http://sports.yahoo.com/mls/news?slug=ro-mlstargets082207&prov=yhoo&type=lgns It was pretty cool to see the options, at least according to this guy. I like #2, and the idea of that happening with the LA/SJ rivalry already would be amazing, doncha think?
none of that will ever happen. We'll probably get Eddie Lewis as our DP (gag), or something, not Zidane.
This was mentioned in the other thread on "SJ Designated Player" https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=586911&page=3 https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=12560354&postcount=46 Really, the deck is going to be stacked in favor of the big market teams. Zidane if he chooses to unretire and play in MLS will most likely go to LA or NY. Ronaldo to NY almost came to fruitition but he chose to head to Inter instead. Save for that, or Toronto FC getting a DP I don't see that or anything else happening. But we can still dream! The San Jose DP will be a no-frills international who can still play but Eddie Lewis--probably not for that amount.
That whole article is silly: "Maybe in 5 years, we'd like to have so and so, although they've shown no interest in us". Pointless.
Yep... The Larsson to the Quakes is the one that was interesting. However, given the new Quakes owners history of how they operate they'll probably build their club on a modest budget and find that one player who can contribute and be a key figure. For the baseball folk it would be in the mold of Frank Thomas or Mike Piazza (argh!). With Beckham, Blanco, and now Denilson coming here--the next name(s) will probably be Ronaldo or Henry (if he wants to come to the states and hang out with hoopster pal Tony Parker and if the Hunts are willing to fork some money). The Giggs idea was rather amusing. I wonder how many of those will be correct--I'm going to say Ronaldo at this stage--if Zidane doesn't want to come to MLS then he won't in all likelihood. Doesn't need to be a flashy type as I keep saying--just a recognizable name who can contribute and get the job done. Surprising that Blanco is providing the spark quietly for Chicago.
Given the very tight budgets (even with the DP slots) imposed by MLS, I don't really see the Quakes attempting to scale the player salaries back even more. MLS does not spend a lot of money on players, even with the Beckham rule in place. If anything, the A's methods are likely to work pretty well within the constraints of the MLS salary structure, allowing the Quakes to spend as much as anyone else in the league. I think we get hung up on the Billy Beane methodology which does not equate to doing things on the cheap at all. An entire MLS club payroll is less than many individual player salaries in Major League Baseball. Wolff is going to spend the money. The question is how much will he get in return, which is what the Billy Beane theory is all about. MLS has already taken care of the amount that can be spent.
Good point. If Wolff & Co. spent as much on the Quakes as they do on the A's, how far over the MLS per-team salary cap would that run them? Probably equivalent to the salaries for the entire league.
I don't think there's anything more behind this speculation than there is behind your average BigSoccer post.