At a press conference in Hollywood on Thursday, Major League Soccer (MLS) commissioner Don Garber unveiled the league's second Los Angeles-based franchise, LAFC, which will replace the now-defunct Chivas USA, reports, www.sportspromedia.com/. In one of US soccer's worst kept secrets, a group including American-Vietnamese venture capitalist Henry Nguyen, movie producer Peter Guber, Cardiff City owner Vincent Tan and ESPN analyst Tom Penn, have purchased the beleaguered Chivas USA franchise from MLS for over US$100 million, according to local media reports.
"We are thrilled to welcome Henry Nguyen, Peter Guber, Tom Penn and their owner partners to Major League Soccer," said Garber. "This visionary ownership group will chart a course that will further elevate the sport in this great city and, combined with a new state-of-the-art stadium, accelerate us down the path toward becoming one of the top soccer leagues in the world."
The new team, which will be known as Los Angeles Football Club, are set to join the league in 2017 along with a new Atlanta-based club. According to an official press release, LAFC will play in a 'new soccer stadium in the greater Los Angeles area built specifically for the team'.
"Today is day one and time for us to focus on developing a world-class stadium for the club to play in and for fans to enjoy," said Nguyen.
