There's no question this is difficult to get exactly right, for the team and for the player. The teams want maximum control (including option years) for minimal pay; the players want maximum freedom for maximum pay. That's why the two sides have to negotiate. You tend to side with the team, and the league, others here tend to side with the players. If life were simple, Dallas could simply stomp on 'zero-return' Gomez, but the team - and you - should not forget that other young players, their families, and their agents are watching. To the extent Dallas has a positive reputation, it's because they recruit good players, pay them and play them, and let the better ones transfer (to Europe, ideally). To the extent Dallas has a negative reputation, it's because they stockpile young players, pay and play some but not others, hold some back and limit their opportunities for advancement. As you said, it's a business. but I would advise caution. Imagine if the world read the headline, "Gomez spurns Dallas offer, but Dallas still does right by him," it would change the whole narrative. I know nothing except what I've read in a few posts here, but if I were Dallas I would tread very carefully. I certainly wouldn't treat Gomez as if he had zero value.
I guess you are right. However, you have to take into consideration that 16 year olds talk to other 16 year olds. If you were anywhere near this club or knew any kids in the club, you would realize that this "punishment" has been in the works. For me, this is entirely speculation. I think the two possible scenarios are completely different. If there is no desire to sign a contract with the club, then I say get rid of the kid, then and there. On the other hand, if the club is offering a contract way below the players value, be it because they have no HG slots, or just because they want to low ball the player, then that is completely different. One of the only good things about MLS is the fact they publish wages. You can't place any blame on a kid like Gomez for not signing if he isn't at least on Sealy's wages. The business aspect goes both ways. I think FCD got a little too excited and wanted to showcase the fact they will sign their youth. They did so in such a hurry, they didn't take the time to realize what effect it would have on the next crop of talented academy prospects.
If Gomez has already told FCD that he intends to leave for Europe at 18, and he has no intention of signing with them.................then he has no value to FCD. Sure, they can win meaningless DA and USL games with him. To what end? For what purpose? Flushing money directly down the toilet can be fun too! I personally have no idea what Gomez's intentions are. Just like I have no idea what contract offers FCD has made. But here we are arguing in circles. The blind leading the blind straight into the abyss.
If this is all true, why don’t you lay out why they might’ve demoted him indefinitely? Is he in bad form? Did he violate a team rule? Do they not have enough room at the U-19 level for him? I heard it goes further than being demoted to the U-17’s, but we’ll see if that materializes. Why can’t it be possible that FC Dallas is acting like a petulant child because they aren’t getting their way? We all know they didn’t take well to McKennie leaving for free and made changes in club policy in dealing with potential homegrown signings afterwards. Why can’t it be that maybe they are not reacting well to a player who doesn’t want to sign with them?
Well, I don't like to think of you as blind, and rather than blind I prefer to think of myself as a service animal. You've now said more than once that if Gomez won't sign, he has no value. I am saying that he has value regardless, because he's a high-profile young player, whose treatment will be evaluated by others.
The purpose in signing Gomez, even if he does want to go to Europe at 18 would be so you can profit. Doesn't FCD say they are a selling club whose primary goal is to build up players and sell them? What is stopping FCD from making Gomez a reasonable offer ( as much as Sealy) putting a clause in the contract that a reasonable offer from Europe has to be accepted and making the contract end at 19? Both parties win. I see this as FCD acting like idiots and taking it out on a kid. Other kids see this as well. Glad Letayf was able to get out when he could.
I find it hard to believe putting a kid you have played with your first team, started numerous games in USL and touted as your future Left back, all of the sudden is now on the U17s, unless its punishment. As far as putting investment in him or Sealy, FCD gave Gomez more games in USL and even with the first team than Sealy so it seems like they were happy to invest in Gomez until they got their shorts in knots and couldn't control him. Even worse, I hear they are trying to change his position from left back to holding mid. Why on earth would you do that to a kid who is a National Team Caliber Left back, played in your first team as a left back and now all of the sudden you have moved to holding mid on the u17s. Very petty indeed. Other DA kids are watching.
None of us truly know what Gomez wants to do. I’ve heard some things. I suspect some others have also heard some things, as well. However, even if the kid has decided he won’t be signing, dealing with this amicably will reflect better on Dallas than if they threw him out or instituted punishments midseason because of his decision. That will reflect very poorly. You can take the position that Dallas gains nothing tangibly from the player, if he’s going to leave, but you lose a lot in the perception, if you don’t treat players well. My personal opinion, and I don’t know Gomez, so it’s slightly informed speculation, is that the last week of events has made the decision for Gomez. Before then, I think they could’ve signed him for certain terms. Now, I think he’s gone, unless there’s a complete about-face from the club.
