Thanks, Clint. http://www.ussocceruk.com/news/?CatTypeId=2&ContentId=1169 Further color from Bergin: Clint has called several players from England (last week) to join forces with him and his new agent David Baldwin, noting he can get "who he recommends" gigs in England and Europe. First one on the plane: Craig Ziadie. Arrives today. Three clubs, one is Bradford City. Trials, but serious "if he's good, contract is his" talk. Remember, signing an MLS player is like getting a Division One player on medium end Division Three wages. Attractive. Clint's also been pushing hard for Eddie Gaven to look at clubs in Europe - can't get a UK Work Permit. (Now I'm not sure of his contract status, etc.etc. but Clint's made the call...so that's what I'm saying). Clint's also called three other players along the same lines (other clubs). I'm not sure exactly how many MetroStars players he called in total. Note, I have spoken to David Baldwin, but not going of his info alone (as you would expect I wouldn't). http://www.ussocceruk.com/USsoccerUK_Forum/thread-view.asp?threadid=1053&start=76 Gaven? Are you kidding me? Anyone else get the distinct impression that Mathis is really, really trying to screw over the Metros and MLS as best he can (and probably getting some poor advice from his new agent, to boot)? I can only shake my head in bewilderment... this can't end well.
Hopefully, a MLS lawyer will introduce Clint to the concept of "tortious interference" or, as it's known in the NFL, tampering.
Huh? Clint is a private citizen, not working for anybody, so it is a little bit hard to see how he could be tampering (unless, in fact, his secret plan is to start his own club in England). In addition, unless you have actually read the terms of these guys contracts with MLS, there is no way of knowing if any of this would even be a breach contract by them. At the moment, the MLS guys are not in season. Personally, I would be rather surprised if their MLS contracts prohibit them from working out with other teams during the offseason...
Good. It gives the bullies at MLS a little taste of their own medicine. How many dreams has MLS ruined by refusing to transfer players to Europe. If MLS had sold Mathis when he was playing better he'd be recieving a much better contract then he will get anytime soon. I'm still waiting for the day when MLS players pull what European players have done. Claudio Makelele was making 1.5 million with Real Madrid. Chelsea offered to double his wages. Makelele is worth the higher wages. Madrid refused to increase his wages or to transfer Makelele to Chelsea. Makelele stopped showing up to practices and was telling Real Madrid he would quit the club. Madrid decided to sell Makelele to Chelsea.
Don't yout hink Clint should worry about securing himself a contract before trying to get average MLS players gigs overseas?
Craig Zaide was benched half the time last year for Chris Leitch, what team in England would want him? How is Gaven going to get a work permit when Convey couldnt get one? I dont belive any of this.
Just to clarify then, when folks like Mo Johnston or Peter Nowak convince guys to come to MLS, they're being great guys, but when Mathis trys to get gigs for his friends and teammates, he's interfering, bitter and possibly breaking the law?? Right. I'm off to the politics board. A bit more level headed there.
TOO funny. Okay, now I know you're kidding. If you had written looks to sign, or if you had picked a lesser club/player, then maybe... Oh, and as for the "dreams shattered" -- Tim-MAY transferred because ManU did NOT make a low-ball offer. The B.S. on Big Soccer that refers to non-existent "multi-million $ transfer bids" which were allegedly rejected by MLS are fictional. Think Perugia should have offered more than around $700,000 for BOTH Mathis AND DMB? Yeah, so do I. And that was one of the more substantial "rumors" floating around.
Best of luck over there to Craig. He came across as a pretty nice guy the one time I talked to him. Meanwhile, the thought that we'd get an allocation (and going by the very nebulous rules of MLS, we WOULD get an allocation for a player who transfers while under contract, right?) for a defender who only played half the time for us anyway is hilarious. I'm all for it. Oh, and Gaven can't transfer now for the same reason that Adu couldn't - FIFA edict on players under 18.
