For those of you hoping against hope that Charlie Davies would be a Rev in '07, I give you bad news (actually, Marc Connolly gives you bad news). Good to see him get a chance in Europe. http://www.ussoccerplayers.com/marc/2006/12/davies-to-sign-with-swedish-club.html
These guys get that image of "Europe" in their heads ... EPL, Spain, Germany, Holland, - okay, but Sweden??? Supposedly he turned down $1M from MLS for Hammerby?
I asked this in the Yanks Abroad Thread to find out what the difference in the deal was. Do you know where you saw the $1M. How many years was that for? Depending on the actual Hammerby deal, It might be a good move for Davies. The problem here for MLS is if players like a Davies who have EU Passports start jumping to these types of leagues instead of MLS for both the paycheck and the European exposure, then MLS is going to struggle. Granted, these types of players are in the minority - but we sure have heard a lot about Sweden, Denmark, etc and MLS players lately.
i don't know. but they already tried the toss millions at former German and Mexican stars, as well as the toss a few mil to a 14 year old for 4 years. who knows what the offer would or could have been from MLS to Davies, and you're probably right to be questioning the $1 million dollar figure. i have no idea where it came from or if it was to be spread over 4 years or whatever. but with the "new" econimics of MLS, who knows how and how much they really intend on spending. although, i don't think college kids are where they'll be throwing most of this kind of money.
Just checked up on the thread in Yanks Abroad: Rumor is Davies got a 600,00(US) signing bonus and will be paid about 100,000(US) a year, pus will probably get a car, housing, win bonuses, etc. MLS probably offered ~150,000 a year, but no where near any signing bonus like that or amenities that the European clubs offer. He will have a great opportunity to earna starting spot as Hammerby just sold their top striker. If he went first or second in draft he would be in Toronto or Columbus. Sigi dropped him from U20 team so maybe CD was thinking about these things. If Revs wanted him, they would have to do some serious dealings to get 1st or 2nd pick, but clearly didn't want him that bad because they didn't do it. If his goal is Europe, and given what he has on the table - I'm not so sure I would have chosen MLS over Hammerby either. https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=450879
I'd highly, highly doubt that MLS offered $1 million for Davies; even $100,000 would be quite a stretch. By comparison, he should be making something over 500K (at least) by signing with the Swedish club. As for why he'd sign with Hammarby? * Well, they're one of the top teams in Sweden's Allsvenskan (top division), currently sitting in 3rd place. * He has a shot with a club that could see action in European competitions. * He'd be playing in a pretty nice city (Stockholm). * By playing for a top club, he'd increase his chances to getting exposure that could lead to a move to a larger club. For the type of player that he is, cutting his teeth with a club like this seems like a smart move from a developmental standpoint, and a much better option financially than signing with MLS. Only time will tell if and/or how he pans out. The Magpie
Hammarby has been fighting for the Swedish title in recent years. I believe they have also been in every Royal Scandanavian League competition. They have have been in the uefa cup and in the champions league qualifying rounds. Davies will get good exposure at Hammarby IF. Good for him.
how many americans have from one of these scandanavian leagues to one of the bigger european leagues? how many from mls to one of the bigger leagues? I just don't get it. if it's about the money fine, but even that seems short sighted if you have the talent to go somehwere bigger. seems to me like like MLS is a better choice. they seem to have a better pipeline of sending americans to places like the england and holland
i think one of the advantages that young players might see in opting for a smaller Euro league, as opposed to MLS, is the chance to gain residency and an EU passport, useful for opening up more career options (sooner). don't know if this was a factor in Davies' decision or how the Swedish residency/passport requirements work, but it seems like it could be a factor.
Agreed. There haven't been enough american players in those leagues yet to judge. However, it is much easier to go from one of those leagues to a better league than it is from MLS.
i think that's a somewhat valid rumor or trend, but i do not think it is especially true. my take is that other factors (such as talent and citizenship/passport/work permit issues) tend to play more of a role than "previous club/league".
The player us Revs fans should be watching is not Davies anymore, but Mike Videira from Milford, MA and Duke. He might be a future replacement player for Joseph/Dempsey - IMO, he is better than JeffLaren now. Chocked full of All-American awards, been through all the Youth Nat teams in some capacity, and would be a player to step right into a starting lineup. He also played club ball with Charlie Davies (for only a year) but it was when they had their best year and went to Nationals But, he holds an EU Passport from Portugal - so if he doesn't stay in school for his senior year, he may also go the Charlie Davies route to Europe.
Wolde Harris, at least a couple more. FWIW, I'm not sold on Mike Videira: very good college player, but in the game I watched him play against Harvard he looked downright lazy, not moving well off the ball and somewhat reluctantly getting stuck in.
Wade Barrett had a very brief stint in Norway -- ---- Barrett left MLS after the 2002 season, however, to pursue opportunities in Europe. Barrett first signed with Danish club AGF Aarhus, with whom he spent the latter half of 2002 and much of 2003, but was unable to establish himself as a first-choice left back. In light of his position at Aarhus, Barrett opted to leave the club in July 2004 in order to join Fredrikstad FK in Norway, joining fellow American Brian West. However, he left Scandinavia in January 2005, re-signing with MLS and San Jose. Along with the rest of his Earthquakes teammates, he moved to Houston for the 2006 season. ---- from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wade_Barrett
You just said my point is essentially untrue and then elaborated on my point to add evidence to support it. Thanks. I think.