After hearing news of the Convey transfer this morning, I think this is a good question. Back in 96 when the league first started, many players left leagues overseas to come back and start MLS and try to make it a viable league. Now it seems as if the young players goal is to use the league as a springboard to being noticed by a Euro club and as soon as they make an offer they are gone. Considering MLS is still not very established and in the red, is this right? Or is it just every man for himself? Or has the league progressed to a point where this shouldn't matter anymore?
I believe this is the natural evolution of a stabilizing league and the products of its labors. MLS is about to reach the boiling point - its critical mass and what even a year ago looked like a slow and stagnant league is now changing quickly.
Your probably right. If the league continues to progress, you'll probably see as many players coming as going.
In the short term (and maybe even in the long term) I think MLS will make more money off the transfer of some players than they will for whatever extra money the player might provide by staying in the league. I also think that sum of the better Central American player will also see MLS as a springboard to Europe. Their transitory stops here will help increase the level of play.
I guess the catch 22 this creates is that the league will make a nice profit from selling players but will continue to be looked at as a minor league by the same media and eurosnobs who think that already.
They've definately lost the pioneering spirit, as well as their pioneering skills. Once upon a time Marcelo Balboa wore only the skin of a bear he skinned and tanned himself. He ate only dried caribou flesh and he cleaned his teeth with pine bark. Now he shops at Old Navy and eats washed vegetables. Oh, for the good old days.
Interesting...how can the upcoming generation have a pioneering spirit? For example, Eddie Gaven of the Metrostars was 7 or 8 when the league started (same with the other other MLS youth). So, for them, MLS has been around for a good portion of their lives. I think MLS even predates Freddy Adu's arrival to our shores from Ghana.
players are gonna go where the money is....right now that's overseas....a few years down the road when MLS is an established league with a decent reputation and good money....i think more players will stay in the league and some players from overseas will transfer to the MLS....i mean look at Tim Howard for example....step into his shoes....you're playing in the MLS which still has a lot of developing to do....and a team like ManU takes interest in you....it's only common sense the choose to transfer....the MLS is to Euro leagues as "farm leagues" are to baseball....they produce players....the US has the talent....but not the money to keep players here
I think the players have lost the pioneering spirit, but one little rule makes that VERY bad for the US. Teams only get 3 SI slots. That means that 15 of the senior roster players must be American (or get through all the loopholes like greencards, etc). With the great Americans leaving we're in trouble if they're not replaces with great Americans.
Thats a great point. If american players want to go overseas thats fine. But it is the MLS' responsibility to their fans to replace those players with equal quality. It should not turn into "well Convey left so lets promote someone from the A league." That will greatly diminish the quality of play in the league. If transfers become very common, then they should open up more spots for internationals. That would be a way to balance out the turnover of good players.
So far MLS is doing a good job of replacing departed players with quality youth from college and high school. Hopefully the flow of talent overseas won't be greater than the flow of young talent into the league. I think expansion will have a greater effect on having players that don't belong in MLS rather than selling players to Europe.
If MLS replaced the good American players who were transfered or sold with internationals, we would never have someone like Convey in the first place who joined MLS at - what was it? - age 16 or something like that. I think the SI slots are fine for the time being. The only way I could see opening more SI slots would be if MLS developed reserve teams. Remember, you can't develop great American talent in the first place if you just bring in foreign players and sit the young Americans. Another thing to keep in mind is that we are not losing that many quality players. So far players like Landon, DMB, Carlos Bocanegra (SP?), McBride are still in the league, so if we sell of one or two (Convey, Howard) the quality will not drop.
This will become a problem... I've always thought that the number of players moving to Europe will not be as high most people expect. Look at the restrictive work rules in England. Only a few players like Timmy are eligable. And the rest of Europe isn't exactly beating down the door. But MLS could expand by four teams in the next few years. And maybe by another six teams by the end of the decade. There's some older players who are close to retirement on all teams. That means that the league needs to find at least 60 more competant American players. The residency camp in Bradenton is is going to be turning out about 20 a year, most of whom go to college instead of the MLS. You can do the math and see this is a problem. Pillaging the A League is not going to help very much. We need to double or even triple the number of players in residency programs if we are to have any hope of continuing to raise the level of MLS play.
