Metros Sign Some Crappy Polish Player

What he said...

Plus, he may suck, and his suckness may bring the Metros back to the days of total suckness. It could happen. It could...

 

Well, the Metros did get an allocation for Howard as well (the only kind of compensation Columbus ever got for loosing Friedel). And then there's this little Discovery thing. Not bad compensation if you ask me.

A-yup. That's the way it went down.

Realizing that the move seemed a bit...er..."unusual", the San Jose GM actually sent an email out to fans attempting to explain the transaction. It was less than completely convincing.

 

You complain this week and next when he is your starting striker with 3 goals this weekend, you'll be happy. Be thankful you can sign a playing discovery player.

 

1. Juskowiak is probably an upgrade over Wolyniec. And as far as Bradley is concerned, that's the issue. He got a target guy, with some aerial skill that is an upgrade.

2. I thought league policy was that discovery slots could not be traded. I'm assuming that such a policy has now been changed? Does anyone have any idea when that policy was changed?

3. Discovery requirements also factor in some salary issues. I'm wondering if SJ traded just the discovery slot itself or any money that went with it (I'm assuming not since it seemed like Juskowiak had no fees involved). But there is also a maximum amount of money discovery players are allowed to make (thus, the special discovery slots--like Milton Reyes). And you don't lose those each year. There's a pool of money over 3 years you can dip into--and you can spend it all in 1 year. So a factor here might have been SJ discovery's situation.

4. I don't agree with a conspiracy argument here. MLS just plays loose with the rules. I think every team has exploited or pushed the rules at some point to their benefit. And I think Metro this year has been exceptionally good about pushing the rules this year. MLS is against loans but evidently players on 2-year loans don't count. Trading for the discovery slot. Acquiring Walker, evidently without using an allocation, waivers, lottery, or discovery.

 

Yeah, that may be so, but if you look at the trade announcement, I think it says 'Metros trade for discovery player', not 'slot'. So if pressed, I'd imagine they'd say something like SJ signed Juskowiak and sent him on to the Metros for the draft pick (though apparently, they can't be bothered to do so.) Total semantics, and they'd make things a lot easier to understand by just saying you can trade the slots, instead of making it a semantic runaround.

Meanwhile, anybody with 'DC' for one of their favorite teams ought to just shut up now, because chances are good that by draft day, you'll have royally screwed Dallas out of Freddy Adu (it really doesn't matter if you give them Eskie, Quaranta AND your first round pick - we're talking about a player that my totally soccer-illiterate friends are already asking me about: it's not just the player, it's that the team he's on will become exponentially more popular almost instantly), all while blithely looking the other way from the machinations that get him to RFK.

 

Not to mention roster-relief, discovery extension...

While you're implying that somehow New York exploited some loopholes that were there for everybody, I can't say that I'd agree. The fact is that they were given a green light in areas where other teams were not free to go in the past.

Not so bad in small doses, but this last trick seems to have gone a bit over-the-top.

 

Read on the Fire boards that it appears Jusk... was signed by the trade deadline, but waiting game was for visa/medical clearance.

 

I'm not sure I'd use the term "loopholes." I think part of it is that Bradley is smart and always looking for every edge he can get. And he pushes to see what he can pull off. I doubt some of these moves (the loans of the Argentines) would have happened to other clubs in another year. But I think Bradley managed to exploit the club status (coming from a high stature club that Metro was trying to form a partnership with--something the league wants to support), it was for 2 years (which shouldn't make any difference but is probably a way of addressing the initial ban against loan players by saying "hey--SJ has Donovan which is basically a loan and the principle is to prevent players being temporarily brought in and we're getting these guys for 2 years.") and Metro was coming off a bad year and had a lot of roster slots to fill. So the league is flexible with the rules. I personally don't think it's a conspiracy or that it's done to favor Metros. But a manager who is persistent and clever dealing with squishy rules--you get movement. That's my take on it anyway.

To put it anotherway, I wouldn't say it was a loophole. But someone pushed on the rule and MLS gave in a bit and voila--you acquire Johnny Walker without a discovery, allocation, waiver selection or lottery.

 

SECAUCUS, NJ (Thursday, August 21, 2003) - The MetroStars acquired a Discovery Player to be named later from the San Jose Earthquakes in exchange for a third round pick in the 2005 MLS SuperDraft, late last night at the MLS trade deadline. The player will be identified pending ongoing negotiations.

http://www.mlsnet.com/content/03/mls0821trade.html

 

Let's face it, if the team were the Galaxy, and the coach were Sigi Shmidt - you'd look at it a different way.

If the loophole isn't available to everyone, well, I wouldn't call it a loophole.

Yes the The Bob is used to receiving favors (he got a couple in Chicago too). He's a consistent proponent of the sporting equivalent of "insider trading". Is he a decent coach? Yup. Would he go as far without consistently getting help from above? I don't think so.

Will this prevent him from whining in the future about his travails? Not a chance.

 

Juskowiak in no Tim Howard.

 

Well said Jose. Stick to smileys.

