Buried in the last paragraph in a story this morning about the San Jose city budget is something MLS fans should be gladdened to hear:

In other news, the council voted 10-0 — with Constant absent — to approve rezoning the 95-acre former FMC property on Coleman Avenue near Mineta San Jose International Airport to allow development of a professional soccer stadium of up to 18,000 seats for the San Jose Earthquakes team.

Source: San Jose Mercury News

Great news for the Quakes and Major League Soccer, who relaunched the club in 2008 with the expectation that there would finally be a stadium deal to be found. San Jose's plight was a black eye, especially because the original Quakes left for Houston.


The council vote doesn't necessarily mean that the new stadium will be built, and as we saw with the Wizards' travails, even a proposed site and ground clearing might not mean the Earthquakes will be playing in their own place in a few years.


But this is clearly a step in the right direction, and gives me hope that the day is coming when all MLS clubs have proper homes purposely built to maximize atmosphere.


Quakes owner Lew Wolff will privately fund the stadium build, though he is still on the hunt for a naming rights deal and sponsors. The council's zoning approval will help him in that endeavor, giving a level of certainty to the project that should entice companies to buy into the project.


The stadium design is a horseshoe, partly in deference to neighborhood concerns over noise; the other major design element is a roof with the lights underneath, something that will keep down the light pollution in the area. The Mercury News published a story on those matters prior to the vote on Tuesday.


For more on the stadium design and renderings of the project, check out my post from way back in September when the Earthquakes announced the plans.


Stadiums designed for soccer are crucial not only to the growth of MLS from an atmosphere, attendance, and therefore business standpoint, but as a guarantee against the disappearance of top-level professional soccer in the US. With soccer stadiums around the country, it makes it less likely that MLS (or a subsequent league in its place, though that's obviously not something anyone wants to see happen) will simply disappear.

San Jose Earthquakes owner Lew Wolff has backed off of a projected 2012 opening date for a new stadium for the club, citing lack of sponsor interest and financial delays.

Wolff says the club needs $5 million in sponsorship to get the $50 million stadium project off the ground, and that only twenty percent of that has been secured.

There are also questions about the area's ability to support the club, or to show potential sponsors that the soccer fan base there merits significant investment. Wolff hopes that unveiling architectural renderings of the no-frills stadium design will spur new interest.

Wolff's disheartening statements throw a wrench into yet another stadium project; while Houston's march towards a full go on their new facility is encouraging, the lack of movement in DC and New England still leaves the league several problem locations.

The return of MLS to San Jose seemed a no-brainer at the time according to Wolff, who has been disappointed with support and season ticket sales.

He also reaffirmed Frank Yallop's job security despite the club's struggles and their place at the foot of the Western Conference standings.