I would like to know who decided to give Sanneh and Armas those contracts. And whatever happened to him?
Chris Armas is a leader on the Fire and has definetly earned his pay. He may be nearing the end of his career, but he's worked his ass of for every dime he gets according to that list. Tony Sanneh on the other hand...
That's a big drop between Agoos and Gaven. I would think that Metro fans are pissed a plauer like Gal Van Rey gets such a high salary considering his low production. Is MLS going to be like the NFL where a few players get the bulk of the salary cap space and everyone else battles for the crumbs?
Good point on Armas. People tend to downplay past performance and look strictly at the "what have you done for me lately." You gotta factor in the overall career and get some rewards.
The salary structure in MLS has been that way since day one. There is nothing new here. It's just that the actual numbers have never been published before. If they are "actual numbers".
I can't think the league is pleased that this information is out there. I wonder if Jack has gotten any nice phone calls from the Commissioner on this.... Paul
I don't think its a big deal for the league since they already went through this last year with a significant amount more information being released about salaries. Every single salary was public information last year from Soccer America. This year it seems to be just drips and drabs so far. Andy
We can imagine that Armas signed his contract some time ago -- before the injuries really piled up and his performance declined. That's not a problem. When MLS signs Americans at their peak and when they are playing well, the salaries should be good. Contracts are always a gamble. Who knew his decline would be so fast. The problem is more players like Sanneh, who was clearly damaged goods upon his return from Germany.
Obviously, though, there must be a document out there that lists them all. I would imagine eventually that document gets turned over to the press.
I don't see this as too big of a problem. Let's say some mid-range millionaire/billionaire is deciding between his pro-sports investments but he's always been an avid soccer fan. He reads these numbers and goes hmmm, there are some teams for sale and expansion on the horizon...I could do this and I could make it work. Let me bring in some more energetic people and perhaps a corporate sponsor or few and hell, with those numbers we could even start to hit a higher pay scale and bring in some of the talent from Europe and cultivate it here which could move MLS closer to becoming a true top flight league... Just a random musing... I think the published numbers though could help some investors come in prove to some kids (read Sanneh's article on developing African American interest in soccer) that there is money to be made in soccer and that you can live WELL on those numbers compared to many other occupations. And I'd wager that if I'm a kid and know I want to play sports at a pro level and I'm great at soccer and something else...there are more roster spots for a great soccer talent than for an average or better NBA, NFL, MLB, etc talent.
No. Clint is earning $410,000/yr just to show up to work. The "salary plus bonus" numbers include things like signing bonuses but do not include performance-based bonuses.
Its not that because RSL is paying Mathis 410,000 to play is the problem. The prob is that it leaves only 1.5 million for everyone else. Hence Saturday, July 9, 2005.
Last year the PA released all that information to help in their cause for a new collective bargining agreement -- I have no clue who's leaking this latest info.
I disagree. Armas is getting overpaid (in MLS terms) based on his position and marketability. MLS has a bunch of goalkeepers who're first rate and long-time contributors, but the most any of them earn is Kevin Hartman ($180,000 in 2004). The only players MLS should pay max salary to are players in "skill" positions -- forwards, attacking midfielders, and wing midfielders -- who help raise the entertainment quotient and sell tickets. The league should pay defenders, defensive midfielders, and GK's at most $200,000/yr, and tell them to look overseas if they want to make better money.
Actually, only the league "max" salary is counted towards the cap. It doesn't really matter how much more a player is paid over $280K (I think that's the number), the team just absorbs that cost. What does matter is how many max salaries a team is carrying and if they are getting anything from those players. See Galvan Rey and Sanneh for examples of wasted max salaries.
I see this list as pure supply and demand. The players on the list, at one time or another, were good enough to draw serious interest from European clubs that had more money to throw around than your typical MLS club. If MLS wanted to play ball with these guys they had to make a serious offer similar to what they might get in Europe. On the other hand, if you're a 25-year-old occasional starter for MLS team ______, no deep-pocketed Euro team is going to care about you, you're lucky to be playing professional soccer, and MLS can low-ball you. It seems to me that one of the real issues that MLS will face in the years ahead, if it continues to grow at a modest pace, is to what degree the league minimum will rise. Seems like a great issue for an MLS union to bring up.
I had the same thought... for Landon wanting to come back to MLS, they probably could have negotiated harder.