Huh? Ben Olsen was on a season loan, IIRC, and busted his ankle. We, or at least I, don't know the specifics of the 'offers' Beasley supposedly got from Ajax and/or Boro, or that Mathis got from Bayern, but all evidence points to them being not even close to fair. Sort of like that ludicrous Perugia offer for the two of them. Being fair to its players is one thing, but this league isn't going to last if it subjects itself to being raped by richer foreign clubs.
As much as I like MLS, I agree here. They have been stubborn with decent offers made for their players, and now it is coming back to bite them in the ass.. they can only play the God role for so long without repurcusions... Mathis is probably just giving his friends options. Having said that, I cant see what advantage the first division can give over MLS except for achange of scenery.. Unless you are playing for a team that has a chance to be promoted to EPL, forget it.
The Ziadie story is from USUK Platinum. USUK Gold: suckers pay $20 to hear exclusively the garbage Chris Bergin makes up. USUK Platinum: for $50 you get to make up your own bullsh!t.
Nottingham Forrest offered to buy Ben Olsen well before he busted his ankle. Boro offered 1.4 million for Beasley. Diallo was offered a deal from a French team which would have given him a chance to compete for a national team spot and 200k which players from Senegal received for reaching the quarterfinals of the World Cup. I don't know the specifics of what Bayern Munich offered for Mathis but look at what MLS is getting now for Mathis. Zero. This concept of not returning phone calls and refusing to negotiate is unfair to players in MLS. Anchutz, Hunt and Kraft have their billions. MLS players have a short period to maximize their earnings. I'm not saying MLS should become a feeder league for European teams. South America and Africa do that quite well and the owners in those countries are known to pocket the money rather than reinvest it. However, if MLS gets 1 million dollars for a player they can use it to buy another quality player(s). At the same time give an MLS player the opportunity to play where he wants to play.
Ziadie's a good player. Jamaican internationals have historically had success in England so I'm sure that's one reason there's any interest at all over there. In the right system I think he'd do quite well with a team like Bradford City. Work permit shouldn't be a problem. All hypothetical of course, but would Metro definitely get an allocation in return? As for Gaven, there's no way he's leaving Metro. (a) FIFA regulations prohibit it, (b) even if they didn't, why would MLS sell a player before he's proven himself? He's not Adu but he could be Beasley or Bocanegra, i.e. a big payday for MLS in 2 or 3 years, and (c) if Convey can't get a work permit, Gaven probably couldn't get a tourist visa. Still, a little training in England can't be a bad thing. If some teams want to take a look at him so they can follow his career and think about signing him 2-3 years down the road, that's good for Eddie.
Wouldn't the difference be that Mo Johnston and Peter Nowak were actually signed to the league or playing here before inviting others. I think people are just saying he should worry about getting established overseas before making recommendations.
I'm working from memory here, but wasn't that a loan deal? A deal that would have taken Diallo - Tampa Bay's most important player - away through the winter and until the end of the French season, missing the first part of the Mutiny season (and taking into account the World Cup and all he'd miss for that, why even bother giving him a uniform for the season, in that case?) In a perfect world, of course you try and make some arrangements so that he gets a shot at making the Senegalese team (I'm sure even Diallo couldn't have thought they'd advance as far as they did, and get that $200k) - but MLS has to worry about its teams, its fans too, doesn't it? Never mind what happened to TB that season and afterwards - it's pretty hard for them to justify leaving a team dead in the water for one player. How would you feel if we were to loan out Guevara today, and not get him back until we were 6 or 7 games deep in the 04 season? We've been through that crap of not having our own players in at the start of the season before - with Donadoni, with Tab - and thankfully, I think MLS has learned its lesson.
Did I miss something here, or is Clint still unemployed? Maybe he should try out for Bradford City instead of recommending it to Ziadie.
I think he is, or just maybe he has something up his sleeve and nothing is going to be announced until after the 1st of the year.