SI.com: Fisher to buy Roma?

We already knew that John Fisher, the billionaire investor in the Earthquakes, became a rabid soccer fan at the 2006 World Cup, walking around Germany with an American flag painted on his head. We already knew that he had purchased three percent of Glasgow Celtic. If there was any doubt that he’s the coolest owner in MLS, SI.com reports today that Fisher is eyeing a purchase of A.S. Roma, the storied Italian side that last won Serie A in 2001. The team, which is captained by World Cup-winner Francesco Totti, is denying that the team will be sold, but time will tell.

In other news, Elliott Almond of the Mercury News spoke with MLS deputy commissioner Ivan Gazidis, who believes that one of the Quakes’ biggest challenges will be building team chemistry.

“You’re trying to develop team chemistry from scratch, with a new collection of players,” Ivan Gazidis said Monday during a conference call. “The difficulty of doing that, regardless of the quality of players you have, is sometimes underestimated.”

Finally, the Quakes have hired Jed Mettee as the team’s director of broadcasting and communications, a role similar to what he held with the Quakes from 2001 to 2005. Our congratulations to him.