HOUSTON, TX (CelebrityAccess MediaWire) – The MLS Houston Dynamo have promoted chief operating officer Chris Canetti to the top spot in the franchise.
He replaces Oliver Luck who resigned as president of the franchise in June to become athletics director at his alma mater, West Virginia.
Tim Leiweke, president and CEO of Dynamo co-owner Anschutz Entertainment Group, in announcing the promotion Tuesday at a news conference in Houston, was not ready to identify what Canetti’s title would be.
“Whether it’s COO or CEO, to me that’s just alphabet soup,” said Leiweke. “He’s our leader. He is replacing Oliver.
Canetti, who was named MLS Executive of the Year in 2008, has been in charge of the Dynamo’s business operations since 2006.
One of the big issues that could have been facing Canetti has been resolved.
As FOX 26 Sports reported first Monday, the Dynamo and Toyota Center have reached an agreement related to the non-compete clause the facility had with the City of Houston and the Harris County-Houston Sports Authority concerning the building of arenas that can host music events, according to the Houston Rockets' news site.
The clause agreed on by the city and Sports Authority with Toyota Center in 2003 was that neither entity would engage in building an arena that could host concerts for more than 5000 people within ten miles of downtown until 2013.
The city has been heavily involved in the Dynamo’s stadium negotiations and purchased land for the project.
The Sports Authority was brought on board to help manage the project.
Dynamo co-owner Anschutz Entertainment Group is one of the world’s largest promoters of concerts.
The agreement insures AEG and Toyota Center, which is managed by the Houston Rockets, can live in harmony, and that the project to build the Dynamo’s stadium will go forward without interruption.
“Like them we are members of the NBA. So we are partners in the NBA thing. We appreciate (Rockets owner) Les (Alexander) and his crew understanding how important the stadium is to the fans of the Dynamo and the future of this sport in this city.
“We’re in the content business. So it’s easy for us to have a conversation on how do we book more content into their arena, and in turn make sure that the two, the arena and the soccer facility, are working together. We don’t need to go out and steal. The soccer stadium is an opportunity to bring new events and new activity to the city without necessarily having to take away a lot of concert activity from the Toyota Center.
“We get where they were coming from. So we made sure they understood we came in peace,” according to the Houston Rockets' news. –by CelebrityAccess Staff Writers
