DJ V Lawrence

Francis needs to act like he is a part of the team. Great game last night.

Did Francis even play? Get the dude some minutes.

They look sloppy to me, but they still look more dangerous than last season. I can't imagine how good they will be when they become a solid team.

Maybe what the Texans and Rodeo really want is for it to be torn down? Because you're right, anything is most likely going to draw people away from them.

I don't understand this concept. The Texans would still play around ten games a year with or without the Astrodome in the parking lot, and people will still go to Texans games regardless of what's in the parking lot. The rodeo would still only have three weeks straight of events at Reliant Stadium and the parking lot, and wouldn't deter people from going to any of the rodeo events either.

If anything, it would probably give the Texans a better chance at hosting the Super Bowl, would have given the Rodeo another updated facility for Livestock and Rodeo events, and probably would have meant more convention revenue. How they figured that a convention hotel would have discouraged Houstonians and tourists from watching Clint Black, Hanna Montana, or Texans vs. Titans is beyond me. Where exactly did they see their money being lost if the Astrodome were redeveloped?

Since this is HAIF, here's an idea as to what other cities' renderings look like for some of the other upcoming MLS stadiums expected to be opened within the next four years:

Real Salt Lake:

St. Louis:

New York Red Bulls:

Philly:

DC United:

Did any one watch the Dynamo Real Salt Lake game. I was watching the AlCS and was flipping through my guide and saw the Dynamo were playing and as soon as I put it on Stuart Holden scored the game's lone goal in the 66th minute it was awesome which means the Dynamo moved to within one point of the Western Conference leading Chivas USA -- and the two teams play each other Saturday evening at The Home Depot Center. The winner of that game would hold home-field advantage throughout the playoffs and for any potential conference championship game for a berth in MLS Cup 2007.

link

to the standings

Definately gonna be at da Mezzanine party for that one

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/5114972.html

Yo, check it. The Astrodome will have a new look, but totally different from the design seen before...

Astrodome Redevelopment had good reason to scrap the best of Texas theme. The historical commission may not have approved its rehabilitation plan, and the company may not have received the tax credit, Clanton said.

The commission wanted the project to include some features of the building and to play up the Dome's status when it was dubbed the "Eighth Wonder of the World" upon its opening.

Atlanta-based Worthington-Hyde Partners have joined Astrodome Redevelopment and Senate Hospitality Group, which would operate the hotel, as partners in the project. Worthington-Hyde's sizable investment will reduce the amount that Astrodome Redevelopment must finance, Clanton said.

----------------

The convention hotel would employ 1,550 and generate nearly $23 million a year in state and local taxes, Hanson said.

The complex would have as many as 1,300 hotel rooms, ballrooms, convention meeting rooms, multiple restaurants, upscale shopping and one or more music venues. Swaths of Astroturf would be replaced with a series of ponds, fountains and tall trees.

A parking garage would be built around the Dome. County officials may require Astrodome Redevelopment to build a $15 million overhead ramp from the South Loop to the garage. Plans for a cineplex have been scrapped.

Hanson said he was convinced that the Dome hotel would be heavily booked.

Astrodome Redevelopment isn't seeking any public money to renovate the Dome, but has asked the county to consider paying for the $15 million ramp and an expansion of Reliant Park's air conditioning/heating plant, which could cost as much as $1 million, Hanson said.

Loston said, "We have not responded to that request. But this is a 100 percent privately financed project."

Dude, Drew Carey has been saying soccer is cool...where have you been? haha

Oye, I think Drew Carey is the Spike Lee of the LA Galaxy

That game was really special to watch. That stadium atmosphere was electric the full 90 minutes, and it looked a lot like we were watching a game in Spain. I can't even imagine what Robertson Stadium's going to be like knowing it's gonna sellout with the already vibrant fans there.

Imagine that atmosphere downtown...

lol....the last team that was to be sold out of the NHL (Nashville Predators) was going close to $300,000,000 more than three times the value of the LA Galaxy...NHL is debating adding two franchises (one in Vegas) with close to $300,000,000 in fees. It is going to be a while before MLS approaches this.

