And then there were two
AEG has sold the Chicago Fire, leaving the company with two MLS franchises, the L.A. Galaxy and the Houston Dynamo. During the startup phase of MLS, when the league comprised ten teams, AEG owned six clubs. Recently, AEG sold the operating rights to D.C. United for a reported $33 million.
The Fire's new owner is Andell Holdings, an LA-based private investment group. Its CEO is Andrew Hauptman, a producer whose next film is "Lions for Lambs," a political thriller starring Robert Redford, Meryl Streep and Tom Cruise (and directed by Redford). The company also has plans to produce (along with the NFL) a biopic about Vince Lombardi that will be based partly on the classic book "Instant Replay," by Jerry Kramer and Dick Schaap.