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ESPN's John Sutcliffe reported Wednesday that Major League Soccer may be looking to buy Chivas USA from owner Jorge Vergara (Spanish). According to Sutcliffe, MLS Commissioner Don Garber doesn't have a good relationship with Vergara, and is disappointed by the performance of the LA franchise.
He further says he's heard the team could be called the LA Gunners or LA Soccer Club.
However, I must urge caution with this report. Sutcliffe has reported on several Chivas USA stories in the past. Let's look at his track record:
- He reported Chelís would be fired as head coach in May 2013. That report was correct.
- In January 2013, Sutcliffe reported Chivas would be sold, along with Chivas de Guadalajara. That did not happen.
- Following the transfer of full ownership to the Vergaras in 2012, Sutcliffe reported Robin Fraser would be out as coach at the end of the 2012 season and Efrain Flores would become the next coach. He was half right on that report.
Obviously, reporters can be wrong at times, and at times they can get good information that is never acted upon. But that track record, coupled with the actual content of this latest sale piece, looks pretty shaky from my vantage point. Is it possible Chivas USA could be sold soon? Yes. Is it likely, at least based on this information? Not in my opinion.
Plus, the link to the "LA Gunners" screams out trying to connect dots that probably aren't there to begin with. I've written about how I don't think the LA Gunners report is credible, and Sutcliffe doesn't add any information to that, or to the Los Angeles SC rebrand possibility we learned about this week.
So I'm taking this story with a boulder of salt at the moment. Do with it what you like. And regardless, if there's more to this, we'll keep you updated.
What do you think? Leave a comment below!