Besides I don't think the two sports are in competition. I have been to numerous hockey games and soccer games and the fans are not the same at all. They don't compete for the same customer.

Like Red said...it is about small, steady gains at this point.

I agree with you 100% with the fact that I think it will take a long time before MLS as a whole surpasses any of the big 4 leagues in revenue. I do think that LA Galaxy expedited their revenue gaining grounds with their big signings this year, but I'd be surprised if they pulled off top-NHL money within the next 10 years.

That being said, soccer is the only sport in the world where there's any teams out there that are worth around or more than any NFL team; and that's with today's US media rarely acknowledging them. Imagine if/when MLS becomes more popular mainstream how much more marketable those teams will become, and how many more will probably also surpass the Redskins and Cowboys in revenue. Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, AC Milan, Chelsea, Bayern, Real Madrid, Chivas, Club America, Barcelona, and quite a few others are probably banking on MLS's success to tap into America's mainstream revenue as well. That's why some of those teams mentioned are investing in MLS's youth programs.

News Flash: Stevie Franchise is back!

Of course he won't be starting this time and won't be called "Franchise" any more, but hey, he should be a good addition as a veteran coming off the bench. Hopefully, he'll provide that spark we need along with Bonzi. Lord knows Luther Head can't do it.

Oye, I just heard about it just as I arrived in the Seoul airport. MAD props to the Rockets for that one. It's surreal knowing that the main guy we traded to get McGrady is all of a sudden back. Now we somewhat have a big-4 with those two, Battier and Yao Ming.

According to the Chronicle, Alston and/or John Lucas will probably be the ones traded. That, plus a 2nd rounder they aquired probably means they're looking for another steal. If they get another power forward and build up some depth in that position, I'd say they have the best team (on paper) in the NBA.

DJ, you make some good points....I am one of those people that needs to see the impact from Beckham 2 years from now...I don't think anyone thought he would do anything less than the attention he has brought....but in a way I think the future of the MLS is riding on this. Problem is there is no one of Beckham's press image waiting in the horizon to follow him here. In three years we should know how this works out. With increased stars comes increased ticket prices and sponsorships. Are fans going to pay $100 a ticket.....are corporations going to pay that much more in sponsorship dollars (I know Herbalife did for Beckham so don't bring that up). That remains to be seen.

Should be interesting to see how it works out.

I think Beck's signing is more of the fate of the Galaxy than MLS. Prior to Beckham signing, two teams were already making profit last season, and five would be this year regardless of Beck's signing or not. Part of NASL's mistake was that they depended on Pele and other big names to bring any revenue to the league, whereas MLS had already started to finally see profits prior to Galaxy pursuing Becks, so they don't have to depend on him to "save the league".

Also, to be honest, Drayton's biggest threat to profit right now are the Astros, not Dynamo. At least there's a team giving the sports fans here something to cheer about while he's working to get back into the playoff hunt. The Astros playing below .500 is more dangerous to the franchise than if they have soccer next door. In fact, I don't see any correlation. Baseball fans are baseball fans; soccer fans are soccer fans; and real sports fans will support both teams anyway. I think Lopez's article is an exaggeration of "what ifs", but if it's actually the case that Drayton were the reason behind Dynamo not playing Downtown at this point, nothing good could come out of that for either side or for the city IMO.

Beckham made the front cover of SI but it was only him.

What makes that different from any other SI front cover? How often do you see whole teams on the front page compared to one or a couple players?

And what's up with the conception that because there's a big 3 in terms of leagues in America, there can't be any change in that department? Just a couple years ago, NHL would have made it the big 4, but once soccer started gaining ground and some Mexican soccer games started to beat NHL's Stanley Cup in American ratings, journalists instead decided to demote NHL instead of acknowledging the growth of both the Mexican Football League and MLS. And don't be fooled; NHL is still in the top four (for now). There's still plenty of 7-figure hockey players in that league.

