http://soccernet.espn.go.com/columns/story?id=459854&root=us&cc=5901 A very interesting article that takes a look at Jay Needham's decision this year to play in the USL instead of DCU. How many people would wager that the below unnamed DCU player is Ben Olsen" "An interesting conversation I had with one of the D.C. veterans before I decided to leave kind of helped put things in better perspective for my situation," Needham said. "He walked up to me and said 'Heard they offered you a developmental deal.' I told him yes. He then looked at me and said 'You told them no ... right?' Once again, I said yes, and then he smiled, said 'Good kid' and then walked away." "This player is someone whom I highly respect, and I think that everyone in U.S. soccer respects, too," Needham said. "For him to say that, I knew that I couldn't take that deal. Another interesting thought was that at this year's player combine, we had a MLS players' union meeting, and there they told all of us not to sign a developmental contract."
I just read the article myself. I did find it to be enlightening. Especially how the MLSPU told the rookies not to sign a developmental contract. I would also wager that Benny said that.
Good article. It's sad to see MLS failing to address these problems. I'm guessing Needham is only the tip of the iceburg and wouldn't be suprised if we lose some more draft picks to the same issues. I know we still retain his MLS rights. Any chance we pick him up in the off season?
I don't have the memory or time to go back through them all, but how many developmental guys has DC had that have been promoted up to the senior roster and stuck with the team for a little bit? Burch seems like he's going to be one of those guys. Who else has done that?
How could you write this article and not mention what he makes playing for Puerto Rico? How much more is it? Is it more than some MLS roster players are making?
Great article. It really is a sad state of affairs for the rooks, but hopefully the league will "see the light" and fix this terrible wrongdoing. Neeham has no business playing in USL but I can't blame him one bit.
The salary structure for the developmental contracts has got to change. It's unfair and an embarassment to MLS. With the number of SSS and dedicated owners growing, the league is quickly approaching the point where they can afford to pay these players. But ultimately, I think you probably need to let the market work some here. MLS will realize that their product on the field is suffering by losing players like Needham and that they can be kept in MLS for a relatively small amount of money.
Another thing to consider, is how are the contracts handled relative to the region a player ends up in? I don't know the cost of living for Puerto Rico. But for most USL-1 and 2 teams the cost of living is going to be lower for those players than for guys in DC, NY, and LA, just for examples. So not only is his contract for more, but he can make the dollars go even further, I bet. At any rate, he may not be interested, but I believe the club retains his rights, so if he gets his game on and proves something and we end up offering him a senior deal in the next couple years, everyone is happy. But they definitely need between a half and 1 million for the bottom of MLS rosters.
Namoff too? Can't say I really miss Jay. Plus, as I've posted on the MLS boards, I'd rather any additional money go towards youth development than paying a 22-yr-old hopeful.
This is something that will eventually fix itself. It sucks for the guys who are on the raw end of this right now, but as the league becomes more profitable and it sees more players like Needham choosing other pastures, the league will step up to the plate and offer nicer deals to new players.
At least it still proves that MLS isn't a monopoly. As the previous poster suggested, the marketplace is going to change how MLS does business. Three situations will have to be addressed. 1) Is the pay high enough to attract entry-level players? 2) Is the mid-range salary high enough to keep players from trying to go to other leagues? 3) Is there enough money in the sport to tempt other top U.S. athletes to stick with soccer and not switch to football, baseball, etc? But, if you were talking about another entertainment field such as acting, you would enter the business knowing full well that not everyone is paid Tom Cruise's salary and the odds are that starting out you would be living in a group-house while waiting tables to make ends meet. In the DC area, that probably also describes the interns with political aspirations on capitol hill.
That may be the case, but really it is not a bad deal. DC still holds his rights and if they feel that he is worth a senior spot they can offer him a contract. Since he is in USL he does not really have anywhere else to go besides MLS. (How many guys can jump from USL to Europe!?!) So we are paying him nothing and he is getting first team minutes. Good deal for DCU if you ask me.
The MLS should use the money it makes on European transfers to increase wages on developmental contracts. The biggest detriment to the league is the lack of depth on every team. It's almost a battle of who can stay healthy long enough. More food for thought, more upsets and close games in the Open Cup than there have ever been.
Whats-his-name (Cam Weaver?) who used to be the USL-1 leading scorer and played for the Portland Timbers? made the jump from USL-1 to the Norwegian Second Division, I think.
A Galaxy fan might not have the most clear eyed view of the situation. I think the key is to bump the pay up, sure, but make sure that players who become de facto first team players are amply rewarded.
Probably the same number of guys who can go straight from college ball (non-USM/YNT player) to Europe, a few but not that many overall.
I wonder what the salary difference between Jay Needham in the USL and Devon McTavish in MLS (as a player promoted from a developmental contract) is. I bet Devon makes more now.
Funny thing is, the contract that pays those wages was agreed to by both sides. And Bob Foose can talk all he wants about $8 and hour, but he and the players had a chance to make it a cause celebre when the contract was signed or to hold up negotiations because of it, but they chose not to. They signed it willingly, but didn't decide to bitch until the DP rule was instituted, something else they had to sign off on. They helped create this situation, yet they want to point fingers and blame everyone else. And I also find it funny that Kieron Dyer goes out of his way to use a Jay Needham anecdote about a DC player who supports him, but never mentions the fact that Bobby Boswell had the complete opposite POV when he blogged about the DEV salaries earlier this year. Since he actually lived on that wage and got promoted based on his play, I take his feelings a little more seriously than (possibly) a union rep trying to expand the party line. Dyer also does a ************ job using a quote from Foose about second and third-year DEV players, then later talking about how teams have the option to promote a player at the end of a DEV contract. Instead of questioning why Foose is so worried about long-term implications when the CBA clearly spells out a way for players to perform their way out of their situation, he just takes one side of the story and runs with it. It's a much more complicated issue than the union makes it out to be. Yeah, I think anyone in their right mind wishes that those low salaries didn't exist and there were more concrete ways for players to move up, like DC has done so well. But the union continues to beat this drum when they are a party to this. The CBA has a lot of things that can use improving. I find it hard to believe that the best use of the union's PR resources is to complain about developmental salaries.
true to some extent - but remember when the MLSPA guys were working this out they had NO leverage and were pretty much told: agree to this, or get nothing, to my recollection. I always thought they signed that agreement for way too long of a time, it can't be renegotiated for a while.