yellowbismark
18 Nov 2003, 10:31 AM
Let Chivas field an all-Mexican team for all I care. It doesn't bother me either way, it's not like people don't like the Lakers because they have no white dudes on the team (not the greatest example, but people make no deal about race and ethnicity in other US leagues). It should be about fielding the best possible team. How many promising foreign players playing in the NCAA have passed over because of their foreign status, that could be the next Damani Ralph we're passing over.
MLS has come a long way. There's no reason to coddle the American player anymore. I understand the point of the foreign player limit in the beginning (avoid the downfall of the NASL, produce American players to be competetive in the National team, but MLS has to start acting like a real league now, not some chem lab to develop the USNT), we now we have a ton of servicable American MLS players, a handful of Americans playing successfully overseas, it did the trick. Now lets let them compete for their jobs. Let American MLS players fend for themselves now. No reason to have these limits anymore. It will make them even better now.
If MLS is planning on 14 teams in the next 3-4 years, the quality of play is going to take a big dive. We are going to be introducing a product to four new cities, if the quality of play is going to take a hike south there are going to be a lot of people who aren't going to be coming back. Do we really want to risk the same backlash again that we faced in 96-98? If we let Chivas bring their own (let Club America Houston bring their own too), that's one (or two) less rosters MLS has to worry about filling without diluting the American player pool.
MLS has come a long way. There's no reason to coddle the American player anymore. I understand the point of the foreign player limit in the beginning (avoid the downfall of the NASL, produce American players to be competetive in the National team, but MLS has to start acting like a real league now, not some chem lab to develop the USNT), we now we have a ton of servicable American MLS players, a handful of Americans playing successfully overseas, it did the trick. Now lets let them compete for their jobs. Let American MLS players fend for themselves now. No reason to have these limits anymore. It will make them even better now.
If MLS is planning on 14 teams in the next 3-4 years, the quality of play is going to take a big dive. We are going to be introducing a product to four new cities, if the quality of play is going to take a hike south there are going to be a lot of people who aren't going to be coming back. Do we really want to risk the same backlash again that we faced in 96-98? If we let Chivas bring their own (let Club America Houston bring their own too), that's one (or two) less rosters MLS has to worry about filling without diluting the American player pool.