ESPNDEPORTES.com's Rigo Cervantez noted Chivas USA Owner Jorge Vergara yesterday confirmed a report that the team “has studied the possibility” of a rebrand. Vergara added that he is not looking to sell the team “at this time” (ESPNDEPORTES.com, 2/17). SB NATION's Alicia Ratterree reported the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office received two trademark applications last month from "Chivas Guadalajara Licensing LLC" -- one for the "Los Angeles SC" name and logo, the other for "Los Angeles F.C." A second application was filed for a suite of Los Angeles SC "goods and services" (SBNATION.com, 2/17).
SWITCHING FIELDS: Toronto FC MF Michael Bradley said of MLS, "It’s a different league. In 2004-2005 we’d show up at the old Giants Stadium, change, hop in a 15 passenger van to either Rutherford High School or New Jersey Institute of Technology, train, and then return to Giants stadium where people don’t even know who you are because Eminem is in town. Now, the training ground in Toronto is the nicest I’ve ever seen." He added, "In every league in every sport there’s teams that spend a lot of money so MLS should be no different" (NBCSPORTS.com, 2/17).
HEY, BIG SPENDERS: In Salt Lake City, Christopher Kamrani writes teams spending "oodles of money" for Bradley, Sounders F Clint Dempsey,Toronto FC F Jermain Defoe and others leaves "clubs set in smaller markets, like Real Salt Lake, at a crossroad over the next few seasons." RSL Senior VP/Soccer Operations & GM Garth Lagerwey said, "These teams aren't making up money -- they're profitable. They're saying we want to go spend money on big-time players to make our league better and sell more tickets and it's a good business decision. These are not irrational choices." RSL coach Jeff Cassar: "If MLS has dreams of being one of the top five leagues in the world, then they have to do these things" (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 2/15).
