Brann's budget for the 2008 season is close to $26mill. If we follow the norm of rest of Europe were 50-60% of the total budget goes to playersalaries/transfers as i expect thats $13mill to spend on players.
Is hardballs ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardball_(company) ) money included in that? If i remember correctly they have agreed to pay some wages ( among huseklepps) aswell as pitch in on other. Also spending 30-50 mill NOK ( 7-10 mill us$) on a new star or two for Champions league. Which in reality would add allot to our budget. Tho im not sure which part of the field needs new players, as i feel we are on par with teams with allot higher budgets then us at the moment. Maybe a right back. And im not sure the spendings for stadium upgrade and new grass is included in budget.
I'm actually able to watch MLS games in Denmark (on TV2 Sport), and it seems to me that MLS is a physical league but lacking some in technique and especially lacking tactically in compare with Europe. The difference does not seem to be the physical level or general pace of the games in MLS which on the surface seem quick, but then you also easily get fooled by looking at the good physique and fairly high pace you find at the lower levels in places like England or Germany. (The pace may seem high because it is a direct style of play with long passes upfield, but the players really lack some tactical skills and a decent foot/passing speed.) So in my opinion the real difference between top-flight level in Europe and MLS is the general tactiacal and technical level = passing speed/skills... It probably all comes down to the quality of training sessions : https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showpost.php?p=13787471&postcount=59 So it may not only be the higher wages that attract MLS players to Europe, but also a different style of play and the quality at training, making the players feel that they are making some real progress... and then you ofcause also get to experience another culture, besides that a young player also mature faster when he is living abroad, being much on his own. .
1 Italian 2 Spanish 3 German 4 English 5 French 6 Argentinian 7 Brazilian 8 Greek 9 Portugise 10 Dutch 11 Russian in random order... I dont see US as 12, sorry.
So, aside from the money from the investment company that may be used on a couple more expensive players, typically annual wages run $200,000 to $700,000 per player? What is the roster, about 25 players? At an average of $400,000 per player, a 25 player roster payroll is $10 million U.S.
It is a league that is one of the more talented and competitive in their world, although it is definitely not one of the best. BUT, it does not generate the same revenues that some of the other leagues produce.
Im thinking more along 13 million us$. I'ts not THAT hight i feel, heck, merchendise was 6 us$ million alone.
There's no way the U.S. is that far down. Of course La Liga, Bundesliga, EPL, Ligue 1, and Serie A are better. The MLS overall is on the same level as leagues in Portugal, Argentina, and Brazil (because so many leave the country); MLS just doesn't have marquee teams that beat up on the rest like Porto, Benfica, Boca Juniors, etc. Which is probably a good thing for the league. But the MLS is definitely better and more competitive than the Greek league, the Dutch league, and the Russian league. Just because the U.S. pays a lower salary doesn't mean lower quality. MLS is probably the best cost-efficient league in the world, but it hurts that its revenue is so low. I think the Mexican league is just as good as some of them too.
This is the first season I have watched enough of the Eredivisie on Setanta to form a fair opinion, but I wouldn't be so quick to say MLS is better. For atmosphere and quality of play, I think the top half of the Eredivisie is noticeably better.
This is the only World Club Ranking that I know about. CLUB ranking, not league. http://www.iffhs.de/?10f42e00fa2d17f73702fa3016e23c17f7370eff3702bb1c2bbb6f28f53512
Well yeah, their atmosphere is probably a lot better, it is Europe. But once again, we're looking at the BEST teams in other leagues to compare their entire leagues to the MLS. Yes Ajax and PSV are better than the best teams in the MLS, but below the top 1/3 of the league there is a huge dropoff in talent. That is where the salary cap benefits the MLS by usually maintaining a level amount of talent and competition throughout the league.
Sparta looked very good beating Feyenoord last week. But as to its relative quality, Ruud Hulliet said in an interview (sorry no link) that MLS was equal to mid-table Eredivisie, and I think that's about right. I posted this on another thread, but I think there are four or five tiers in the Eredivisie right now -- here's how they break in attendance: 1 Ajax 48.861 2 Feyenoord 44.346 3 PSV 33.377 4 SC Heerenveen 25.169 5 FC Utrecht 20.015 6 FC Groningen 19.296 7 Vitesse 19.188 8 AZ Alkmaar 16.408 9 NAC Breda 15.451 10 Roda JC 14.352 11 FC Twente 13.175 12 Willem II 12.725 13 NEC 12.050 14 VBV De Graafschap 11.992 15 Sparta Rotterdam 10.104 16 SC Heracles Almelo 8.376 17 VVV Venlo 5.890 18 SBV Excelsior 3.009 I would put MLS in that 9-10 slot -- about like Breda or Roda. Breda has been on fire and is now 3rd in a crowded table, while Roda is 8th. When Breda settles back, I think those two are the closest. I'm not trying to be outrageous here, but all of these teams spend a lot more than MLS on players -- it isn't a great shock that many are better.
Which is why I say "overall", the MLS is just as good if not better than the Eredivisie, because the level of competition is more equal throughout the league. I would think it would get kinda boring watching the same teams dominate constantly over and over and over again. I think it kinda depends on the way you look at it.
i dont think you can compare MLS to any of the euro leagues. its better to compare Japan korea and australia.
MLS is a third tier league, and it won't change until we can pay people better money. Once the salary cap is around 10-15 million than we can compete with anyone in the world. In sports, you get what you pay for. And at 2.5 million the depth and quality of the league really suffer. Sure there are 3 or 4 top players on each team, and we find some real gems like Toja, De Ro, and emilio that could play in any league. But these guys need to be the standard and not the exception. The only reason MLS isn't better, is the salary cap. With that said, I think we do a great job of scouting young talent, and do a very fine job for 2 and a half million dollars. In ten years I believe this will be considered one of the better leagues in the world. But it all depends on the salary cap. I am already hearing these owners say that they are still losing money and can't afford to raise the level of pay.