Dmitry Piterman, president of Spanish League club Alaves, has signed a letter of intent to operate a USL First Division franchise beginning in the 2007 season.
A final agreement should be completed by July 1, by which time the exact location of the team's base, name, office location, and preliminary staff will have been completed.
Charged with those details will be longtime soccer executive and coach Terry Fisher, who is expected to concentrate the next 45 days in securing a playing location in the San Francisco Bay Area.รก
Piterman is a Ukrainian-born entrepreneur who splits his time between Oakland, Calif., and Vitoria, Spain, having acquired Alaves two years ago.