MLS PLayers getting more recognition...Are we Selling all of our talent???

Wish his trial was with Ajax.

I still wish him the best though I'd hate too see him leave MLS for Feyenoord (OUCH!!)

 

I think we need to send some of our keepers over there. In 2005 there'll be 12 starting spots for keepers, but about 15 who deserve to start.

Also, if I were a European club, I'd wait on Dempsey and Ralph. You must take note that Steve Ralston is the only player to win the ROTY award and go on the have a great MLS career. Now I'm not saying that neither of them wont do that, but just because you have a great rookie year doesnt mean you'll have a great career. I mean Ralph's sophmore year wasnt as good as his rookie one, but there were also a lot more things to prevent him from having as good of season (no Razov, team sucked, more people marking him, etc.). I'm not saying they shouldnt go to Europe, I'm saying wait a little.

 

Ben Olsen.

 

oops, forgot about him, maybe because his career was damged by injuries. I wouldnt call his career great, but if he didnt hit that injury wall it would've been.

 

He said great.

Noonan is also training with Chelsea, just thought I'd add that.

Bocanegra won RoTY, he's doing pretty good.

 

How many hundred millions of dollars has mls lost over the years?

considering the above we should all be a little patient and shouldn't be angry over mls selling star players. Let the league sell as many young talent as they want and get back a little of all the money lost.

MLS will keep expanding and will get more and more popular. One day it will reach a point where it nolonger needs to sell players and feed other leagues. MLS will be doing the buying of top talent.

 

Selling players is the greatest compliment MLS can be paid! End of Story!

It's a much bigger problem IF no one is looking at those players.

Most solid leagues in Europe sell lots of players to the Big 4 (Spain, Italy, England, Germany). The thing to be concerned about is the "rate of sale" and "cost of sale"... because if we only sell in spurts (it means we don't produce top quality players consistently) and we want to keep seeing the prices increase.

Heck, even the big leagues sell players to the Big clubs in the Top 4 leagues... really, it's a compliment! Nothing but a good thing.

 

what's the issue here really?

MLS young talent training in Europe during the break rather than sitting on their butts/training themselves/training by MLS offseason (yeah right)

what's all the complaining about?

 

Early in MLS European winter loans were not uncommon. The transfer windows make it difficult to actually have the MLS players eligible for matches, so now after something of a hiatus they've figure out that "training sessions" is the best option.

 

Jamil Walker was training with Celtic last winter. Did anyone seriously think he was on his way to Celtic?

 

Has any MLS player ever been signed as a result of these training stints?

 

Uhh, starting in two MLS Cup victories (and winning MVP in one of them) don't make for a great MLS career? Who knew?

 

Sure thing but it wont give you any more information that I just gave. It pretty much says Noonan is going to train with Chelsea.

http://sports.bostonherald.com/soccer/view.bg?articleid=54812

it's at the end of the article.

 

IMO we need to realize that not all domestic players are non deserving of European Contracts. MLS still has talent. The talent improves every year.As far as I know, ESKY, Clark, Marshall, Ching, Along with many other talented players will still be here. I still have high hopes for Grabavoy, Ngwenya, Gross, Wingert.

Why don't we use the transfer $ to buy other young or experienced talent from other countries. I realize that we cannot afford your Tevez',Lopez, Van Persie (s). But if someone would do the research, I know we could get bad ass players from Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Bolivia(seem to do well in MLS), Nigeria, Germany, Italy, England.

Tell me we could not find at least one underpaid Player from each one of these countries (and all others) that would enjoy moving from EX. London to NYC,Boston,LA,Salt LAke City or Chicago for at least a year or two. Remember Digital Takawira, Diaz Arce, Etcheverry, Diego Serna,Danadoni,Hugo SancheZ. Are we going to get Foreign talent like this ever again? Put them along side our current talent and "look out!!!" Like Richie Baker's incredible crossing paired with Dempsey's heading ability. WE nee more of this!!

That is my only problem with selling off our Talent. The money we make off them needs to be used wisely!!!!

 

Funny, always thought the greatest compliment would come from the American public. Maybe you guys have given up on them, but I haven't.

Oh my God, I opened my mouth again.

 

I second this...

 

Only if you're a politician or a movie/TV star because those are popularity contests.

No offense, but I don't expect the masses of any country to be able to evaluate talent... blinking lights, smoke, and mirrors work much too well. (see "politics" or "hollywood"...)

Getting the American public to love MLS is a good compliment (and necessary to make $$$)... but they aren't greatest evaluator of talent in ANY sport. (see "All-Star" votes)

 

And you believe everything MLS brass tells you? Not saying MLS hasn't lost $$ over the years, but I believe the figures are grossly over-rated. And the big losses were mostly associated with start-up, i.e, one-time, costs. Investors and sponsors are flocking to MLS.

 

Oh, and to respond the thread title, MLS' business plan includes developing young stars and then selling them off. MLS has made a committment to bringing players back from Europe (I'd guess at generally substantially lower prices: Brian McBride >$ Frankie Heyduk + Tony Sanneh combined).

 

One of the biggest problems with this is that it all depends on the type of player that gets brought in. Some players just don't adapt well to the physical style of play in this league. MLS is really not the place for the creative dynamos anymore. The refs have simply let the play get out of hand . A very skillful player might very well be wasted here since he simply might not get the protection from the refs to do his magic since the play here leans so much towards the thugs.

Another problem is that foreign players in this league get a lot less leeway from the fans. The fanbase simply prioritises the advancement of the national team above all else and the growth of the league suffers forit. There is this idea that we should pursue a policy of getting as many americans on the field as possible because it is believed that will lead to better players. As opposed to getting the best players on the field and making those americans who are bench players work for their slots which is what will make them better players.

Its too ingrained in our soccer culture to resist the influences of foreigners into our game. Look at the players you mentioned!. All quality players (even though Serna had some problems of his own) but they left no real lasting inpact on the league. Too many in this country see the latin american players who play with flair as "fancy dans" who should be tolerated and not embraced. In places like England the foreigners have been allowed to have a huge impact on the game and the results have been amazing in teams even outside the top 4. Not just on the field but off the field as well. The level of professionalism in terms of diet and fitness has changed immensely in England and that is all down to the mainland european influence.

This aversion to foreign influence needs become a thing of the past.

 

I can't agree with you, Rommul. Foreign players are embraced by the fans when they're good and can get results, and this includes Latin players. Marco Etcheverry, Carlos Valderrama, Carlos Ruiz, and Amado Guevara have all succeeded in MLS and all have been appreciated (I know many dislike Ruiz for various reasons, but no one seriously argues that he isn't a good player or should be got rid of).

What people get impatient with is the players that get brought in and are advertised as "creative" or full of "flair" and then don't get results. Jose Cancela is, for all I can see, supremely talented, but how much did he help New England this year?

I agree with many posters here that the style, or lack of it, in MLS is largely to blame for the fact that many of these sorts of players don't succeed here. But I don't think it's accurate to say that they don't succeed because the fans or coaches won't accept them.

 

Then congratulations, you have just removed from the equation anyone who has ever watched a soccer game. No one's qualified to evaluate talent, and the only thing left to do is simply submit to the Greatest Truth Of Our Time (tm) that the "Big Four" are the "Big Four" because it just is and there's no possible escape from an admittedly arbitrary notion to which we all must bow down.

To resurrect a question I have asked for one and a half years, if garnering interest in MLS among American fans is anything less than priority one, then what the hell is the point?