It’s the off-season. So here’s a little off-season project … I'm going to start up a new "Roster, Draft Picks, Allocations, Discoveries" thread soon for the new season. But I'd like to include a new section having to do with the current contract status of DC United's roster. That would include things like salary estimates, cap impact estimates, incentives, and the length of the contract. This information is generally pretty hard to come by, but I (and I gather at least a few others) would like to keep track of what we know to whatever degree we can. Unlike the rest of the thread to which this will become a section, some speculation will be involved here. But hopefully it’ll all be “educated” speculation What I’ve got below is just my first swipe at things. I doubt it’s all accurate. It’s just a starting point. I hope to compile what's known over the next few weeks. Some things can be tracked down on the board and on news archives, but I'm really hoping to enlist help from this board. I suspect a few folks have followed the contract situations much closer than I have in the past. If those people can help fill in the information, provide leads to information, and (importantly) suggest what sort of information we ought to have here, I'd much appreciate it. I’m quite sure many others on this board would appreciate it too. So I’m asking for your help. If you can provide any information relevant to this project then please post it below. As always, links to sources are very much appreciated. My purpose here is to gather all the facts possible. Once we’ve done that then we can engage in a bit of informed speculation to fill in the gaps. That’s all we’re doing here. I don’t want to engage in a debate or spin off into discussion. As Joe Friday says, "just the facts, maam." If you want to discuss things, or if you want to debate things brought up here then please start another thread. All that said … Here’s what I’ve got thus far. Again, it’s just a starting point. The (SA) means Soccer America. That’s where all the salary information is from. The first number is the guarenteed salary, and the second number is the base salary. According to SA " Guaranteed compensation includes a player's base salary and all guaranteed bonuses annualized over the term of the player's contract, including option years." Neither number has any clear relationship to the numbers used for salary cap purposes. Current DC United Roster Adu, Freddy Salary: 500000/300000 (SA) Cap Impact: 0 (P-40) Signed: November 2003 Contract Duration: 6 years (4 plus 2 option years) Carroll, Brian Salary: 34000/31500 (SA) Signed: January 2003, SuperDraft Eskandarian, Alecko Salary, 80500/ 60000 (SA) Signed: January 2003, SuperDraft Rumor: Contract will be renegotiated and include a salary boost to 100000 plus. Gomez, Christian Salary: ? Signed: August 2004 as loaned discovery player. Contract Duration: There's some suggestion (including his DCUnited.com bio) that he was acquired as a discovery player. There's another suggestion from Steven Goff that "the club must find a way to retain Argentine playmaker Christian Gomez, who joined the team in August on a short-term loan." (11/15/04) The final word, however, is from Kevin Payne courtesy of an MLSNet chat: "Christian was with our team this year on a loan. We are negotiating with his agents at this time to either extend the loan or acquire him outright. Either approach will require the use of all, or part, of an allocation." Gros, Joshua Salary: 25000 (speculation, typical draftee's contract) Signed: January 2004, SuperDraft Kovalenko, Dema Salary: 176000/150000 (SA) Re-Signed: October 2003 Contract Duration: According to Steven Goff in the October 17, 2003 Washington Post “Ben Olsen and Dema Kovalenko … have signed multiyear contract extensions, the club announced yesterday. As per league policy, terms were not disclosed and the length of their deals was not specified, but United technical director Dave Kasper said both contracts go beyond the 2004 season.” Kuffour, Nana Salary: Developmental Cap Impact: 0 Signed: July 2004 as developmental discovery Lawson, Tim Salary: ? Signed: As replacement player August 2004 Moreno, Jaime Salary: Far less than 200000 Re-Signed: April 2004 Contract Duration: At least through 2005. Namoff, Bryan Salary: 27780/27780 (SA) Signed: January 2001, SuperDraft Contract Duration: Likely in option years, perhaps final option year. Rumor: Kevin Payne’s comment in an MLSNet chat that “Bryan will certainly get a raise which is well deserved,” suggests that his contract will be renegotiated this off-season. Nelsen, Ryan Salary: 90554/80554 (SA) Contract Duration: Expired Olsen, Ben Salary: 161000/135000 (SA) Re-Signed: October 2003 Contract Duration: According to Steven Goff in the October 17, 2003 Washington Post “Ben Olsen and Dema Kovalenko … have signed multiyear contract extensions, the club announced yesterday. As per league policy, terms were not disclosed and the length of their deals was not specified, but United technical director Dave Kasper said both contracts go beyond the 2004 season.” Perkins, Troy Salary: 24000 (speculation, word being that his contract is for league minimum) Signed: March 2004 as a developmental player. Contract upgraded in July 2004. Contract Duration: Likely 1 year plus 3 or more option years. Petke, Mike Salary: 165000/135000 (SA) Contract Duration: Expired Prideaux, Brandon Salary: 69050/66550 (SA) Signed: In trade January 2001 Quaranta, Santino Salary: 95000/85000 (SA) Signed: January 2001, SuperDraft Contract Duration: Likely in option years, perhaps final option year. Quintanilla, Eliseo Salary: 54000/54000 (SA) Signed: As discovery July 2002. Rimando, Nick Salary: 86000/80000 (SA) Signed: MLS Allocation draft 2001. Stokes, David Salary: 30850/28350 (SA) Cap Impact: 0 (P-40) Signed: January 2003, SuperDraft Thompson, Jason Salary: $28,350/$29,600 (SA) Cap Impact: 0 (P-40) Signed: In trade July 2004. Contract Duration: May have been extended during his trade to DC United. Players Whose MLS Rights DC United Owns Bobby Convey From and MLSNet chat with Kevin Payne: "D.C. would have first opportunity to bring Bobby back but we don't expect that to occur. I have not spoken directly to Bobby since the Panama game but at that time he indicated that he is being patient with his situation at Reading and expected to get more playing time as the season wears on." Links and Information Soccer America's List of MLS Salary's From The MLS Player's Union From the SoccerTimes: According to the MLSPU, the current $24,000 minimum salary will increase to $28,000 in 2005 and 2006, $30,000 in 2007, $33,000 in 2008, and $34,000 in 2009. Beginning next season, developmental players, who are paid well below the minimum, will have their salaries increase "significantly," as well as receiving fully-paid medical benefits for the first time, the union said.
You lost Convey's rights when accepting the allocation from the league on his transfer. That's why Mathis wouldn't automatically go back to Metrostars. Fire GM Wilt confirmed they no longer hold Bocanegra's rights since they got an allocation.
Knave - Jason Thompson's salary is : $28,350/$29,600, per Soccer America. I think there's little doubt that Gros and Perkins both got signed to the standard $24,000 or $25,200 minimum contract. Per NJ.com, Gros's contract is for four years.
I'm pretty sure Perkins was 24k. Often this is referred to as "standard MLS contract", 4 years, 5% yearly boosts There was some talk Thompson had his contract extended with the trade, but I'm not sure that was ever proved true.
Is the standard contract two years and two option years? Also, Lawson was signed as a replacement player for Martins. Doesn't that suggest that his contract is up now?
Depends on what you mean by "up". More than likely, he was signed to a one year, plus one or two league option years. So, he's not technically out of contract until the league says they don't want him. I know when Ezra was signed they called it a "multi-year" deal, which mainly means one plus league options. The "standard" MLS contract is either one or two (rare) years guaranteed, then a series of one year league options. According to SG, the only DC players who's contracts expire (and I assume that meant no league options) are Nelsen, Petke, and Stewart. Maybe we can email him to get him to clarify who's contract is waiting on an option pick up.
I remember reading a few times that Quaranta's contract is up. Of course I do most of my reading here...
per a friend: "eski's contract is likely to take a pretty hefty boost during the off season. i'd expect an even 6 figs" so 100k most likely give or take.
Just hear say, but I heard in CA. that Nelson, Prideaux, Petke, Namoff and Perkins are all out of contract at the end of this year. Nana is on a developmental contract.