The US population is big enough to fill the rosters of 16 MLS teams. These players are currently training in Bradenton, US Colleges, Metrostars and Fire Reserves, and also in the A-league where there are some good quality players. (Just check out the recent results in the US Open Cup.) If Uruguay and Costa Rica can have 16 first division teams, so can the US.
If we're going to expand, then we might as well increase the number of internationals to lessen the inevitable dropoff in quality of play. One possibility might be to add a "CONCACAF SI" spot that teams can only fill with a CONCACAF player, thus allowing teams 3 unrestricted SIs plus an additional CONCACAF-only SI. Keep in mind that it is in our long-term interest to make CONCACAF stronger. Qualifying may get harder, but improved competition within CONCACAF can only help when we get to the World Cup.
We should expand the SI spots to 4. I am not sure a "CONCACAF SI" rule would be legal under US law (I'm a tax lawyer though, so I probably am wrong)
I wouldn't worry about seeing MLS as a 'minor' league, or a feeder league to Europe. Financial considerations dictate that. I would point out that the fact that European teams a buying US talent as a good sign, at least better than them not buying. I would also point out that the numbers so far are small, and in some part are reciprocated by players coming back home (as happened for the Metros.) For now, MLS has potential income from Tickets, TV, Sponsers, and Transfer Fees. Currently, they are not getting money from TV, but they are from transfers. In the future, perhaps, MLS will be stronger financially, and that will result in fewer sales to Europe. With stronger TV ratings and thus more money coming from that potential source, this can happen. Only time will tell. For now, don't worry too much. There is plenty of soccer talent out there. The existence of the league helps drive that encouraging fact.
MLS players have not lost the pioneering spirit, IMO. After all, relocating overseas (even to England in the case of Convey) requires some pioneering spirit. He isn't guaranteed playing time, or time with friends and family... so he is taking a risk, he's betting all he has on this move. I'd call that "pioneering," even if he isn't the first to make such a move. Also, I don't think it is realistic to expect MLS to retain it's best young talent considering the price point of European player wages. That, coupled with the fact that even better Western hemisphere leagues (such as Argentina and Brazil) are still practically feeder leagues for European competition. I don't see this as a problem, as we have a large enough population to counteract any exodus to foreign leagues and still maintain a respectable level of quality. Just my $0.02
I really don't believe the USA has a wealth of soccer talent yet. Its happening but it still is not very deep. For example, there is only one american in MLS right now that can play the number 10 and that is Martino. Other than him, every other number 10 is foreign in mls. That is why I don't see anything wrong with increasing the number of si to 5 as it will only increase the level of play.
I don't know about 16. It took contracting two teams to get the level of play where it is today. Maybe in about 5-10 years but right now it would spread the talent level to far out and take us back a couple of years.
1) How many guys came back to play in MLS from Euro this year? Earnie, JMM, Frankie. Now we have 2 guys moving back over. Net result, +1 to MLS. The point isn't to get into a goofy argument over the quality or age. The point is to say that the numbers are still VERY VERY low. 2 guys. That's just not some huge stampede. 2) I don't understand the statement that "most of the Bradenton kids are going to go to college." (no offense, dude who made the comment). Um. How do you know that? Aren't there already 2 guys in MLS from the U-17s? Eddie Gaven, Memo Gonzalez? Not to mention Spector who's at Arse (I think). Then add in the Mike Magee's, Eddie Johnson's, Justin Mapp's, Craig Capano's, Arturo Alvarez, etc. This number will continue to grow. If these guys see their teammates flourish in MLS, they'll take the same leap. 3) Guys that want MLS to NOT allow players to go to Europe are tilting at windmills. It's silly. Maybe when this league is SOLID and we can offer contracts that compete with EPL marginal players or with the First Division... But for now, holding players back would REALLY stifle the league. Guys are gonna strive to get into Euro development systems if they feel that's the only route to decent money or eventually playing overseas. 4) The guys that came back to start the league were given quality contracts AND they recognized where they were in their careers. Harkes, Wynalda, Lalas... I mean, let's be honest. They'd pretty much milked the Euro cow for what their talent level would allow. And, again, most of those guys really recognized how to market themselves and how coming home would help their post playing careers.