AEG President & CEO Tim Leiweke said that the Galaxy's new deal with Time Warner Cable SportsNet and the Spanish-language TWC Deportes "make the signing of a Latin American player a priority." Leiweke: "Look, if [EPL club Manchester United F] Wayne Rooney wants to come, we'll make an exception. But the reality for us right now, our thinking, is … iconic players that have a special relationship with the Hispanic community" (L.A. TIMES, 12/3).
WHEN I PAINT MY MASTERPIECE: In K.C., C.J. Moore wrote Sporting K.C. is experiencing "a success that few thought would occur." Livestrong Sporting Park was "sold out" for 16 of 17 regular-season matches this year. The stadium also is "becoming a destination for the U.S. National Team after successfully hosting a World Cup qualifier for the men’s team in October and the women’s team in 2011." Since the team changed its name from the Wizards to Sporting K.C. in '10, merchandise sales "have gone up 600 percent." Sporting K.C. CEO Robb Heineman "goes out of his way to build relationships with the media." He said that the team has "big plans for the stadium next year, including mobile gaming and live-streaming of the game to mobile devices" (K.C. STAR, 12/1).
IT GIVES YOU WINGS? In N.Y., Jack Bell wrote while Red Bull "continues to successfully sell its product around the world, its soccer efforts in the United States and Austria remain on shaky ground." Austrian Bundesliga club Red Bull Salzburg "has been a revolving door for coaches and players, with the club recently cleaning house under yet another new sporting director." The MLS team has "been impatient and intent on recreating a European model in a North American league." Six years into Red Bull’s "reign in New Jersey, the team has a new stadium but still trains at a makeshift facility it rents from Montclair State University" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/2).
