New ownership: Andrew Murstein, who owns a New York taxicab medallion-selling firm, wants to own a Major League Soccer team and has offered to buy the Kansas City Wizards from Lamar Hunt.
Murstein, 40, has previously tried to purchase the Milwaukee Brewers in baseball, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks of the NHL and the San Antonio Spurs of the NBA.
His interest in the MLS is reportedly a simple financial decision, not one born from a love of the game.
“Soccer, to me, looks like the best investment in the sports world,” Murstein said in a New York Times interview. “Teams in other leagues have really reached their peak in market value.”
If the sale is approved, Murstein may consider moving the team to San Antonio, where the league has already negotiated a deal to play in the Alamo Dome. He is also considering the New York area, home of the New Jersey-based MetroStars.
For the New York idea, Murstein said he has offered more than $1 million for the rights to the name “Cosmos,’’ the popular New York team from previous American professional soccer leagues. That name is owned by a man named Peppe Pinton.
Murstein’s family owns $200 million worth of taxicab medallions in New York City. A cab owner must have a medallion to operate legally in the city, and each medallion costs about $250,000 to acquire
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