I thought I read that "standard" MLS contracts were 1 year plus 3 1 year options. Not a great deal from a players perspective.
think so Lawson wasn't listed as out-of-contract by Goff. But then again he was overlooked for a guess on the "unprotected list" too. Judging by other "replacement players", if they're domestic, I think they can be kept on without any issue (can have multi-year deals or team options). But I'm not 100% sure. Whether its 2+2 or 1+3, if it's not guaranteed in the 2nd year of the 2+2, it's pretty much the same thing. These rumors of other players being out of contract may just be that the team has options on them, not that they can look overseas.
That's cause they got 4 year deals entering the league and at the time Stokes was p40 and thought to have more talent. Namoff was developmental the last part of his rookie year though it seems the 5% boosts started from 2001. I'm a little surprised if this is the 4th iteration from 24000 in 2001 that Namoff isn't out of contract. But maybe when he moved back up from develomental to senior after 2001, the 4 year clock started then. He has a good chance of a salary boost this year if he extends his contract. A better chance than Stokes IMO. Many p40s like Stokes make about 30k instead of 24k as rookies. These players sometimes give solid contributions at a cheap salary (like Namoff) so MLS is going to keep that unless they agree to extend their contract past the original 4 years (for example some player prefer not take the raise like when Bocanegra waited it out to get a huge raise by going overseas)
I updated a couple things in the first post that I felt reasonably confident about. One thing is for sure: this thread is gonna be a long slog ... That doesn't accord with Goff's report as mentioned by chayes a couple posts above yours. How confident are you about your information? And could it be that some of these players aren't out of contract, but simply entering into their option years?
Out of contract, or facing the option year contracts? Nelsen and Petke are "out of contract". I'm assuming that Namoff and Q1 have option year contract extensions, or some such. I would also assume that Perkins was signed to a 1-year deal when his contract was revised early this year, but extra option years were added. It is important because in the case of Q1 if his optional year contract is similar to his regular contract is the team willing to pay that much? Does the team refuse his option year and force him to renegotiate at a lower rate? Can they do that, or do they have to take the option year number? Is Q1 worth 80K+?
i would think if they let his contract expire he would be free to sign with another team. which then brings about the compensation question. whether or not he's worth $80+ depends on whether or not he can stay healthy
In just about any other sports league, yes... but you fail to remember that this is MLS, and there really isn't free agency. If Q1 is out of contract and some other MLS team wanted him, they would have to trade us something for his rights. Apparently, even if he went in played in the A-League (or whatever they are calling themselves now), for a couple of years, a la Dante Washington, we would still hold his MLS rights. But frankly, I think Q1 should get a shot at a healthy season. And with losing Martins in the expansion draft, we need a big, holding forward. Jaime is going to miss a couple of games due to injury, it's just fact, and nothing against him, but hardly anyone plays 30 games and a frontline of Adu and Esky would be pretty small. They may be able to run circles around defenders, but we're not winning a header.
I think everyone hits it right on the head, which is the reason why DCUnited has the most intellegent fans in the league. Personally, I think Q1 (Namoff, etc) are worth their current, if not higher salaries. Although it will likely lead to a salary budget squeeze at the end of the 2005 season, keeping the core of players happy and well paid should give DCUnited a decided edge going into next season. Defensively, I won't be surprised if PN&Co. don't make an immediate move on a defender to replace Nelsen. Petke will be given the reigns as the sweeper. He will be given the opportunity to "grow" into that role, and I believe he will succeed, after a bumpy start at the beginning of next year. Q1, Eskandarian, and Adu will be fighting it out for time, pushing each other for the final starting spot. It might lead to ruffled feathers, but one of PN's strengths as a coach, aided by Petke, Olsen, and Moreno (but without Nelsen's) influences, this negetive energy will be turned into positive competition.
Not real sure, but info came from a player's parent that's been with DC for awhile. That's all I know. Perkins is making league minimum-did not take over Warren's contract and you are right they could be entering option years, but the parent stated out of contract. (Sorry can't give more info) and I do believe that Perkins had a 3 or 4 year option.