Crouch is a joke and he doesn't start for England. Let this be your guide: Current Designated Players David Beckham Cuauhtémoc Blanco Juan Pablo Ángel Luciano Emilio Guillermo Barros Schelotto Freddie Ljungberg Luis Ángel Landín Julian de Guzmán
crazed crouch does not start for england...... he is in the bench. but he is not a joke like many people thing. he is a starter for tottenham and playing alright/good. although to be sincere i dont like him one bit. he seems clumsy at times.
This thread isn't to talk about regular signings, it's to talk about signing DPs, which can have as high a salary as a team is willing to pay with only a small portion of it being a hit against the salary cap. In this case, a $10 million salary would be a bit high for a MLS team to afford (I doubt you'll see much more than $5 million for most DPs in MLS). MLS teams aren't going to get young, quality Europeans here, just those at the end of their careers like Ljungberg and Beckham. They have a shot at getting young, quality Latino players like Landin and JPA, but you can forget about the Rooneys and Crouchs of the world suddenly popping up in MLS at the peak of their career.
Having just finished "the Beckham Experiment", I have some additional thoughts on the topic. To start: the book is a pretty wide indictment on the disparity of income in MLS - and how silly rules get in the way to prevent franchises flush with cash from proving additional comforts for their team. It pretty much connects the dots on how MLS crams its schedules, produces far too many games with sub-par talent because of FIFA conflicts and additional tournaments/friendlies - and then turns around and holds the purse-strings tight when it comes to compensation for all but a handful of players. I think the MLS is heading into its most important off-season in its history. It has much to be proud of, and I think despite the league's numerous problems we have to recognize the good work of Garber since he took over. However, I think the current cap/single dp system isn't sustainable with the crammed summer schedule. I also think some small autonomy needs to be handed to the clubs to provide additional comforts if they have the money to do so. This is an opinion that probably shrivels the nose of hardcore MLS fans who saw the dawn of the league in the late 90's thrive on the fact the entire league as single entity. I don't want the single entity thrown away entirely, but I think franchises should have some control over accomodations, transportation and other perks. We have a situation where AEG is reaping millions, but then stuffs 17K a year players into Marriotts where the players might get mugged if they cross the street to get an omelette at the Dennys across the street. If I was in the player's union, I'd be reading MLS the riot act. And I think this off-season could be quite the brawl.
jpa is not young. he is 33 i think. he came to mls at 30 i think. landin was good when pachuca won. but he has been awful ever since. he is not the player he used to be. if he ever returns to his level then he will be good but right now all i can say he shouldn't be DP. but mls is getting better and better each year. i wouldn't be surprise if mls became in a few years one of the best league in the world.
Tottenham Hotspur only has an average attendance of 35k, they can afford Crouch, with the new seats open next year, we should be in the same arena.... The only thing hobbling us currently is the DP rules....
another example is Spartak Moscow, which only has an average attendance of 25,615. They have a few brazilians on roster, even one that is on the Brazilian national team. They are also the top team in Russia.
They've got a fat tv contract unlike MLS. I still beleive Roth will splash the cash if we get a 2nd DP.
Unlike MLS, most of EPL's income is driven by things other than attendance. So the Sounders having the same attendance as the Spurs means jack squat on what we can afford. That being said, I doubt money is the issue in regards to bringing DPs over to the states. Anyone that is currently on a top flight European squad is probably out of range for MLS teams (unless they are at the end of their career, of course) not only because most MLS teams couldn't afford them, but because they just wouldn't be interested in playing in the States. Just look at how many players back out of contracts with the soda league when the team is relegated, or in some cases, after getting shot down by EPL squads and signing with the soda league team, but deciding they don't really want to play chumps.
That being said, I doubt money is the issue in regards to bringing DPs over to the states. Additional designated players won't work without a serious adjustment of the cap to go with it. In many ways, you are right, and the key point is that MLS has to improve the middle "meat and potato" player, before another "star" added to the roster can really help. However, I will say if the cap was adjusted and another DP was added, certain franchises would spend and get very high caliber talent. One thing the Beckham Experiment really shows, is that despite the awful 2007 and 2008 season the Galaxy endured, Beckham's contract was BANK for the Galaxy, and MLS. It made millions, and so if there were additional tags added, this kind of profit could probably be reaped again. The thing is, profit doesn't necessarily mean growth for the sport. Beckham's contract made bank, but did nothing for ratings - nothing. And as such ESPN has been slowly walking away from MLS ever since.
