He's saying when his contract is over, so after next season?Im sure he would like to move before then, but the asking price is likely pretty damn high.
The interesting thing is that he states "I am close to finishing my contract" and would look abroad. However, his contract runs through 2012, according to the article. I think he just signed that contract last year (or during the offseason), so is, at most, 50% through the contract. I say sell him now, during this transfer window and try to get maximum value for him.
I'm just guessing, but maybe it was a miscommunication of what he said.I think the full spanish text and not what seems to be a paraphrase of a translation would be helpful.
If this is true, the Fire (and MLS, which owns the contract) are unbelievably stupid. You don't sign one of your best players for a contract that ends in the middle of a season. That is just completely stupid. I don't think this is true, though According to Ives, Pappa is signed through 2012. http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_ives/2009/12/chicago-fire-buys-pappas-rights.html This is also the case, according to the Chicago Tribune http://archive.chicagobreakingsports.com/2009/12/marco-pappa-on-board-with-fire-through-2012.html
And when we sell, what happens to that money? Most of it goes to the league because Pappa is not a Fire player, he's an MLS player, and some of it trickles down to us in the form of "allocation money" which is practically meaningless as we already have a ton of open cap room. So now we've lost one of our most productive players, who happens to be paid a very low salary cap amount so we don't even free up cap room, and then what?
I didn't used to be that way, but you're right. Here is some info I found about the current rules: Home Grown Player: Club receives 3/4 of transfer fee revenue and the League receives 1/4 Generation adidas players & non home grown players acquired in the SuperDraft: 1 Year of service: 1/3 to Club and 2/3 to League 2 Years: 1/2 to Club and 1/2 to League 3+ Years: 2/3 to Club and 1/3 to League All other players: Club receives 2/3 of the transfer fee revenue and the League receives 1/3 Even if we got 100% of the transfer fee, unless we are planning on using it on DPs we won't get value back for it. Remember, transfer=allocation money=cap room. We already have a bunch of cap room. Cap room isn't preventing us from signing a DP, and we have about a 50/50 chance of any DP we sign being worse than Pappa anyway. Not to mention, he's one of only 3-4 guys on the field who have been with the team for more than a year. If we sell him maybe we should just sell Nyarko, Pause and Segares too and just pretend we are following a new team.
Pappa would maybe be scouted by a Scandinavian team. How much money do you think the Fire/MLS could actually get in a transfer fee? Would it really be enough to make it worth it?
Allocation does take the weight off the owner about ponying up money for the DP. Even if we got 500k, that's 500k Andrew doesnt have to pay. Not justifying a transfer, but saying it could help. Cap space isnt the issue, it's whether or not the $$ spent after the cap space is justified by sales (both ticket and merch) and performance.
assuming he'd be scouted by dutch and perhaps spanish teams given his play. But that's the big question MLS ask when transfers come in: is it worth it? does 1M (666k Fire, 333k league) make up for the amount of production we'd be losing? If we had plenty of youth coming up through our academies, i wouldnt be concerned, but at this point we dont. A new signee may prove to be a worse investment
When Pappa leaves, can we sign Megan Rapinoe to take his place on the left wing? She was the best player overall for the US in the Women's World Cup. A dynamo and can actually complete a decent cross from the left corner. Too bad she no longer plays for the Red Stars, and too bad the Red Stars don't play in WPS at Toyota Park. That would make it so much easier for her, just switch dressing rooms.
These things are always a risk, of course. However, yes, the money would make up for the production we'd be losing.
But can she do it with less time to react while stronger and faster defenders are mugging her.The women are talented for their speed and reaction level, but this crap every four years when people start foaming at the mouth , insulting the men players by saying.. "Sign so and so US Woman, she's better then.." is just getting old. Not to be rude to the women, but Victor Pineda would probably have a realistic shot at starting on the US Womens team, and he cant even see a minute of time with the reserves.
He'd be the best women's player of all time. The USWNT gets destroyed every time they play a youth national team.