Scandinavia option is getting some play

Mexico always seemed like the best alternative for aspiring US professional soccer players, because of proximity, the healthy financial status of the league, and the fact that Norteamericanos might be able to supply unique qualities.

But Canada and the US never became a supplier of talent to Mexico, or any Central or South American league.

Instead, MLS players and prospects are finding an alternative in Scandinavia. There has not been a full-scale exodus, but a significant number of quality performers are finding acceptance in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

The latest to depart is former Cape Cod Crusader and Franklin Pierce College striker Christopher Joyce, who signed a three-year contract worth about $200,000 with Odd Grenland in Norway. Joyce, who scored 51 goals in two seasons at Franklin Pierce, rejected a developmental contract worth about $12,000 with FC Dallas.

''He could have signed with the MLS, but who wants a four-year contract when you can make more money?" said Natick-based agent Patrick McCabe. ''They offered a developmental contract, and it is not enough. He will be making 60 times what the MLS offered.

''More and more guys are going to go to Scandinavia. It is a great steppingstone. [Joyce] was going to play 12 or 13 games with the reserves; instead he will get 20 or 30 matches."

Joyce, 23, will replace former Southern Connecticut State star Olivier Occean, who went to Lillestrom on a $1.3 million transfer, one of the richest moves in Norway history. Occean, a Canadian international, was drafted by the MetroStars last year.

Like many others who have followed this path, Joyce does not fit the mold of the typical MLS prospect. The 6-foot-3-inch striker moved to New Hampshire from England and was among the few NCAA Division 2 players in the MLS combine. But Joyce did not fare well in the combine, an artificial environment in which players are thrown together on temporary teams.

Joyce's strengths -- holding the ball and playing it off to teammates, then making runs into scoring positions -- were negated because of unfamiliarity.

But Joyce, who performed with the Newcastle United youth team, realized there are alternatives. He was not headed for the Premiership, but there are opportunities at other levels in Europe. Except with the top clubs, the pay scale is not high in Finland, Norway, and Sweden; but there are perks (apartment, automobiles), incentives for success, and a chance to be scouted by the top European leagues.

''The attitude of some players is different," McCabe said. ''For them, the MLS is not the end-all and be-all.

''Hopefully, the league will change. But now they base everything on how a player does in college; so many times, some players get bigger contracts than they should and others get less than they should."

Others who have made the move to Scandinavia include Nat Borchers (Odd Grenland), Adin Brown and Paulo Dos Santos (Aalesund), Danny Califf (Aalborg), Ramiro Corrales (Hamarkameratene), Khari Stephenson (GAIS), Brian West (Fredrikstad). DaMarcus Beasley went to PSV Eindhoven, Michael Bradley to Heerenveen, and Cory Gibbs to Den Haag in The Netherlands. Stephen Armstrong, Wade Barrett, Brian Dunseth, Wolde Harris, and Leighton O'Brien have gone Scandinavian and returned.

Stephenson, who played at Williams College, is a starting midfielder and free kick specialist for Jamaica's national team. But Stephenson was moved to right back with the Kansas City Wizards, eventually losing his starting spot, then was waived. There were no takers in MLS, but Stephenson quickly received an offer in Sweden. Another Jamaican, Fabian Dawkins, went from the Atlanta Silverbacks in the A League to Kalmar in Sweden.

''They tend to pigeonhole players here," McCabe said. ''In [Scandinavia], they appreciate it if you bring something different."

McCabe, 38, talks from experience. After growing up in Medfield and attending Roxbury Prep and Trinity College, he went to South Africa in 1992 ''to teach and coach in a mission school." McCabe joined the Santos team in Johannesburg.

''I had had a bad experience with a contract," McCabe said. ''I was promised a certain amount of money. It wasn't paid on time -- it came in dribs and drabs -- and it was never clear about what the responsibilities of the club were.

''This happens with a lot of players. They are basically told to sign something and that's it. I could never get a copy of it; it wasn't professionally handled and I wish I had had somebody to help out.

''But I had no intention of becoming an agent. I was on my way to business school, and I was just trying to help a couple teammates from Santos. I fell into [agentry] and, because I loved soccer so much, I wanted to be around it. I found I didn't want to work in a bank."

McCabe still plays soccer, often with Revolution coaches Steve Nicol and Paul Mariner and former players such as Mike Burns and Kevin Wylie.

Though McCabe is sending more players across the ocean, he is also trying to keep them in the US.

''First and foremost, I am a Revolution fan," McCabe said. ''I grew up here, and if I can help Stevie or let him know about a player, I will. It was the same with [former Revolution coaches] Fernando [Clavijo] or John Murphy.

''I always want the Revolution to to do well, but they have had a lot of success without me. Stevie and Paul know what they are doing."