MLS ratings are up this year, so that pokes a hole in your last paragraph. But we'll see what happens in the future when ESPN's contract ends.
I guess I'm not average then, nor are the other who bought season tickets with me. FL clinched it for us - we drive from 60-100 miles each way to watch the Sounders. It was a toss-up for us whether we should get season tickets or not - it's a long drive, especially on weeknights. But knowing FL was on the team sealed the deal.
MLS ratings are up this year, so that pokes a hole in your last paragraph. But we'll see what happens in the future when ESPN's contract ends. No sir, my statement stands which was: Beckham does nothing for ESPN's TV ratings. Considering how few Beckham games were on ESPN this year, I think that is readily apparent. The ratings for Beckham games the year before were almost the exact same as games without Beckham (0.2), Sports Illustrated is the source on that. Actually your statement back is somewhat misleading anyway. Here are the facts... Through 20 games on ESPN2, MLS is averaging a flat 0.2 cable rating compared with last year, but its average of 292,000 viewers represents a 7 percent audience increase over last year’s 272,000 viewers through 19 games The ratings are still at 0.2, it just that they measure an addition 20K of viewers, which is a margin so small, it almost falls into the margin of error for ratings (+/- 5%). It is up slightly, but so slightly as to barely register. By the way bowling, women's softball and poker all draw significantly higher than MLS. Actually, sometimes they even beat EPL and La Liga ratings. And the additional 20K had nothing to do with Beckham or additional designated players obviously. We know this because games that feature them, fare no better in the ratings. To illustrate MLS television problem, the MLS Cup will not be on ABC this year; relegated to ESPN 2 and will go head to head with primetime NFL. The fact is, quality DPs are money makers for the league; but they are not a TV draw. We might get more DP slots next year, but they can't do it without significant cap increases as well. As it stands now, DPs take away too much of the "middle class" of the league. Some MLS players believe DPs have actually hurt the league's overall quality (although I am not of that belief). What we do know is the union has a raw deal right now, and they are angry. The league is boasting its financial acumen to Europe, but holding the purse-strings tight on the majority of their players and crying poor at home. The USL is in disarray, split across lines that have seen several teams vow not to play next year. It appears to be verging on collapse, so the places domestic players can play might diminish as well. That will add tension to the negotiations as MLS presses this advantage. What it adds up to, it that it could be a brawl this off-season as a result. But no, designated players don't help ratings; but they do help revenue.
looks like Hanauer maybe considering a second dp: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/soundersfcblog/2010302919_will_there_be_a_big_sounders_f.html
There was a comment about DPs in the Supporters Summit. Don Garber mentioned Thierry Henry and Andriy Shevchenko. Drew Carry made a passing comment about "interesting you mentioned those names in particular". Now, the rumor is that Henry, if he comes to MLS, would go to New York. Knowing that the Sounders have expressed an interest in a 2nd DP, and knowing that they've made comments about wanting a finisher, I can't help but wonder if the Sounders are making a move for Shevchenko. (Could always be Philly but or someone else but it does make me wonder).
Key was "David Beckham" to begin that. Kinda like those were the next in line to make the jump after he had made it for them.
i was watching an interview of beckham the day before the cup, and he was talking about the seattle organization, and was impressed with the organization as a whole, and then said if he could play on any team in the league besides the galaxy, it would be seattle. just thought that was interesting.
Henry and Ljnugberg are close friends. I wouldn't be surprised at all to to Sheva go to NYRB and TH14 come to Seattle. In fact Henry had nothing but praise for the Sounders organization after the Barca match this summer.
Riquelme, but cost alot. Creative player that would Freddy a whole lot. Mancilla, free agent and two times leading scorer in mexico. Mutu, good ball skills and could create his own scoring chances. Silva, my fellow Uruguayan is the leading scorer in Argentina. Transfer might be issue here. Fano, the Peruvian done great in Colombia, could be none DP. free agent! Maldonnado, Uru-Venezuelan has transfer tag below a million, Altante has him so cheap.
Mostly just nitpicking but White Hart Lane is maxed out at 36K and they always sell out even in their crap years which happens alot. Plus they are getting new digs in the near future with much greater capacity. Long story short, we're not getting in a bidding war with Spurs anytime soon or any other mid table premier league team for that matter.
Along with that. Tickets for a Tottenham games are upwards of £200. They draw a lot of revenue of games alone as well as their international status.
so, what does the donovan deal mean for the sounders? it would seem like the league is going to add another dp slot for teams. and even if they're not, if the galaxy can have 3 dp's on currently on their roster, the sounders should surely be able to do the same, no?