This x 1,000. It's actually a good problem to have if you're FCD. Now, they just need to figure out how to handle so both parties can share in the prize. The Hunts are well known to be cheap and this is going to force them to either play the game that is played around the world or sit on the sidelines and collect second tier talents. The fact they have let Cannon play out an $82k/year contract while continuously being called into the MNT is disgraceful. That said, it is speculation as to whether Cannon has turned down offers and when those offers were made. If they want to continue this HG pipeline, they are going to have to show a willingness to move HG players in to regular roster slots, thus creating space for newcomers. This is a song that hasn't had to be danced to in this country yet. I expect a couple of missteps along the way, but the league and youth friendly clubs like FCD are going to have to figure it out.
Had that talk yesterday with a parent of an FCD DA starter and National Team player. How in the heck were Reggie Cannon and Pax (until recently) making below 100K when Brandon Servania was making 200K ad Thomas Roberts was making 130K? And Reggie still under 100K as a fixture on the USMNT. If Reggie doesn't want to sign another contract with FCD, I assume we will see them treat him the same and put him on the USL team and move him to center forward?
That's not hard to figure out. They have lost Letayf to Tigres (reportedly) and there is very little midfield talent in the U16/17 team. If this is true, it would be a terrible decision. I have made no secret as to how good I think Gomez is, but a CM field player, he isn't.
True but if U17 DA games are meaningless you leave him where is a top player in the country. you don't have him move for "the good of the team". You make him the best individual he can be, sign him, and sell him to Europe.
This is as much of a MLS issue and their contract structure as it is a FCD issue. But, the commitment things goes both ways. The second Cannon received his first cap, they should have had his agent on the phone renegotiating his deal.
You seem to be pretty close to the club. Given that fact, can you recall a time where FCD was completely devoted to making a kid the best they can be in order to drive market value? I think they always have and always will have "the good of the team" as a top priority. This is the main difference between Europe and US academies. I will take it a step further. I would think the sooner the club knows a kid wants to play abroad and not in the MLS should drive them to showcase that player even further. There would be clubs that would pay $500k in a New York second for a kid like Gomez instead of letting him choose between a dozen or so European suitors when he is 18. If FCD would showcase these types of kids, actively engage European clubs and tell them of the kids interest to play in Europe, they could have a deal ironed out before they turn 18. Get a pre-contract done at 17 with the provision that FCD will sign him for the sole purpose of selling him on his 18th birthday. Its a win-win-win. The player gets what he wants, FCD get a decent chunk of money, which is better than none, and the European club doesn't have to compete with a bunch of clubs for the players services.
You have it 100% right and completely agree with you. They (FCD) should be pushing kids to train in Europe as often as possible and with as many teams as possible, not trying to hoard kids or stick it to them when they learn a kid wants to go to Europe. I have never seen them do anything that I would call promoting the value of a single kid over the value of the youth team. I think that is a lack of sophistication on their part.
The simple answer is when did they sign? The guys who signed earlier got less money, shocking. The guys who signed later and had options, got more money. This isn't complicated. Dallas also had them under contract and wasn't going to give raises till the option years. People are happy to spend FCD's money but they have an internal budget and those renovations plus the HoF didn't pay for themselves. It sucks if you're Reggie and you're making 80k instead of 200k but that was then and now he's going to get paid one way or another. That's how soccer works, that's especially how contracts work here. Unlike other professional sports here there's no guaranteed rookie contract or league minimum. The numbers vary widely and FCD probably isn't in a position to pay several 16 year olds who aren't going to feature in MLS 150k+. They're not Man City. They gave too much money to Sealy and now it's going to bite them. Still 80k as a 15/16 year old is hardly chump change. I get kids want to be paid but the truth is turning down 80k a year for three seasons before you're sold may not be the best decision for any kid, no matter how touted the prospect. Injuries happen. Life happens. Signing a 3 year deal with options doesn't mean you won't be sold if an offer comes along. FCD really needs a true pyramid like Red Bull, or City Sports, with multiple teams at multiple levels so they can sign, play, and have more contract spots. They're in a really tough place right now and everyone wants them to spend all their money that may not even be in the budget.
