MLS Flavors of the week 2023 edition

Discussion in 'USA Men: News & Analysis' started by OWN(yewu)ED, Dec 24, 2022.

  1. xbhaskarx

    xbhaskarx Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Feb 13, 2010
    NorCal
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Is there any interest in Ferreira from Euro clubs? Given his age and production, it's only a matter of time right?
     
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  2. 50/50 Ball

    50/50 Ball Member+

    Sep 6, 2006
    USA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States

    Being that Brenner got a move, there's a move out there for Jesus at this pace but someone has to come off the cash to make it happen. FC Dallas has a stadium to fill and it should take a big payday to get them to move their homegrown goal getter plus he probably isn't looking to take a pay cut from 1.8 million per.
     
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  3. Pegasus

    Pegasus Member+

    Apr 20, 1999
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I don't think he's desperate. He's now tied for 2nd all time at FCD with Kenny Cooper (48 I think) and he because his dad played here he wants to set records. Of course anyone has a number or a place that they can't say no to. It will still take him a while to overtake Kris who was around 100. Can anyone think of a team that could use him? I see him as a second striker in a higher level.
     
  4. 50/50 Ball

    50/50 Ball Member+

    Sep 6, 2006
    USA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    If he keeps getting better at making the striker runs as he's doing, he might be a regular stiker for someone.
     
  5. Thundering165

    Thundering165 Member+

    North Carolina FC
    United States
    May 1, 2017
    Raleigh
    There have been rumors but he’s on a big contract and a long one. So Dallas is in no hurry to sell, and it would take a pretty big club to meet fee and wage demands. Would such a club be impressed by his MLS goal scoring record?

    He’s in an in between spot until his contract runs a bit more and his presumptive transfer fee drops a bit. That’s fine since he’s scoring goals.
     
  6. xbhaskarx

    xbhaskarx Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Feb 13, 2010
    NorCal
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Pepi and others have been signed to big contracts in preparation for being sold, so why is Ferreira's big contract a hindrance to a move and not like the others?
     
  7. gomichigan24

    gomichigan24 Member+

    Jul 15, 2002
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I think it's less his contract and more that it's still unclear what his best position would be in a top 5 league. He's a bit of tweener and teams may be a but gun shy for that reason.
     
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  8. theboogeyman

    theboogeyman Member+

    Jun 21, 2010
    Were they on serious DP money, though? 1.8 million seems to be what a top player at a big Belgian or Dutch club, or a regular player at a average German club would make.
     
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  9. IndividualEleven

    Mar 16, 2006
    There's no need for Ferreira to leave. Futbol is a profession, in which he is getting paid top dollar to play at FCD.
     
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  10. xbhaskarx

    xbhaskarx Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Feb 13, 2010
    NorCal
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Well if the US has two young forwards scoring goals in good Euro leagues, Balogun and Pepi, and only calls in two forwards for USMNT A-team rosters like the Nations League, couldn't that be reason for Ferreira to leave? Because both those things are true right now, that's the current reality not a hypothetical...
     
  11. IndividualEleven

    Mar 16, 2006
    If Ferreira had at a good level been creating goals for the US, he'd likely be a starter.
     
  12. theboogeyman

    theboogeyman Member+

    Jun 21, 2010
    Ferreira is older than both, and clearly not as good. And I like Ferreira a lot. Moving to a better league would certainly raise his game, but I don’t think it would really make much of a difference for him.

    I could also make the case that staying in mls makes him a top choice for mls-heavy competitions, which is what the gold cup is turning into.

    additionally, I think it really helps mls and us soccer to have guys like him in the league. Going against good players like him makes the jalen Neals of the league better. Also, fc Dallas, and to a lesser extent the rest of the league, can point to a guy like him and tell youth players and their parents “we can turn you into a guy who makes 20 million dollars playing soccer, and you don’t have to leave the country (or city for Dallas locals).”

    to me there is a lot of value there in terms of improving the league and soccer’s status in America.
     
  13. Marko72

    Marko72 Member+

    Aug 30, 2005
    New York
    But how much of this is permanent? Yes, MLS is about to have a greatly increased number of eyeballs, and greatly increased revenue in the short term, but how much of that sticks?

    I hope the answer is "some, at least." And that's what I'd assume. But how much is some?

    The bump in viewership and media attention that David Beckham brought to the league did not last, but that's not to say that he left MLS as he'd found it. When he came the majority of the clubs were owned by just two owners, the league had contracted 6 years prior and had only re-expanded once (including one club that was explicitly a Chivas second team), there were no academies, and hardly any soccer specific stadia. After he came came the investment in all of that.

    The synergy of this move coming in what is in some ways our most strategic WC cycle in terms of establishing professional men's soccer as a major player in American culture is probably helpful, at least.
     
  14. 50/50 Ball

    50/50 Ball Member+

    Sep 6, 2006
    USA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I agree that there's a lot of value for developing US soccer in making local stars. If he stays in the golden boot race year over year he's going to make a whole more than 20 million in MLS.

    He's someone a kid can point to when he's arguing with his parents about skipping or delaying college. Jesus didn't even have to leave town to make the big money and play in the World Cup.


    I don't think Pepi is a better player than Jesus but time will tell.
     
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  15. 50/50 Ball

    50/50 Ball Member+

    Sep 6, 2006
    USA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    He just scored against Mexico. His goal scoring record for the USMNT is fine.
     
