By RYAN TOLMICH
The future of Chivas USA has seemingly gotten a bit clearer as the league has reportedly found a buyer for the ailing club.
Citing unnamed sources, ESPNFC.com reports that MLS has agreed to sell the franchise to an unknown investor for $100 million, with conditions of the sale requiring that the club goes on hiatus. One source in the report states that the club is expected to remain dormant for two years while the new owners plan and build a stadium to house the club.
MLS has apparently confirmed that one potential site for the new stadium could be Los Angeles’ Exposition Park, which is located next to the LA Coliseum and the campus of the University of Southern California.
The hiatus will also allow the club to be re-branded with a new name, which has been planned since the club was acquired by the league from Jorge Vergara earlier this year.
The possibility of Chivas USA’s hiatus came to light earlier this month when commissioner Don Garber revealed the possibility at the MLS logo reveal. At that event, Garber confirmed that Chivas USA going dormant was an option on the table. If Chivas USA were to take a hiatus, MLS would move to a 20-team league next year, with Orlando City SC and New York City FC joining the league for the 2015 season.
Chivas USA is set to miss the postseason for the fifth straight season and ranks dead last in the league in attendance. The club was routed, 4-2, by the Seattle Sounders for the second time in September, last Saturday.
The Goats are on a 12-game winless streak, with their last win coming in a 3-1 victory over the Vancouver Whitecaps on July 12. They’ve lost seven consecutive games.
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What do you think of the Chivas USA hiatus plan? How do you think the league should handle the team in coming years?
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