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L.A. landmark Galaxy expect sellout for debut of new MLS stadiumPosted: Friday June 06, 2003 11:26 AMUpdated: Friday June 06, 2003 11:59 AM
ATLANTA (SI.com) -- A year and a day after upsetting Portugal to start an improbable run to the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup, U.S. soccer is set for another "crowning moment." The Los Angeles Galaxy will host the Colorado Rapids Saturday (4 p.m. ET; ESPN2) to inaugurate the soccer stadium at the new $150 million Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. The multisport facility on the campus of California State University, Dominguez Hills, was privately financed by lead MLS investor Philip Anschutz. It is the second stadium built specifically for an MLS team, after Lamar Hunt spent about $25 million to open Columbus Crew Stadium in 1999. The center also contains facilities for tennis, track and field and cycling. It debuted last weekend with Olympic champion Maurice Greene speeding to victory in the men's 100 meters in the Home Depot Track & Field Invitational. Prize money of $103,500 was awarded at the first major invitational meet in the Los Angeles area in over a decade. The Galaxy are expecting a sellout crowd of 27,000 on Saturday. The defending MLS champion needs all the home-field advantage it can get after going winless (0-4-4) in an MLS-record eight-game road trip to open the season. The Galaxy previously paid rent to play at the cavernous Rose Bowl in Pasadena, which was far too large for the team's needs, while also limiting revenue and scheduling opportunities. "This is a crowning moment for our sport," MLS commissioner Don Garber told the Los Angeles Times. "We now have a place that we can hold up to the world and say, 'You knew at some point the sleeping giant would arise and now it is standing on its own two feet shouting, This is what American soccer can be.'" The complex will serve as the U.S. Soccer Federation's National Training Center. The U.S. under-17 national team, fresh off a second place finish at the Busan International Youth Tournament in Korea, was to take to the fields for a single practice session Friday at 1 p.m. ET. In all, five U.S. youth national teams will train at the facility during the month of June. "This is a landmark moment for the sport in this country," said U.S. Soccer president Dr. S. Robert Contiguglia. "I don't think you can quantify the importance of having an environment like this for the continued development of our players, coaches and referees." U.S. Soccer's national team program includes six men's teams and five women's teams. In addition to the full men's squad, the program includes the U-23 men, U-20 men, U-18 men, U-17 men and U-16 boys. The women's program is highlighted by two-time Women's World Cup champions and four youth women's national teams (U-21 women, U-19 women, U-17 women and U-16 girls). The five-a-side U.S. Futsal squad rounds out U.S. Soccer's 12 national teams. The National Training Center includes four grass soccer fields, a FieldTurf soccer field and a general training area, all specifically dedicated to U.S. Soccer. The complex also includes three additional practice fields for the Galaxy and the college, as well as all the necessary team support facilities, including locker rooms, player lounges, training rooms, a weight room and office space for support staff. The Home Depot Center will host this year's MLS All-Star Game, MLS Cup championship match and is a favorite to host the Women's World Cup final, which in 1999 drew more than 90,000 fans to the Rose Bowl. Stadium development has been one of the league's top priorities. "This stadium," according to Garber, "will be one of the great soccer facilities in the world, not just in the United States, but around the world. "It will be a facility that will make our country proud, will make our league proud and make all those people who care and love the game -- give them a little bit of a flutter in their heart as they walk through what we're convinced will be a cathedral for the sport."
MLS also has a commitment for its first publicly funded stadium in the Dallas suburb of Frisco, which is scheduled to open as a home for the Burn in 2005.
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