MLS just so happens to have a player more world-famous than any player in any of the big four leagues. That's just a good business move by LA Galaxy; they're about to double their networth within in the next two-three years. And in the next five years, their networth will probably surpass some of the smaller clubs in the big 4 in revenue. Then all they have to do is sign another big-name soccer icon to the team to repeat, and as other clubs also make profit off their stadiums, do the math as to where they'll end up in the next 15-20 years...

McLane should not be worried because the Astros are in the the Big leauages and Dynamo arent. If it is about winning then the Rockets and Stros would have us on Roller Coasters A Texans game will never see a sell out and the Teams we will watch are the Comets and the Dynamo. And WHEN the Dynamo get big it should only help McLane and the Downtown area.

What bigger soccer league is there in America than MLS? Dynamo's the only Houston team right now getting any positive press because of winning and being the team to beat right now (partially attributed to Beckham's signing last week). Right now, Dynamo's the best team in the league. At the same time, Texans were below .500 again last season, Astros have one of the worst records in baseball, and I don't think the Comets are doing to well either. Rockets have hope, but we have to wait until November to see that.

To be honest though, I have no clue what McClain is thinking at this point. Should he endorse Dynamo and risk the chance of a team whose league is rising in popularity and revenue, has a better chance at building an international name because the sport is more watched worldwide than his, and already has a championship in one year when his franchise is yet to win the "World" Series? Or does he try to keep Dynamo from building downtown and risk a major backlash from soccer fans and Houstonians that support winning professional teams?

Several east DT sites seem to be in the plans, but they also mentioned that "other" sites in the city are still on the table. So we are not out of the woods yet as far as securing a downtown location.

It sounds like very promising news indeed. I also saw this on mlsnet.com...

STADIUM TALK IN HOUSTON: Dynamo's big success, parlayed with the continuing national clamor over David Beckham, can only help the club's efforts to develop its own facility.

Dynamo general manager Oliver Luck said the team is making steady progress with the city of Houston, exchanging financial information and narrowing site possibilities. The goal of opening the 2010 season in a dedicated soccer stadium looks within reach, he said.

"There's still a lot of work do to, but I'm confident," Luck said.

It's a good time to retain the initiative. Not only is the team surging on the field, and not only are folks talking about Beckham, but recent events and matches still to come are keeping a steady awareness and focus on soccer in the nation's fourth largest market.

Two nights of Gold Cup games in June at Reliant Stadium drew crowds of more than 68,000 and 70,000. That attracted some local leaders' attention, Luck said. And the upcoming SuperLiga matches inside Robertson Stadium are expected to be well attended, too.

Suddenly, multiple events in Houston are attracting significant media exposure and large crowds.

"And that's helping people realize this is a very viable sport here," Luck said. "That's not something people would have necessarily said five or 10 years ago."

Where will the Dynamo play in 2009? Will they extend their lease at Robertson? Or has the relationship between AEG and the University of Houston become too tainted for that to happen?

They will definately play at Robertson until the new stadium is complete. Oliver Luck and UH (according to Luck) have already discussed the possibility and said there would be no problem with an extention if needbe, and knowing when the new stadium would be complete.

So, it's almost mid July. We should be hearing something about the stadium pretty soon, right?

Good question. That deadline's not too long from now.

Meanwhile, DC United unveiled their stadium renderings for Washington D.C. across the river from the Nationals' new baseball stadium.

It's a 27,000 seater / expandable to 35,000. Complete with a hotel, practice fields, centrally located, the whole shibangabang...

This is too easy...lol

Aight, let's see what we have here ....

Landon Donovan...he had to come back to the states because he could not cut it in Germany...go read about it.

Then he ends up coming back to LA Galaxy and becomes a better player than in Germany. Not just for Galaxy, but really a better player. Don't believe me? See how many goals he scored for the USMNT when he was playing for Germany. 0. Then see what he's done for the USMNT since going back to Galaxy. He scored more goals than a Lakewood Church service...

Pele was 34 ( a whole 2 years older than Bechham )

My mistake there. I wasn't alive when Pele was with the Cosmos, so I don't know how good he was at his age. But Beckham is well in his prime still and is playing some of the best football (soccer 4 the global translation) in his career right now. What he did at La Liga and for England the past 3 months was unbelievable.

