Let me start by saying, I know very little about how MLS works but for the life of me I can’t seem to understand why we can’t bring above average players to the U.S. (MLS). What’s the deal, it’s not as if we are a third world country; and our currency is attractive. Note: I’m not asking for cream of the crop players but come on 29 and 30 players from abroad can’t we do better then that? And now I hear Wayne de Rosario his heading back to Canada, Adu might be at Man Utd next season and Client Dempsey maybe leaving as well; are we building a harvesting farm? I happen to be a big Houston Dynamo fan, I don’t expect them to win every game but I truly hope there isn’t a reduction of quality once the new season comes along. I’m tired of owners exploiting their fan base for bigger profits, if that happens I hope they don’t expect the same level of support from us, I think we are smarter then that and for that same reason I am happy the Dynamos have a three year contract a Robertson Stadium. I’d like to see the Dynamos consistent for the next two years before I approve a new stadium!!!!!!!!!! OR is it already approved………??????
The biggest factor is the salary cap, the league put it in place to keep the teams mostly equal in talent and to keep them from spending more than they should (trying to keep a repeat of the NASL from happening). The rumor is that next year the salary cap will be much larger and they've added the Beckham Exception to allow teams to bring in better players. That will hopefully help both the quality and revenue (bring in new fans). Right now all but two teams are losing money, MLS doesn't have the fan base that other leagues do to be able to afford 10-20 million dollar payrolls so we have to just be happy with what we've got. Eventually it will have more money but it's going to take a lot of time, for the time being we'll just have to accept that the best players (DeRo, Dempsey, etc.) will be playing here for a while then heading to Europe.
MLS player contracts are thru the league, with each team under a cap (except for a new rule allowing one international). The league hasn't yet graduated to individual club funding, free agency, and all those other things you're familiar with. Ask the NY Yankees: Payroll does not equal championship. Don't know where you heard DeRo to Canada rumor...please post source. All speculation here is about DeRo to Europe. Every sport has all sorts of player change speculation in the off-season. So, with Dom in charge of personnel decision, calmate. He'll do his best to retain/obtain the players we need for a REPEAT! The new out-of-cap rule is the first step toward ending the perception of the "farm" league. A Dynamo victory in the CONCACAF Champion League would be another step. When you see a kid in a field in Africa or Brazil, or an alley in Europe playing their pickup game in a Dynamo jersey, you'll know that MLS has arrived. In the meantime, let it build. Give MLS the time and tools (like a SSS) it needs to build up the domestic fan base, revenues, and international success that will put the US on par with the "big" leagues of the world. And GO ORANGE!!!!!!!!!!!!
This seem like a joke post to anyone else? Everything makes sense, but all the player names are misspelt and the phrase 'Dynamos' appears.
That makes a lot of sense, but how about the league approving the Beck Rule. Is that really smart, I mean don't you guys think it would be more advantageous in the long run to acquire younger players maybe not as talented but players of quality. We all know that if Beck's and Ronaldo come to the U.S they still have to perform, can Ronaldo stay healthy. Once again I admire Ronaldo but I’d question that move. I hope the MLS doesn’t develop that Circus mentality, “Come one, come all; come and see my new attraction”. And yet that’s all it amount too, just a show and nothing more……
It's left up to the teams to decide how they want to use their Designated Player slot. They can bring in a popular player like Beckham or choose to spend the money on a lesser known younger potential star from say Argentina or Brazil. Sure, it's a gamble - but they've put sufficient limits on it so that it doesn't get out of hand, I think.
Come on, he may have had some grammar/spelling mistakes but it was nowhere near Ricker bad. Plus he has actual paragraphs and mostly correct punctuation. Also, I think there should be a new rule, you can't criticize any ESL posters until you start posting in a foreign language.
Players are going to go where the money and prestige takes them. If Dempsey feels he can play for a top level Euro team (and make the $$$) then he's going to go for it. I don't blame him or any other player. Otherwise, if they stay here, you end up with Donovans and Popes: good players who could have been great (it's not to late for Donovan, but I don't think he leaves the MLS). The MLS can develop into a prestigious league, but it's going to take time. Lotsa time and money. Currently, all the MLS has is time cuz they sure aren't making money.
Are you referring to my original quote? As for everyone else thanks a bunch you've brought me up to speed regarding this matter....
I've seen you post this comment about the U.S. dollar several times and I'm a little puzzled. The U.S. dollar has lost value against the British pound, the Euro, heck, even the Canadian dollar over the last few years. Even the Mexican peso has been stable against the dollar. Those are the currencies we are competing against. Most South American and African currencies have lost ground against the dollar but the best players, young or established, are being signed by countries with stronger currencies than the dollar. MLS average salary - $100,000 English Premier League - $1,162,000 Coca-Cola Championship - $350,000 League One - $117,000 League Two - $86,000 So we are competing with the third division in England for players. And all those players in England got a raise in U.S. dollars this year as the pound rose in value. There can be some argument made about the attractiveness of living in the U.S. but the strength of U.S. dollars is not one of them.
Wow you guys are giving me great feedback. As I said before I didn't know that much about how Futbol teams operate in general but I'm starting to get an idea. It's a complicated issue my friend........
i don't know where anyone is hearing anything about deRo going anywhere. i keep reading it but i don't see any real source saying anything significant. the only sure thing i know is that deRo still has one year left one his contract with the dynamo and i really doubt that Luck will let him leave, considering that he is a fan favorite.
Lemuel, I guess the first question to you would be how knowledgeable are you in terms of soccer in the US and in the world? This would help us frame our answers to your context. Here's a basic analogy: if you are Italian and play basketball in the Italian leagues, would you rather stay there or try to make it to the NBA, understanding that the NBA dwarfs the Italian league? People who play baseball and basketball want to play in the American leagues because of what they can offer, but soccer is very small time.
I haven't heard anything specific either. But, at this point Luck has to sell DeRo or sign him up to a longer contract. We can't lose DeRo for nothing after his contract expires...keeping in mind that the MLS holds the contract, not Luck. So, if the MLS says sell, see ya DeRo and there ain't nuthin we can do.
The team does have some say in the matter, KC was able to keep Johnson when the league wanted to sell him. From his answer last night on Glenn Davis' show it seems like he'll be gone.
The difference being the time left on the contract. If they let DeRo's contract expire so he can play here one more year, MLS doesn't get any $$ as soon as he leaves. I assume Johnson had more than 1 year left in his contract? The league doesn't make any money by letting a player become a free agent. This is why I really believe DeRo is gone and what causes most of the speculation. We could offer him more money, but if he really wants to play in Europe there ain't nuthin we can do.
I guess I don't know as much as I thought I knew, but then again I’ve never concerned myself with the economics of soccer. Like most I was just accustomed to making general statements like, “How come this and why did this happen” without digging deeper or becoming more knowledgeable about the game but I’ve learned a lot today thanks to you and others. Ya’ll should feel good about yourselves.
Man, as for all the other stuff regarding the players bouncing when ever some foreign teams shows an intrest, I think that sucks for the Home team but great for the Player.