SAN JOSE, Calif. -- The San Jose Earthquakes are moving to Houston.

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At a Friday morning news conference, Mayor Bill White accepted an official MLS soccer ball. In exchange, he gave some of the players and coaches cowboy hats to welcome the team to Houston.

On Thursday, Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber said the team's owners were attracted by the chance to play in front of an ethnically diverse population willing to support a soccer team.

"We've always believed that the city has great potential to be a soccer market," Garber said. "We're excited about what our opportunities are there."

Officials involved in the announcement told KPRC Local 2 that the arrival of Major League Soccer in Houston should bring a big economic boost to the city.

"When you see us on the field, I think you will see a team that likes each other, they like playing for whoever is in front of them, and they also love playing for the people behind them. So, whatever we can do in this community, please reach out to us," Earthquakes Coach Dominic Kinnear said.

Major League Soccer season begins April 1. The team will play 16 games at Robertson Stadium on the University of Houston campus.

San Jose officials had worked to keep the team from leaving, and even considered subsidizing a new stadium.

The Earthquakes' current owner, Anschutz Entertainment Group, had expressed previous interest in moving the team to Houston. It is unhappy with the condition of the Spartan Stadium on the campus of San Jose State University and with the team's share of proceeds from parking and concession fees.

"I'm sad that they are leaving San Jose. I've been a fan for about five or six years, but I am happy they are in Houston. I think they will do really good in Houston," soccer fan Johnna Walker said.

San Jose will keep the Earthquakes team name, logo and colors, and the city already has signed a letter of intent with the hopes of attracting a MLS expansion team, perhaps as early as 2007.

"It is our intent to return to San Jose as early as possible," Garber said.

MLS officials said AEG has entered "positive discussions" about finding a soccer stadium in Houston.

"It is with great regret that we were unable to find a solution to our facility issues in San Jose," AEG president Timothy J. Leiweke said. "It was not for lack of effort."

Garber said all the coaches and contracted Earthquakes players will transfer to Houston.

"We've worked long and hard for several months to try to bring MLS soccer here," said Frank Michel, a spokesman for Houston Mayor Bill White.

Silicon Valley Sports and Entertainment, the San Jose Sharks' parent company, had expressed interest in buying the Earthquakes, but only with the city's help building a stadium.

Led by Landon Donovan, the Quakes were MLS champions in 2001 and 2003. Attendance, however, has always been low. This past season the Quakes averaged just 13,037 fans at home.

The San Jose Earthquakes became the first team in MLS history to go undefeated at home.