:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/24747637/20130511_jel_sn8_109.0.jpg)
The 2013 Annual Meeting of the Sounders FC Alliance is right around the corner (Monday, December 9th, 7pm- you DO have it on the calendar, right?) and we'll all be gathering again at the WaMu Theater.
I posted an article looking for some input on a presentation about MLS's "single-entity" setup and we got some pretty good input... so what's up with that?
Well, Adrian Hanauer called me the other day and apologized, but with the CBA negotiations approaching (as well as expansion and a TV contract and other things being worked on at the league level) this was not a good time for him to delve too deeply into the mysteries and complexities of single-entity.
We might still have a few questions about it in the Q&A period, and hopefully we catch him off guard and get a look into it.
I did ask him if he'd be willing to sit and discuss it later (they're busy getting ready for this meeting, making some player moves, and of course the scouting combine in Las Vegas is coming up) and it sounds like we're going to be able to work that out after the first of the year.
So... I'm sorry I wasn't able to make it happen for the Annual Meeting, but it does sound as though we'll be able to at least have a basic look at single-entity sometime in the next month or two.
That said, the Annual Meeting is definitely worth going to for Sounders fans and supporters. We won't have anything as dramatic as the GM retention vote (would Hanauer get 96% again this season, if that question had been asked?) but we're expanding the Q&A period to get more in.
Questions include some that are pretty obvious- what went into the decision of whether or not to retain Sigi Schmid, why do only the 2009 season ticket holders get a discount- and then there's some newer questions that are a bit finer, like about team chemistry and about coaching/training flexibility in tactics.
While the Club targets Alliance Members (read: season ticket holders) with their email and marketing for the Annual Meeting, nobody checks anything at the door and there's plenty of room, so even if you're not formally a Member you should feel free to drop by the WaMu Theater on Monday evening. Doors open at 6:30!