Keep your hopes and dreams alive....as long as we promote MLS I am all for starting minor league baseball, hockey, basketball and arena football forums.

So there is a bigger soccer league in America than MLS? Nice try. The amount of players in MLS currently representing their national countries (including Beckham next month) is well high. They are certainly not minor-league quality players. If they were, they'd probably be in a league you've never heard of.

Hate to break it too you but I am in my 30s...all of my friends played soccer when we were kids. Once we were in high school we all played other sports.

You don't have to play the sport in your 30s to be a sports fan (including soccer), or a fan of your city or country.

Now, to show the potential of the sport in this country...

The Gold Cup soccer final between the United States and Mexico on Sunday drew a bigger TV audience than the Stanley Cup final.

Univision said Tuesday that its telecast received a 2.5 preliminary rating, which equates to about 2.8 million households and 5.3 million viewers. The Ducks' 6-2 win over Ottawa in the final game of the Stanley Cup earned a 1.8 rating

Here is my point...in this country fans take to sports that have the "Michael Jordan" factor....I know all of you guys are going to bring up Beckham at this point but he is 32 with maybe two good years left...soccer is not an old man's game....let MLS get a prime player in his 20s and then we will talk.

Well, MLS DOES have Landon Donovan. Perhaps the best player in American history. He's tied Eric Wynalda's national team record for most goals in his career. Wynalda was 31, and Donovan is now 25. But I agree with you with the name factor issue. Once Beckham gets here, the secret is to create more big names in the league, because there is already some really good talent throughout.

Many people forget the NASL got Pele, one of the greatest players in the world (better than Beckham) but the league folded a few years later.

I keep hearing this Beckham/Pele comparison. Wasn't Pele like, 38 when he played in NASL? And I think he played 3 semi-retirement seasons, not 5 season like Beckham is, while trying to stay on England. Beckham's 32, around the same age as Allen Iverson, Peyton Manning, etc., and is still playing for the England National Team. Though Pele was one of the greatest ever, I seriously doubt that Pele at 38 was as in his prime coming to the Cosmos as Beckham, who just led Real Madrid to it's first La Liga in 4 years just a few weeks ago.

I know good players play soccer in the states I am just saying that in the US we are spoiled we like to see the best athletes in our professional sports. Maybe if I had not watched soccer teams in Europe and Brazil play I would think MLS is fine....but is not even in the same stratosphere.

Regardless of other countries, there's no denying that MLS is the biggest and best league soccer in the USA. It's not one of the biggest leagues in the world yet, but it's far from the worst, and the attention the league is recieving worldwide is not seen with every league in the world.

And we have a really good team. 5 game winning streak, MLS Champs, beat the South American champs in CCC 2-0 at home a few months ago. So it's not like Dynamo will never be a top-tier team one day. But they have a great foundation talent-wise, and have to keep growing. Part of that comes from being financially stable with their own stadium, and building their young fanbase year after year.

You guys are kidding yourself if you think that soccer is popular or will ever be popular in America.

1. When the United States hosted the World Cup in 1994, to this day, USA stadiums holds the record for highest average-attendance.

2. When the US Women beat China for the 1999 World Cup at the Rose Bowl, over 90,000 fans showed up

3. Reliant Stadium sold over 140,000 tickets for two soccer Gold Cup events less than 14 days ago. The Gold Cup Final in Soilder Field in Chicago sold out in less than 2 days, and Giants Stadium also sold out in the Mexico-Honduras upset in the first round.

4. Over 3 Million households in America watched the quarterfinal Mexico-Costa Rica/Honduras-Guadelupe game at Reliant Stadium last week. The semifinal and finals numbers aren't out yet, but chances are that the ratings could be higher than any NBA Finals 2007, Stanley Cup 2007, or World Series 2006 game.

5. There are more soccer-only channels (in english) available on American cable packages than any other sport.

So yes, the soccer is already popular in America. The difference is that MLS isn't as big in America yet as soccer is, but the league's still growing, and much more stablized for long-term success.