  16. theboogeyman

    theboogeyman Member+

    Jun 21, 2010
    I could be wrong, but I think the surge of interest in watching Messi live is from soccer or sports fans who were not really engaged with those clubs. That could be somebody who doesn’t care much about soccer, but knows who Messi is and wants to be able to say that they saw him live. Or it could be a fan of Argentina, Barcelona, or some other euro club who lives in America and has similar motivations.


    I imagine that the owners are hoping that some of those folks enjoy their experience and decide to come back again or start following the club when it’s not playing Messi. That doesn’t mean they have to become hardcore fans, but it could mean that the person who’d never been to a game starts attending a couple per year. Or the eurosnob realizes that mls is worth watching some while European clubs are in the off-season. And I think that’s pretty realistic. Some mls clubs like the sounders and atl United have a meaningful presence locally. Maybe not as big as the local NFL/NBA team, but big enough to where everyone is aware of the club’s existence, and that it’s not really cool to make fun of the club or league.

    I don’t think Messi will change things by himself, but I do think this move will help some clubs take a little positive step in that direction.

    Beckham certainly helped the league, but a decade ago, the average pay and quality of play was much lower than it is now, and while academies had been formed, they hadn’t produced much talent, and it wasn’t clear that they could.

    all of these little steps add up.

    When we talk about mls reaching the level of top leagues, that can mean a lot of different things (quality of play, player salaries, viewership, worldwide popularity, etc). While some of those things are farther away than others, none of them are going to happen overnight. It’s things like developing players the wealthy leagues want, or taking guys like Duran and Almada and getting them big transfers that gain those top clubs’ respect. That in turn attracts more talented young players, which raises the quality of play.

    just look at how Fab Romano, who is the biggest name in the soccer transfer world, gives some attention to mls players. The league didn’t deserve that 10 years ago, but now it does. I don’t know what mls’ ceiling is in relation to the elite leagues in Europe, or the nfl or nba, but I do know that the decisions that were made 10-15 years ago laid the foundation for the visible progress that we’ve seen in the last few years. I’m also confident that we will continue to see improvements in the quality and quantity of prospects mls produces for top leagues, and that we will eventually see mls players go directly to the biggest clubs in Europe for pretty big money, like we see with guys coming from Brazil. When we see stuff like that happen, it will give us a clearer picture of how close mls is to things like getting similar media attention as mlb or nhl, and having fans in Europe view it as a worthwhile way to scout future stars.
     
  17. gomichigan24

    gomichigan24 Member+

    Jul 15, 2002
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I think for MLS these next couple of years between Messi and the 2026 World Cup are an incredible opportunity. They just need to make sure they capitalize on that opportunity.

    I do think Messi is a bigger global star than Messi and this is a bit more equivalent to Pele going to the Cosmos (though probably not as big as that).
     
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  18. theboogeyman

    theboogeyman Member+

    Jun 21, 2010
    or the elite young dual nat deciding to sign with an mls club rather than going to an academy in Europe. Or mls clubs having the inner city kids and parents’ attention when they advertise free camps or clinics. There are so many important dominos that are waiting to fall.
     
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  19. butters59

    butters59 Member+

    Feb 22, 2013
    He is 22. Transfer fee has better chances to go up than down.
     
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  20. IndividualEleven

    Mar 16, 2006
    'Just scored' doesn't make his US record 'fine'.
     
  21. IndividualEleven

    Mar 16, 2006
    Beckham helped to the drive the greater sustained investment that allowed the league to eventually reach its current level. The next level for MLS is big TV money. Messi's legacy will lie in helping to generate greater sustained TV viewership for the league.
     
  22. xbhaskarx

    xbhaskarx Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Feb 13, 2010
    NorCal
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Really... I'll go the other way. Pepi is better than Ferreira now, and will likely have the better career for both club and country, based on attitude, confidence (self-belief), and upside.

    If I'm assigning credit for that goal it's like 70% Dest 1% Sonora 20% Morris 10% Ferreira

     
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  23. schrutebuck

    schrutebuck Member+

    Jul 26, 2007
    #2848 schrutebuck, Jun 9, 2023
    Last edited: Jun 9, 2023
    Pepi was making $271K in 2021. He did sign a lengthy contract extension in mid-2021, but it doesn't seem like it impacted his salary for that season and we don't know what the increase was starting for 2022 since he transferred to Germany.

    Ferreira has been making close to $2 million in each of the last two seasons, as he got his contract extension right around when Pepi transferred in January 2022. The only active US star that makes more in the league is Zimmerman. But it definitely creates a situation where he and Dallas can be selective if they ever consider a transfer, especially since Ferreira continues to perform well.
     
  24. tomásbernal

    tomásbernal Member+

    Sep 4, 2007
    Club:
    Portland Timbers
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I would think we'll get info in the near future about his contract length, but I highly doubt Messi will sign on for more than through the 2024 season. So, this big boost he'll give will be short-lived--but it's a big boost to the visibility of the league in that term. But, really, this is just another step in the right direction that the league has been going in for a decade. At the end of the day, some of the young people who currently wear Chelsea, Madrid and PSG jerseys around to be cool will watch MLS games (at least, ones that Messi is in) and some of those will become fans of the league who might otherwise not. That's the sort of boost that will have longer-term knock-on effects.
     
  25. Pegasus

    Pegasus Member+

    Apr 20, 1999
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I think I read it's through 2026. So up to the WC. That is three years.
     

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