So Seattle Bought a Team in Tanzania. No, Seriously.

By: Ben | August 22nd, 2010

   

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While many MLS teams still fight to make a profit it was announced last week that the Seattle Sounders bought the Tanzanian club African Lyon. This investment is said to be only the first in a large-scale plan to begin farming players out of the region through training schools and programs. As reported by Majuto Omary in The Citizen:

Seattle Sounders’s officials will arrive in Dar es Salaam tomorrow to watch their team, African Lyon, kickoff Premier League campaign against Simba at Uhuru Stadium.

Lyon, who won promotion to the topflight league two seasons ago, were recently sold to Seattle Sounders by former owner, Mohammed Dewji.

According to an impeccable African Lyon insider, the majority owner of the American club, Paul Allen, would jet in aboard KLM accompanied by Sounders’ scouting manager.

The source said the officials will have talks with players before the match and later attend the official opening of the premiership at the stadium.

“Besides owning the club, they are planning to invest heavily in the country, hopefully, in a few months time, they will open several multimillion soccer projects,” he said.

Whether or not this gamble pays off for the Sounders will be interesting to see, but it seems so far to have been an ingenious one. Many top flight European teams such as Man United, Everton, Barcelona, and Milan have similar programs running all over the world, even in the USA. Channeling this developing talent into the league certainly could do no harm to its level of play, an area of constant criticism for MLS. Plus, a little diversity never hurt anyone.

What do you think?

Category: MLS

   

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Comments  

• Oh_yeah |  August 22nd, 2010 at 10:19 am

  
  
  

  Good move by the Sounders FC if it is true.

  

• Johonna |  August 22nd, 2010 at 11:14 am

  
  
  

  I am on board so long as it provides needed development in the region and is not just a talent strip mining operation.

  

• Vic |  August 22nd, 2010 at 1:20 pm

  
  
  

  ^ ditto.

  

• Z |  August 24th, 2010 at 2:43 pm

  
  
  

  This is not a done deal at all. Still investigating and in talks according to ownership.

  

• Alexinho |  August 27th, 2010 at 11:42 am

  
  
  

  Would love to see a Concacaf CL update like the last one, with highlights! A humble request-

  

• John |  August 28th, 2010 at 10:54 am

  
  
  

  If this is true, it’s a brilliant move and not only good for the Sounders but good for MLS as well. That being said, I haven’t heard a peep from anyone in the Sounders organization confirming this bit of news. And that includes front office and players. The Sounders org is a tight bunch, but I can’t imagine that news of this purchase wouldn’t have linked if it were confirmed.