Dynamo 2-1 over FC Dallas today...It was a great game to go to, if you didn't mind a little sun and heat. Coming from behind is a good sign, especially considering we came back without DeRosario in the lineup. After Onstad was sent off with something around 20 minutes to go, it was good to see the Dynamo hold on to the win down a man. Maybe we can start to build some momentum and get back on the winning side of the ball again...

Yep, got the first ESPN2 Thursday night home game this week, too

Onstad got deservingly sent off (tackling the daylights out of an FC Dallas dude about to score), but that tackle saved the game. Very professional red card, I must say. If U do it, do it right

But look at Butler and Odom. They're very good starting players with star potential if not already. Battier, Alston and Howard are nothing close to being on the same level as those guys. They'll never make an all-star team.

None of the five players mentioned in your post are likely to make an all-star game anytime soon. I think Battier's better than Butler or Odom when it comes to overall game, but I think Odom's the best role-player.

Either way, I think the Rockets will finally be a high scoring team with this current roster and Adelman as coach. The Rockets would be foolish to trade McGrady or Yao Ming. If they wanted to bring in another star or two to go along with them, it wouldn't hurt the Rockets at all.

As far as the Lakers are concerned, it doesn't matter if they trade Bryant for an all-star or more supporting cast; they'll still have to rebuild because they built their team around Kobe.

BTW, try the Battier/Alston/Howard for Bryant deal on this, and check out the result...

http://games.espn.go.com/nba/features/trademachine

I don't remember. Who?

But Kobe still has at least three or four more years of dominance in him. Shaq was already past his peak and on the decline. That's the difference I see in the two.

The way I see it, Shaq won a title after leaving LA, and Kobe hasn't made it past the 1st round yet.

But Shaq was traded for Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, and a 1st round pick. There'd be nothing wrong with giving up our 1st rounder in the deal giving up Battier, Alston, and Howard IMO either.

And I could see the Lakers doing that, too. There's some good free-agents out there this year, and by not having Bryant's contract anymore, they could sign Vince Carter or Chauncey Billups if they wanted, and have a decent overall lineup to start their rebuilding from.

I think there's no way the Lakers would do that DJ, IMO. Tracy must be part of the deal. However, 610 guys were saying that the Lakers probably wouldn't even want Tracy. I agree. He's injury prone, and I don't know if any of our other guys look appealing either, especially after these past playoffs. The only hope we have is to give up a first rounder.

Look at who they gave up Shaq to Miami for...

I'll give up Tracy for Kobe any day. Let's do it!

Why not trade for Kobe AND keep McGrady and Yao Ming? Alston, Howard, and Battier for Kobe would be an even trade, then if they wanted, they could still try to sign free-agent forward Rashard Lewis

That'd be total murder on the dance floor, yo

I say trade Battier for a scorer. Sure he's good on defense, one of the best, but he's an offensive liability. He reminds me of Adam Everett for the Astros and look what's finally happening to his playing time.

I disagree. I think Battier is a great all-around player, and has a great outside-shooting presense. He's probably the 2nd most consistant player on the Rockets other than Yao Ming.

I say we keep the big three, and see if we could pick up another big-name signing. The Rockets need depth, especially on the bench. Some of their occasional starters (Alston, Head, Howard, Mutombo when Yao was injured) would be great players to come off the bench. Let's see what they do, and I hope Battier stays because I don't see any reason why he should leave.

The guy is an unrestricted free-agent. He can go anywhere he wants.

Can U imagine if we had Yao Ming, Battier, Rashad Lewis, McGrady, and either Head or Alston starting? That'd be a lethal high-scoring bunch. They already have the defense down; high scoring was pretty rare for the Rockets this season, and Adelman's known to be a score-driven coach

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2883178

There's no current 2007 thread, and I thought it's too early to start one since the playoffs are still going on, but still, Alief's own Rashad Lewis is gonna be a free-agent. What are the odds of him possibly coming back to his hometown H-Town without losing any of our main three? (Yao, McGrady, Battier)

Also, guess who else may be opting for free-agency...McGrady's 3rd cousin Vince Carter