By all accounts, San Jose should be one of MLSÆs strongest markets.
MLS had such confidence in San Jose as a soccer market that it was picked to host the MLS inaugural match in 1996.
A resounding success.
Northern California was at the center of the youth soccer boom in the 1970s. It also has a huge and diverse ethnic market.
San Jose is situated in Silicon Valley, heart of the technological boom, so capital should not be a problem.
Unfortunately, MLSÆs agreement with the NHLÆs San Jose Sharks to operate the Earthquakes in 2001 is its third attempt to get out from under day-to-day management of the Clash-Quakes.
A much-publicized deal to sell San Jose to a group headed by Alan Rothenberg collapsed when the money men from Dentsu pulled out after the Japanese economy soured in 1998.
The Kraft Sports Group bailed MLS out, agreeing to operate the team until a buyer could be found.
It never duplicated the success it had in New England.
Spartan Stadium is one of MLSÆs coziest stadiums, but by the end of last season, even it looked empty with the sparse crowds.
There are many reasons for San JoseÆs problems. Competition is one. There are six major league franchises in the Bay Area and wondrous outdoor recreational options to woo sports enthusiasts on weekends. Spartan StadiumÆs access is poor. And the QuakesÆ marketing bordered on the amateurish.
The failure of the Quakes, though, is a failure on soccer terms.
San Jose never made the playoffs after the first year, and the fans stayed away.
MLS can talk all it wants about marketing plans, but if a team doesnÆt have a reasonable product to offer fans, they will not come.
So what do the Sharks know about soccer?
Their first move, though, was a soccer one: They fired the coach, Lothar Osiander.
That was an obvious move. Now, they need to find some players. Fast.