 

Metro-Rembrance of things past...

 

Monster, do you HONESTLY believe that metro were below the variably-applicable salary cap before the season?

Just off the top of my head: Howard, Mathis, Moreno, and Pope all at or near the max salary. What about their SIs? Guevara, Bartholomeu? Isn't it reasonable that these two guys are ~$100k in salary? A quick estimate puts these 6 players' salaries ALONE at or near $1.5M...

...Unless you have some information that confirms that metro were under the cap, this appears questionable at best, Monster...

 

Such a bitter post -- you really should be happier, you're team has actually won a couple of trophies and appears to be the team to beat this year in the East. Leave the bitterness to us long suffering Metros' fans. And reread your post before you give in to the temptation to call someone else a whiner.

I don't know how the discovery slots work and, judging by the amount of debate about them that is seen on these boards, I'd say no one else has a grip on them either.

Regarding your claim, by implication, that the Metros have somehow avoided the league's salary cap by signing Jusko, please back this up. To make such a claim, you must have access to the salaries of the Metros players -- lets see them.

I could be wrong, but the salary cap space needed to sign Jusko didn't appear suddenly and magically, as you claim. Rather, it appeared the moment Tim Howard, and his max salary, crossed the Atlantic, to be replaced by Jonny Walker and his something less than max salary.

 

Howard no longer plays for the Metros. He was bought by some English team. The Metros/MLS no longer pay him, so please don't apply his salary to the Metros salary cap.

Mathis and Pope are max salary, I assume. Moreno probably is as well, but maybe the Metros got some cap relief when they put him on injured reserve for the remainder of the season (I don't know, just speculating). I doubt Bartholomeu makes six figures. Just because he's a SI doesn't mean he's expensive. He came from the indoor league and isn't a regular starter for the Metros.

 

i just hate the idea of MLS (as was the case with NASL) to become a retirment home for has-beens... are we really gonna be all happy when beckham comes to play for LA in 6 years? i won't. i just think it's sad that etcheverry is still getting paid, while there is tons of young (bolivian and otherwise) players that could be given a chance. regardless of skill, i'm talking about image. i want this league to be better and attract top players, top sponsors and top competition, so i don't have to sit in a stadium with 5000 other poor saps, 60% of which are 13 year old girls. that's all.

 

I knew this type of reply was forthcoming

Yes, I am already aware that Howard no longer applies to the variably-applicable salary cap. My question to monster was, "Monster, do you honestly believe that metro were below the variably-applicable salary cap [here's the operant word] BEFORE the season?"

Again, I question metro's salary cap compliance BEFORE the season moreso than now. I realize Walker in all likelihood earns less than Howard.[Although, given Walker's status in Chile, he's probably >$100k as well...] And Bartholomeu may not make all that much, but his salary can't be as small as a developmental player's salary...

 

Thats true, but the other reason he is there is that motherwell went into administration, and noone in the SPL or the first division offered him a contract.

 

Howard played after the date that all contracts are guarenteed and his salary should still count against the Stars cap. The Crew had to quickly unload Torres to avoid the same problem.

 

I don't have a problem with the argument that Howard's salary shouldn't continue to be on the books. A transfer is a transfer--and they'll often occur in the last 4th of the MLS season when Europe is heating up and AFTER the deadlines for signings, guaranteed contracts etc. in MLS. To force a team to carry a player on their books that MLS has sold (and benefited from that sale) would be unfair and ridiculous I think.

Now, I think there is some revisionist history about Howard's "MLS Maximum" salary contract. I thought several media sources (including the NYTs) reported preseason that he (along with Twellman) had signed contracts that were encentive-loaded....so they didn't count as maximum on the cap but would allow the player to make a lot more money than what they counted for on the cap.

Additionally, there are contract restrictions on what discovery players can be offered--unless MLS has just changed those. Special discovery players can be offered a maximum of something like $150k or $200K (2 different MLS stories on this) that includes BOTH the transfer money and the salary. And keep in mind, at this stage, salaries are pro-rated. So someone signing for "MLS Max" at this point in the season would really only be able to sign for something like $80K (b/c of the pro-rated amounted).

I really don't think Metros has gotten any magical cap stuff going on here (and that includes prior to moving Howard). For instance, my understanding is that Mathis and Howard make around $200K. Pope and Moreno are MLS max. Guevara I've hard multiple stories about him being substantially under the max ($145k sticks in my mind but that may be wrong). Jolley makes around $110K I thought. I have no idea how the Argies (Galvan and Forchetti) count on the cap or what their deal is. But the rest of the team is pretty much MLS min or P-40.

But I do think that MLS had prohibited the trading of discovery slots. For me, that's the issue here.

 

I think the date at which all contracts become guaranteed refers to waiving a player. If a player is sold, such that some other team will be paying his salary, I can't imagine that the original team is still stuck with the salary for cap purposes.

 

Please stop making sense - it completely ruins the vintage whining around here.

But to be honest, I loved sitting back with a fine cigar, enjoying vintage whines regarding germany from a few years back