Another Rapid of days past is looking for a job. Wolde was waived today by KC. Wolde is now 30 and I must say ... he had himself a much longer run in MLS that I ever thought he'd have. Congrats to Wolde for a long MLS career.
My fondest memory of Wolde was the Elvis Celebration back in '99. That was some creative stuff. Hopefully he'll catch on somewhere. His release is just another example of why the salary cap has to go up a little. Guys like Wolde shouldn't be worrying about a job. He can still play and could have a role on a team in MLS.
Guys like Wolde and others should be annual victims of progress. Surely younger and better players are being developed constantly. Bench players should not have seniority nor tenure. The salary cap is another issue. Its absurdity is beyond imagination!
damn, another player slighted...i would be scared if i was a player in this league and i had a couple of good seasons and get a raise....it seems if you are successful you get a raise but as soon as you sign you are in jeopardy of getting cut because of your salary....not much job security....
It looks like another A-league team is going to land a MLS caliber striker. The cap needs to be fixed.
If that's what would happen much of the time, I could see a scenario where this is a good indication for American soccer. The MLS has often gotten over-30 International players to come over here and finish careers, thus benefitting MLS and finding a home for them. Maybe in the same way, the A league could be where MLS over-30s go, bumping up the performance of the 2nd division here in the US, creating better tension there. This would create a stronger atmosphere for further MLS expansion, expand viewership as fans cross over to also watch the 2nd division as the A league's star power continues increasing, and gives players more opportunities to extend their careers here in the US. Then, if all goes well, I get to make my comeback at 32 as a Senior Geritol Internet-ional for the 3rd division, and my son can play for Hanki's son on the Mammoth-Rapids in 20 years. Hmmm, I can dream a little dream, can't I? Cheers, BilFish http://bilfish.com/rapids/
while i think fans MLS-wide will agree it's time for the cap # to rise...isnt it exciting this also means we're almost definitely ready to expand back to 12, not to mention 14 teams perhaps in 2 years, without worrying about the lack of talent level...guys like wolde and carrieri are getting screwed if you ask me by getting cut this late, but thats the current system, and i'm sure MLS is aware of it...the cap almost got raised this year, so hopefully we can assume it will undoubtedly go up next year, and there will again be more roster spots in this league available with expansion teams (that this are prepared with SSS and WILL NOT FOLD) =)
A wolde story. UNC v Clemson a few years back. UNC's stud at the back is no other than Greg Berhalter. Wolde has transferred in from Uconn?. Ball is played into Wolde. He holds of Berhalter, posts up in a fashion that any NBA center would admire, takes one leg and simply moves Berhalter out of the way, turns and nails a bullet past the keeper into the back of the net. Truly one of the best goals I have ever seen in person. And the last last goal I have ever heard of Wolde scoring. Go figure. Best to you Wolde.
You really think MLS is better off with rosters ladden with rookies or developmental players making 24k than with vets like Wolde? I'm not sure I want to watch college level soccer by guys that are only making teams because they are cheap. And tell me, besides Borchers, what young player has been developed by the Rapids? Oh, Carrieri but he's no longer... I see no consistancy in young player development anywhere in MLS except Chicago and DC. And shouldn't it be the other way around? Shouldn't the A-League be supplying players for MLS?
Come on. Wolde was good ... but he wasn't that good. It was time to move on ... he wasn't going to get better. Every team continually tried finding players that could get him out of the lineup. I don't see this as much of a cap issue ... just as MLS is outgrowing the 30 year old Harris. In the last two years Wolde has scored 6 goals in 49 games! Some of you need to mix some logic with your outrage
I'm curious as to how many of those were when he played against the rapids. That guy seemed like he alwasy scored on the rapids. And you can add 1 for the bike he got robbed of last year.
No outrage. I just find the logic that MLS is better off with all these younger, unproven players than guys like Wolde as little hard to grasp. I'm not even really saying that Wolde is great. I just find it strange and a little unhealthy that all these MLS vets at, or around 30, are out of jobs because teams can't afford to keep them. It just seems unhealthy to me that we have guys at the extreme ends of the salary range and not much in between. I always liked Wolde but I wasn't heartbroken when he was traded and I'm not all that surprised or disappointed that he is out of the league. I just find it, I don't know, unnerving.
Wolde was proven and rather ordinary. I suspect the new crop of players are of higher quality. The issue should always be quality. I, too, am concerned that quality players must be shed from rosters to meet very tight cap parameters. The meaningful examples include: Piotr Novak, Lubos Kubik, Hristo Stoitchkof, Dema Kovalenko, Josh Wolff, Jeff Agoos, etc. all of whom HAD to be traded for zip in order to satisfy cap requirements. Wolde was a victim of limited ability far more than cap ceiling!
I agree with joeyclams last post. Wolde wasn't my favorite forward and I don't necessarily think he should even be a starting forward. But players like him and other strong players waived or cut recently (Ezra Hendrickson, Milton Reyes, Brian Dunseth, etc.) can really provide depth to a squad. While a bit unnerving (to use joeyclams' term), I think this sends one of two messages: either it's time to raise the cap or, I think this one is better, MLS is definitely ready for a few more teams. Perhaps a bit of both...
