Ferrell appeared on ESPN to discussed what ownership meetings are like with Mia Hamm and Magic JohnsonTwitter
Expansion club LAFC might be the league's "most intriguing" team this season, as its ownership "got the team launch and branding parts of its job right," according to Andrew Das of the N.Y. TIMES. Now, if the team gets the soccer right, then the "crosstown Galaxy -- currently down on its luck -- better worry" (N.Y. TIMES, 3/4). In DC, Steven Goff wrote the timing of LAFC's arrival is "terrible for the Galaxy," as the club sits "vulnerable to a Southern California insurgence" (WASHINGTON POST, 3/3). In L.A., Kevin Baxter noted LAFC's ownership group is "among the largest and most diverse in U.S. professional sports." It is also "among the richest ownership groups in MLS history." The group paid a record $110M expansion fee, and set "another record" by sinking $350M into the team's stadium. Since being founded in '14, LAFC has "used its extra time well, methodically rolling out a brand, engaging its fans and building a culture" (L.A. TIMES, 3/4). ESPN.com's Jeff Carlisle wrote under the header, "How LAFC Built A Team From The Ground Up As MLS Debut Nears" (ESPN.com, 3/2).
KICKING & SCREAMING: Actor Will Ferrell, a member of LAFC’s ownership group, spoke with ESPN at the team’s debut game last night against the Sounders in Seattle -- a 1-0 win for LAFC. Ferrell discussed what ownership meetings are like, calling them “very intense” and joking that at “some point, myself, Magic Johnson, Mia Hamm start getting into an angry fight." Ferrell said playing in Seattle has an "amazing atmosphere" for the team's first game. Asked whether he ever thought he would be a team owner, Ferrell said, “Absolutely. When I was eight years old I wrote at the top of my list, ‘MLS team owner’” ("LAFC-Sounders,” ESPN, 3/4).
SATURATED MARKET? ESPN’s Taylor Twellman said trying to compare L.A.’s ability to support two MLS teams to its struggles supporting two NFL teams is an "apples to oranges discussion." He said the NFL is "tapped into most, if not all of" football fans, but there are "millions of soccer fans in this country that aren't affiliated" with MLS. Twellman: "L.A. could support four or five teams with the way this sport is growing with the younger generation." But he added, "The biggest question in the way you really ingrain yourself in the community is winning games" (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 3/4).
