How come more USL/NASL players don't make it into MLS?

1. Maybe it would be better under NASL or USL forums.

2. Players do make it to MLS, there are many former USL players in MLS right now.

3. Shit possibly the best CDM in MLS came from USL.

Edit:

4. I am pretty sure Etienne Barbara will be in MLS (or some other league) next year, Maybe Montreal with his current manager.

 

The quality is quite poor. The games can be free flowing, however this is often due to a lack of anything resembling defensive pressure. The speed of play in MLS is also significantly higher.

Most of the good USL/NASL players would be "projects" to MLS teams. So it doesn't make sense to pick them up unless they're young (like Osvaldo Alonso).

 

Because the players that are in D2 are:

A) Players that were once on a MLS roster, but weren't good enough to stay on.

B) Players that MLS passed on in college drafts, but still hoping to get a look from a MLS team

C) Internationals that didn't make MLS's radar, but are hoping to get a look from a MLS team or an international team.

Besides, there are a number of lower division players on MLS teams right now. Brian Ching, Craig Waibel, and Sebastien Le Toux spent time with the USL Sounders prior to sticking in MLS. Osvaldo Alonso and Lamar Neagle both spent time with the Charleston Battery before sticking with the Sounders. Paulo Jr. is on loan to RSL from the Strikers. Etc. Etc. If I was really motivated I'm sure I could find a number of other players on each roster that spent some time in the lower divisions before making a MLS roster.

That being said, MLS teams can often get better internationals that will play for about the same that they'd have to pay a lower division player.

 

If the 8 international player limit did not exist, then MLS teams could get many players at about the same level as national players for cheaper.

 

Josh Saunders spent time at the Timbers both on loan and signed. De Ro spent time in D2 with the Richmond Kickers. And so on...

D2 is a great platform for many players getting into MLS. Or conversely, a place where some players just shine better because MLS is faster and stronger. See Ryan Pore. Stinks in MLS, twice, but goes on loan to Montreal part way through the season and scores 7 goals. Heck, Stephen Keel didn't move up with the Timbers but found a spot at NYRB [because of cap space most likely].

 

Joe Tait, Maxwell Griffin, Yordany Alvarez, and Lawrence Olum all went from USL-Pro this year to MLS. Alvarez might be the only one good enough to stick on a MLS team next year though.

It does seem like maybe there are less quality players in D2 and D3 than in the past. Even a few years ago there seemed to be more MLS ready talent. Part of this is simple math. There are more MLS clubs than ever before. There are fewer D2(8) and D3(12) teams. Many D2 and D3 players have been scouted, drafted, or already went through MLS in some way. So they have already been deemed not quality enough. They aren't really any hidden gems.

The other part is economics. With the Rochester Rhinos fallen on hard times, the Montreal Impact were the last of the big budget(for that level) minor league soccer clubs. And MLS clubs are now producing their own talent. Most of which is far more quality than what is in D2 and D3. So there is less need for "filler" players.

Also, the gap between MLS and the lower divisions has never been greater and is widening. So making the jump is much harder than it was in previous years. The old A-league and USL-1 could boast they were somewhat MLS quality even if no one really believed it. No one is saying that about the NASL and USL-Pro. Those days are long over.

 

prob bc their season is one month larger than the college season, 4 months

 

Because, the salary ofered by MLS to these players is less than what they make in NASL or USL

 

Link ...

 

I forgot his name, but there was a guy drafted by DC United who preferred to make more dinero with the Islanders

Or maybe he loved the sun and the Puertorican girls

 

Those are very rare cases. It was more common at the early part of the century when there strong D2 franchises like the Rhinos and Montreal. With the new CBA in place, the vast majority of players can make more money in MLS than USL.

 

You are talking about Jay Needham. And one player does not make a hugely broad statement true.

 

No doubt about that, he was just an exception

 

Not anymore. That might have been the case even a few years ago, but not today. Certainly not in the NASL or USL-Pro. The new CBA in 2010 changed this.

In 2011, the minimum MLS salary for a senior player was $42,000. It will rise to $48,600 in 2014. In 2008, it was $33,000. In 2004, it was $24,000. This bump combined with the larger USL clubs either joining MLS, or falling apart like the Rochester Rhinos, has led to a shift in the player pool. No more are you seeing good players hang around D2/D3 for financial reasons. If you are in D2 or D3, it is because you can't get into MLS. The myth that you can be a star in the USL/NASL and make a lot more than a bench player in MLS is over.

There was a time when a player could earn decent money playing D2 in the A-League or USL-1. Enough that he wouldn't jump at any offer MLS put in front of him. Those days are gone.

The Montreal impact were the last good paying D2 club. Players like Bill Gaudette and Ali Gerba were making what they would of made in MLS. But guess where the Impact are now?

 

I wonder what would happen if the Cosmos joined the NASL or USL instead of MLS. If memory serves me correctly those leagues don't have a salary cap.

 

They don't have a salary cap because there is no need for one. It would be like having a Moose crossing sign in Miami. No one is stupid enough to go over their budget. The teams already lose enough money. You shouldn't need a salary cap for minor league soccer.

I also don't know why some fans think the Cosmos are this billion dollar club looking to bring Messi, Ronaldo, and a host of stars to America. And evil MLS won't allow that because of their even more evil salary cap. The Cosmos just changed ownership and we have no clue about their financial resources yet. And they don't even have a stadium!

No one is stupid enough to try and recreate the NASL.

 

CARLOS RUIZ ( EL PESCADITO ) went to a D2 team in mexico for financial reasons, this is not new in soccer, even BECKS or MARQUEZ are in MLS for the same reason.

 

El Pescado is doing well in Veracruz, he is leading the team in goals and is helping the team stay middle of the table (for a team full of young players that was on their way to D3).

 

And how does an MLS player survive on that amount?

 

The same way most of America does. Is this a serious question?

 

Once you adjust for inflation that's only about $5K less than I made when I left college 14 years ago. And I worked a full 40, while most players have the afternoons off to supplement their income through clinics and coaching. Not to mention they get one of the biggest benefits you can, access to high-quality medical care, something that is harder to get these days than even when I left college.

They aren't living large, but they should be able to make $42K work.

 

Not too mention it is higher than the national AVERAGE wage in this country.

http://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/AWI.html

Many of the younger guys making the minimum room with other teammates and perform clinics and coaching assignments as mentioned above (especially the off-season). I am all for them making more (trust me) but it is also one of the things I like about MLS - guys are playing because they love the game and still have the hope of making it big. They aren't millionaires before walking on the field like other sports.

 

Ok, I guess, more than what most American make.

I guess that in LA or NYC it may look like a small amount, but in Texas you can buy a house with that

 

You 1 %er.