There are other possible messages, and perhaps it's not so much an "or" issue but an "and" issue... maybe the MLS and soccer are starting to reach some critical thresholds and layers of support which will help US Soccer in the future. What thresholds? Having crops of good young players where maybe we didn't before. Having crops of experienced players where maybe we didn't before. Having crops of (new and experienced) Internationals happy to come over here, where maybe we didn't have that before. Having more places for professional (read: paid) players to go in the US. The A League can pay salaries, other countries want to add US goalies and other National team members, and MLS will likely expand. One question I've been mulling over. Why is the $24,000 league minimum cited as such an issue? Is it because in other sports everyone's a rock star? Or is it because we really need to pay more to get better talent? Or do we need higher salaries to make soccer seem like a "real" sport? I don't know. I DO know that, in and of itself, $12/hour full time starting pay to play soccer ain't that bad when you look at the literally 10s of millions of jobs in the US that pay $12 or less an hour and suck. Cheers, BilFish
For me, the 24K thing isn't an issue. If someone wants to play a professional sports, then they should be willing to take whatever salary is offered until they prove themselves to be worth more. I look at CC. Came in around the minimum and over the course of 3 season, proved himself and got more money. In the end, it cost him his job in Colorado but he had to work hard to get paid more. I don't want MLS to ever get to the level of the NBA where they have rookie contracts already set each year based on draft position. How many of these guys suck a$$ but still get millions over three seasons and then are never heard of again. My issue is the extremes of the salary range. Guys making 24K and others making 280K and not a whole lot in between. This is not a good trend IMO. Teams need role players who are good players and can make an impact when in the game and don't make sick money, either on the low or high end.
After almost 9 years, you'd think the league would at least up the minimum salary to a more livable wage. Of course, there's the Rapids ghetto in Westminster that helps the players get by paying only $100 in rent, but still, a Major League sport should be looking to at least pay their players better compensation than their entry-level Front Office staff. And I say that meaning no offense to the FO staff, just that the players on the field should expect a better wage than $11 an hour. (40 hour work week.) That said (my playing talent notwithstanding) I'd take $24k in a heartbeat just to play soccer for a living. My wife wouldn't though...
If they don't want to play for 24K a year then they can find another career! How can you have sympathy for them? Starting pay for teachers is 24K a year ... that's outrageous! They don't even work a full day most of the week ... they can earn extra money if they want. Most do. Why do some players make 280K? Because they are players that can make that playing in Europe. If you want Spencer to play here instead of England ... you're going to have to pay him ... Now to CC ... didn't have that choice. The only demand for him was in the A-League at that salary. And 50K is a pretty freaking good salary! I spent 6.5 years in college racking up 50K in debt to have a starting salary of 50K. If you really think they should be making more ... if you really think that the salary cap should go up ... then what you are saying basically is that ticket prices are too low. Yep. That's right. MLS is losing money ... and you think they should pay their employees more. Smart business move. I think that's how United Airlines went backrupt isn't it? Reminds me of cutting taxes ... yet increasing goverment spending. There is a wonderful quote about Americans "They want to have an ice cream diet ... eat ice cream three meals a day and not gain any weight." How many of you bitching sit it he $80 a year section (or whatever it is). I can tell you I support MLS and the Rapids by giving them a crap load of money every damn season ... and I'm giving them enough. Screw the 21 year old that's making 24K a year to work for 8 months ... have practice days of 3 hours or so ... get flown to cities all over the country to "PLAY" soccer. They have a perfect life. I'm the guy watching 50% of the people I have worked with in the last 5 years get laid off ... some of whom still cannot find work. I know people with MBAs and MSs who cannot find work. I know people with kids that can't find work. Get an ounce of reality. Pro athletes have fantastic lives and MLS is making smart economical moves. The league is still a baby and you want it to be EPL or La Liga.
Preach it! Exactly. MLS is doing the right thing by holding down costs. Should they raise the minimum? As soon as they can, they should. However, the current minimum doesn't really seem to be detractor for young players. How many of the drafted players say "Na...not enough money in it. I'm going to work for [fill in the name of a faceless corporation] for an extra $5k/year"? I don't remember any... It's hard for me to make it to the practices at Westy before they're done. And that's at my *lunch hour*. They're done, and I'm at lunch. No pity from me, just envy. Amen.
This claim is simply untrue. There's plenty of players between 24k and 280k. Here's a chart of MLS salary distributions, according to Soccer America's salary listings: Code: [size=1] Salary Frequency 12000 0 20000 1 30000 44 50000 34 75000 30 100000 14 150000 23 200000 5 250000 5 More 9 [/size] Soccer America lists 45 players making under $30,000 against 120 making more. There's plenty of room in the league for mid-priced veteran players. It's just that every year, these veterans have to be a little better or they get pushed out. Wolde's situation wasn't like Carrieri's, he wasn't simply a salary cap casualty. He got cut because it was clear to the Wizards that he wasn't going to bring much to the team that Davy Arnaud and Matt Taylor weren't. Same goes for Dunseth (why keep around a 26-year old who wasn't good enough for the worst defense in MLS) andEzra (same). It's not that they cost too much, it's that their large salaries and mediocre performance don't justify keeping them on the team and giving them minutes over a similarly talented but more promising young player.