RSL Offseason 09-10 News Thread, Part 2

so, seems like MLS is close to a strike, which will be catastrophic for the league. RSL could be the last MLS cup winners....ever? i hope not, a strike right now would be league suicide, they need to get their shit together and get the new CBA worked out. on a year where the world cup could drive interest in american soccer through the roof (with the mildly favorable group/position the USMNT is in to advance), you would think that both sides would be bending over in any possible way to make this work. i guess not, but its not looking good now.

seems like 3-4 weeks ago this thing was damn near signed and delivered, now we got f'ing pat onstad running his fat mouth speaking for every soccer play in america. weak.

 

I don't think it will mean the death of the league. It will be a serious blow to it. I personally view the players in worse light in this than the others. They might be a little stricter than they should be.

Why can't they agree on an emergency one year deal to get them through this and then hash out the new standard length deal?

 

I think this is what will happen. In order to have a strike dont they have to have a fairly large majority that is in favor of it? That just isnt going to happen. These guys would rather play for small amounts then not play at all, especially the ones (majority) that dont have other prospects

 

Yeah. I'm not particularly sympathetic with the players on this either.

There is plenty of options to vote with their feet (play abroad or in the USL) if they don't like the MLS model. When the owners have done nothing but lose money for 14/15 years I think the players should be more careful to not kill the goose laying their golden eggs.

They ALL have PLENTY of other options in the regular employment world as well. They are just trying to leverage the owners opportunistically or naively... regardless, these people aren't forced to play in MLS AND they have plenty of other alternatives both within the soccer world and within the general labor market.

No one is going hungry and they aren't working in sweat shops - they're just exploiting their employers.

What's the modern hallmark of unions... an inability to compete in the global marketplace without protectionist economic policies AND subsidy from the federal government through wealth redistribution.

America has politically and economically outgrown the need for unions. Some other countries still need them to raise the basic standards for employment but they've served their purpose here 70 years ago.

If the federal government and all economic theory prohibits MONOPOLIES on trade as bad for ALL parties long-term... why is it okay to establish MONOPOLIES on labor?

I'd point to state of the American automotive industry as a prime example of what inevitably goes wrong.

 

I think the fact that the CBA expired in the months before the World Cup might end up saving us here. Any talk of a strike is going to be seriously beat down by the handful of MLS players who harbor hopes of making their respective countries' World Cup rosters. They have to be playing well (and hence, they have to be actually playing) if they want to make the roster. By talking strike, I think (hope?) the players are simply flexing their muscles a bit.

The game of chicken has begun...the question is, who will flinch first? I don't think the owners will, so eventually the players will have to. What I expect will happen is right before the season begins, the players will agree to play this season under the terms of the old CBA, and we will do this all over again next offseason.

 

The owners have been losing money on this league for 14 out of 15 years. The players deserve a bit more, but they NEED to be sympathetic with the owners. Come on

 

This looks about right to me. The MLSPU will never get enough votes for a strike -- especially if the league has offered the concessions they describe. But even if those are vastly exagerrated, I don't believe that more than a small fraction would vote for a strike. This is all posturing from the MLSPU. The season will go ahead as planned (and maybe with a new CBA).

 

Just so its clear (I am sure I am not the only one confused a bit here) what would they need to go to a strike? A majority vote? If so, is that of all the players or of all the teams representatives?

 

Every member of the union votes. They could vote for either to strike or to authorize the representatives to strike, but a vote would need to be held.

If you're interested, this is a history of the 5-day NASL strike of 1979 that's been posted and discussed in the MLS N&A forums, it might give you an idea how such a thing would progress in MLS.

 

For those interested in an international striker coming RSL's way, you may have your wish:

Real Salt Lake after Saprissa striker Alvaro Saborio

 

Not a wish. A necessity. (Whether Saborio or someone else.)

Good info.

 

Latest report has him headed to Seattle. It all comes down to the discovery filing.

 

if the current CBA stands, who has discovery rights on him?

I agree, a player like this would make me a WHOLE lot more comfortable with our strikers.

I remember going to that "town hall" meeting at the RioT and Garth saying they were looking at maybe bringing in a Tico as a DP, but that it wasnt what they were looking for. Is this the same guy and now he will work for less or a different guy?

 

Whoever filed it first, which is not public knowledge.

Not likely this guy. Until a couple of weeks ago he was under contract, but asked to be released from it.

 

PLEASE tell me we have the discorey rights on him. If its Seattle, it just goes to show how much better/quicker that team was when they came into the league in terms of finding players. Freddy Montero anyone

 

Good to see that we are still after a quality striker. A little scary that each prospect we hear about ends up signing up with another club.
Hope Kries and company has some more targets.

 

Look, I'm not suggesting this is a factor in this anecdotal case. We simply don't know. But in a larger sense, the chronic problem described above may be the downside of RSL's ultra-homogeneous staff.

RSL's technical staff consists exclusively of non-Spanish speaking, American, ex-MLS players with very little real international experience/contacts. It stands to reason RSL might be a slight competitive disadvantage. Agents & league-contracted consultants only go so far.

Any serious company (in any industry) conducting extensive business in Latin America really ought to be staffed appropriately.

But this is a long-term problem. Our immediate need is putting balls in the net.

 

+1 the need for "spanish" in this club's hierarchy is embarassing.

 

Looks like Alvaro Saborio will not be going to Seattle

 

well thats one team out of the way...

 

This is a good point - anybody know how many other MLS teams have a homogeneous technical staff like RSL's? In other words, I'm curious if this is more of a league wide thing, or just a few teams...

 

In the end it may be as simple as: "Money talks and bullshit walks"

 

I think he's a better fit for RSL, but just FYI:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sounders/2011227264_sounders02.html

The Sounders confirmed that Costa Rican international Álvaro Saborío will not be in training this week and declined to comment on Swiss forward Blaise Nkufo, who had been linked to a summer move to the team.

So now it's "this week." MLS clubs, they speak in riddles.

 

Sure. But what about? Morales, Olave, Espindola, Gonzalez... all Spanish speakers from foreign countries. What about other players who've come through the system? Wouldn't that suggest that RSL seems to get some looks at some quality talent from SA? 3 of the 4 above were all discovered by RSL and all 3 are starter quality.

Somehow English, German, Scottish, Scandinavian, Dutch teams all manage to find central/south american players without most having Spanish speakers in their coaching staff.

RSL has also churned a few through the team from central/South America that didn't pan out.

It doesn't seem to me that RSL has been hampered to date to get looks at latin talent. Bigger barriers by far are affordability, quality, and desire to play in MLS.

Besides merely speaking Spanish or coming from one of those countries isn't the golden key to great MLS *right fit* players... perhaps you are suggesting that they find staff with connections in central/south America and I tend to agree but this can be accomplished without having someone in one of your 3 coaching positions. These connections can be made at many levels as evidenced by the Euro teams (not just the top teams or even leagues) who manage to find players for themselves without staff from those systems.

There are also the players who are trying to find prospective buyers. I just don't see this as a significant problem at this point but I could be wrong and it might be worth discussing... heck, it's offseason... might as well talk about something.

 

semi-RSL related news... The countdown to the RioT becoming the 2nd best stadium in MLS is now 18 days away (if you count the Santos game) or 25 days away (if you count the Fire game). Anybody know what the hell "MSG" is and how I can get it? I want to see RBNY take on Santos, but thats the only thing they have listed as carrying the game. I am assuming its the local station (like a 2.2) so getting it would be damn near impossible.

Streams?