 2002, invested more than $20 million in the Earthquakes and incurred significant losses without substantial stadium revenues, according to a MLS communications press release.
The City of San Jose and MLS have signed a Letter of Intent which includes a stadium financing plan and a plan to attract a local investor for an MLS expansion team in San Jose as early as 2007. The Earthquakes name, colors and records will be retained for this future expansion team.
Houston has a proven soccer market with passionate, knowledgeable and diverse fan base according to MLS commissioner Don Garber. There are also discussions for a new, soccer-specific stadium in Houston.
The San Jose Earthquakes won the MLS cup championship twice in 2001 and 2003 and in 2005 made history as the only club to ever go undefeated at home.
Commissioner Garber thanked the fans of the Earthquakes for their support over the past 10 years and reiterated the intention to bring Major League Soccer back to the Bay Area. He said the MLS is committed to working with local business leaders and city officials and that with a local ownership group and soccer-specific stadium, professional soccer can be successful in Northern California.
