Bob Sanderman wears many hats for a corporation run by Rapids operator-investor Philip Anschutz, including investment responsibilities and acting as CEO for the National Hockey League’s Los Angeles Kings. He is president of the Colorado Rapids and will oversee the Chicago expansion franchise. SOCCER AMERICA: What was the learning curve for you with the Rapids? BOB SANDERMAN: Starting from ground zero, it’s been pretty steep and I’m not sure where we are. I think we’re doing a much better job than we were a year ago, but I still think we’ve got a long way to go. SA: What went wrong last year? BS: I think a combination of getting a very late start ù we were the last team into the organization ù the people we hired, by and large, had no experience running a team although some people had some soccer-related experience. We got a very late and inexperienced start on all of it. Second thing, we wouldn’t do again is to hire a coach that played the style of soccer we played last year. That style could be successful, but it wasn’t. What the fans in Denver most wanted to see was a change in style, which we’ve seen this year. SA: Who was responsible for all those hirings? BS: I’m responsible for all the major decisions [laughs]. So I accept that responsibility. SA: What were the criteria based upon? BS: Actually, [Bob Houghton’s] a very good coach and came with very good credentials, and the way he explained the style of play to me was he felt it was going to be more akin to South American or American soccer. But unfortunately as the year progressed it appeared more that we were starting to play an English, over-the-top style of soccer. SA: And the fans didn’t respond to it. BS: No, they didn’t respond to it and quite frankly a lot of it was because we weren’t winning. Had we been winning I’m not sure it would have come to the fore the way it did. Certainly the way we’re playing this year handling the ball with more ball control has been very popular. We’ve had a number of fans enjoying the way we’re playing. SA: What about the giveaways last year? The “Guaranteed Win Night” comes to mind. BS: That again was slightly blown out of proportion. Obviously we were inexperienced, we were frustrated by not getting enough fans out and we were trying to create some incentives. I think we created maybe some controversy than incentive [laughs], but in retrospect I look at it as part of the learning experience. SA: So what’s been different this year? BS: A couple of things. Certainly we have all the history of last year. We now have a general manager who has been in the management of soccer teams for 10 years or more. We’ve got people in the office in the business of soccer. We’ve got a more seasoned group this year. I’ve got a year of experience and also have more time to spend with the team this year. Last year, we’d just taken over the Los Angeles Kings [of the NHL] and because of the significantly higher investment, I’ve spent much more of my time with them than with the Rapids. We took a lot more time in selecting a coach and we’re very, very happy with the choice we made. I’m not sure if we’re better or just luckier. SA: What would you classify your day job as? BS: I’m primarily responsible for the real estate activities of the Anschutz Corporation, which is more an investment-type responsibility. We don’t go out and develop property, we don’t get involved in the day-to-day management responsibilities, but we are involved in a number of office properties and those investment decisions come under my control. Secondly, I am the CEO of the Los Angeles Kings and on the board of governors of the National Hockey League. Thirdly, the overall management of the Colorado Rapids, although Dan Counce certainly is the day-to-day person and I’m more or less guiding him. And now the new MLS franchise in Chicago is under my jurisdiction. We’ve just hired Peter Wilt as general manager, so setting up that franchise, helping Peter find the right people, get office space, get a name, a logo, uniform, uniform supplier, working out an arrangement with Soldier Field are all things I’m working on this summer. SA: What specific challenges do you think face the Chicago market? BS: I think the challenge of every market in the league are virtually the same: getting the fans out to the game. I think we’ve had good overall success with sponsorships, we’re doing fine locally and we’ll do exceptionally well in Chicago. I think the challenge is really to create a brand of soccer that is interesting and competitive and making it an event the fans can participate in and get full value for and will start to come out on a sustained basis. Which is our challenge here, there and quite frankly New York and L.A. and every place else. SA: Why Chicago and not Miami? BS: We live in Denver. Chicago is an hour and a half away by air and we’re hands-on. We’re not complacent. Chicago is a more Midwestern city like Denver, and the Midwestern mentality is far easier for us to understand. Miami is four hours away by air and two time zones, and very hard to get your arms around. Lastly, Chicago is a very strong corporate market. The shift in sponsorships should be outstanding there and it has proven to be a good soccer town in the past. SA: What do you think your fan base could be, compared to what it is? You’re in a very crowded marketplace. BS: Denver is the smallest city in the U.S. with all five major sports, although some people would call it four. That just means the entertainment dollar has more places to go and is maybe somewhat harder to capture. One of the reasons why Columbus is doing so well is that there are far fewer places to spend that sport or entertainment dollar. We have to continue what we are now doing, that’s getting out in the community, making sure everyone is aware of the level of play of MLS soccer, making sure the Rapids are a community asset and create the kind of atmosphere that we have been creating at Mile High Stadium. Given all that we have to have a high degree of patience. We have to showcase soccer. Many of the people we get out to the games, it’s their first taste of soccer. SA: Would you be interested in investing any of your money in soccer? BS: Soccer, probably from an investment point of view, has the opportunity to be better than almost any franchise in the United States, in that you’re able to get in at a very low level. With what’s happening in other sports, salaries have just driven the other sports crazy, the cost is so high to get in, it’s very difficult to make any money. Whereas soccer is as good an opportunity as any to invest and patiently make a good long-term profit. And yes, I would invest. by Soccer America Senior Editor Duncan Irving