After another poor showing on prime time television, it emerged on Friday that Chicago Fire owner Anschutz Entertainment Group may be on the verge of selling the team. Fire GM John Guppy confirmed Thursday night that L.A. investment firm Andell Holdings made an offer to buy the club, making it sound like the deal was all but signed: “They have the passion for the sport, passion for the league and will bring great resources to our team,” he said. Guppy’s confirmation came during a press conference following Houston’s 4-0 thrashing of the Fire at Toyota Park.
The Daily Herald says AEG’s plan is to divest itself of multiple MLS franchises. It also owns the Los Angeles Galaxy and Houston Dynamo. At one point, the sports firm owned five MLS franchises. With the establishment of the designated player rule, the pressure is now on club owners to spend millions on importing expensive talent from across the globe. AEG was the first to do this in bringing over David Beckham.
Of course, the league maintains ownership over each of the teams in MLS; Andell would become the Fire’s investor-owner. Significantly, this would be Andell’s first venture into sports operations. The purchase price is estimated at over $30 million. AEG would retain ownership of Toyota Park.