If I am not mistaken FCD is free to give a player a better contract at any point. They could have torn up Reggie's 80K a year contract and started paying him 300K a year at the start of last year, and perhaps added a few years to it. If Reggie leaves for free next year after he is out of contract, would it have been smarter to lock him in (Even if you could have still had him play out his 80K contract) to a higher deal and then get a transfer fee? I think so. Suppose you had paid him 300K starting last year and had him locked up until 2022. Now a German club has to pay you a 2milion transfer fee to get him. As it stands and the way FCD has done it, he may leave for free ( goodbye large transfer fee) No one will confuse FCD for Man City but if you can pay the likes of Coleman and Zyasi several hundred thousand a year to do nothing, perhaps you could afford to pay young guys 100K a year. As many have stated, we don't know what the offers are to new players FCD wants to sign on USL deals. But if the number is closer to 25K a year for 3 years than 80K a year for 3 years, would you advise a top prospect to take that? If that prospect already knows he has a spot at a top European club when he turns 18 and signing that USL deal gives FCD the power to block that deal?
Your post is spot on, and also the very reason our league is a joke and players don’t want to play in it. Only in MLS can you lead your team in minutes and still be on a contract that is less than kids who’ve never played a minute of first team football. Only in MLS can a player be capped multiple times by a NT and still be on a contract less than kids who’ve never played a minute of first team football. The term commitment was used earlier in the thread and I can’t see any reason why a young kid would commit to a club who hasn’t rewarded and committed the proper resources to an established player. No matter when the contract was signed. As nice as it would be for FCD to have a multi tier pyramid like the NY squads, it isn’t needed. What’s more important is an ownership group that isn’t satisfied by being a mid-table team with one of the lowest payrolls in the league. What is more important is for the league to not hand out $500k deals to shit International players that may it may not even contribute to a team and take away available dollars from American kids. I’m getting off topic, so I’ll stop. This is a business and in business, you take care of your valuable employees or they leave. Simple as.
I agree with most of this, but the other issue is college. As you say life happens, and while $80K a year seems like a lot for a 16 year old, is it worth giving up college eligibility for that. A full ride a most top soccer schools is between $70K - $80K a year with no taxes on that or % going to an agent. If the player and club think they will be pro and not go to college, make it worth their while to sign with the club.
Do we know if Cannon actually wants to sign a bigger contract, knowing it will lock him in for more years? Some guys prefer to ride it out on a lower salary, knowing that they will either be sold or soon walk on a free.
I too agree with your premise, but disagree as well. Professional contracts are not about “a decent chunk of change” or decisions based around college. They are about the value that a player brings to a club and that players value on the market. While $80k may be a good chunk of change to 90% of the world, that has no bearing on a players contract. It’s pretty simple actually. Pay a player what they are worth, or risk losing them for nothing. FCD was well within their rights to keep Cannon on his original deal. Cannon and others are well within their rights to leave or not sign at all because of the way FCD handled his situation.
Maybe so, but this Gomez/FCD situation is unique. Other players would be naive to see this saga and make conclusions about their own path. For starters, 99.5% of them do not have the leverage that Jonathan has, while no other club has experienced the success AND challenges of the Homegrown frontier that FCD has. Both have a right to hold their current position. How else would we expect this to play out -- each side is basically just doing what they have to do......... It has been mentioned many times that this is a business.
Cannon has two more seasons if FCD picks up his final option. I cannot imagine he'll want to wait it out and walk for free. That's not in his best interest. Heck it's not in FCD's interest either. They've picked up his option as a matter of procedure. Now they're negotiating or more likely Cannon's agent is trying to find him a buyer in Europe. Selling Cannon makes signing Eddie M and/or Gomez make vastly more sense. He'd be the perfect example of what they're trying to accomplish as a franchise and be an example to future players that we'll move you if a decent offer comes along. Incentive and reward all around. As for raises mid-season or even after one or two good years, imo there isn't much of that in MLS at all. The closed system makes soccer contracts completely different than what you see in Europe. Anyone know how many entry contracts get bumped before the option years start in MLS? The salary cap makes that far less likely.
Sure. FCD and Reggie could have renegotiated at any time. In fact, we've had reporting that FCD has made contract offers to him. Of course, FCD will want something in return for that higher salary. Extra contract years. MLS is a salary capped league. In other words it benefits a club to sign players for as little as they can get away with. Hence they have more money available to sign other players. Its all "capology." And of course its not just the money aspect of the capology. Reggie is currently on his first homegrown contract, and thus does not take up a senior roster slot. Once he signs a new contract, then he WILL take up that senior roster slot. I think a lot of these roster rules will change with the new CBA, though.