Dynamo stadium talks to continue into September

Remember back in May, when news broke about the possibility of building a new stadium for the Houston Dynamo downtown? Back then, everyone said negotiations between the city and the Dynamo would wrap in in -mid-July — but now that we're actually in the middle of July, that's changed. The new target for an announcement, the Chronicle reports, is September — but that doesn't mean talks are breaking down, apparently. "We believe we've made some substantial progress, and we're going to continue talking," Dynamo President and General Manager Oliver Luck said this weekend.

The Dynamo and the city are reportedly still looking at a few potential stadium sites, including the one we talked about in May: the six-square-block, Sports Authority-owned parking lot bounded by Chartres, Preston, Bastrop and Texas, on the other side of Highway 59 from Minute Maid Park. The Chronicle says there are "several [potential sites[ in downtown Houston to the east of Minute Maid Park," though, as well as others elsewhere in the city — but we're not sure where those are. One thing we assume hasn't changed is the preliminary financing plan: According to the Chron, Anschutz Entertainment Group, which owns the Dynamo, will contribute some money toward the $70 million stadium price tag, and Mayor Bill White has said that taxpayers won't be saddled with the burden of the cost. "The mayor has made it clear that this will work only with a substantial private investment," Luck said in mid-May.

In other news, there were reports last week that AEG has reached a deal to sell its Chicago Fire franchise. It would be the fourth MLS team AEG has sold and would mean the company would own just two: the Dynamo and the newly Beckhamed LA Galaxy. But don't expect AEG to sell the Dynamo, AEG President Tim Leiweke said: "Would we sell Houston? I don't think we're really challenged at this point to get beyond two," he said. "Considering the growth of the league and the fact we've gone backward (in number of franchises owned), I think it's OK if we end up with two long-term."