A matter of value judgments
MLS, players clash on cash
Major League Soccer is experiencing growing pains. And the very concept that has helped keep the league in business -- single entity -- also seems to be holding it back in many ways.
Players who are seeking to move to Europe, such as the Revolution's Clint Dempsey, feel restricted by the league's reluctance to let them go. Dempsey, the league believes, is worth more performing regularly in MLS than if he is sold for, say, $2 million.
Dempsey is contracted to MLS through December 2007, so to optimize the transaction, the league should sell him at least a year in advance; otherwise it risks him departing on a free transfer. But, again, MLS apparently is intent on keeping Dempsey.
The problem is, Dempsey is intent on moving to Europe; his ambition has outgrown MLS. Dempsey's ability -- and marketability -- plus his unequivocal intentions are exceptional. And this is creating tension within and without the Dempsey camp. The league and Dempsey's agent, Dan Segal, have received offers from overseas, clubs' interest having increased based on Dempsey's performance in the World Cup.
By rights, MLS does not have to entertain offers for Dempsey or any other player. And the league -- probably rightly in this case -- has a higher asking price than $2 million for its best young prospects.
Part of the problem, though, is that the league itself is determining the value of players on the global market. So instead of a foreign club negotiating with the Revolution, it is dealing with the New York office of MLS, which brings us back to the single-entity plan.
The New York office was founded on fiscal responsibility. But when MLS started in 1996, nobody was offering seven-figure transfer fees for US-born players. Now, a market is being established. But agents and players feel frustrated because the league is setting prices, instead of the players and their teams.
In some ways, the league is outgrowing the central-planning concept. Teams are gaining a stronger say in player payroll and transfers. But MLS was founded on the principle of controlling costs, and that continues to be the guiding force.
Much of this conflict is being played out through the Dempsey situation.
Dempsey was recently quoted as saying there is no offer the league can make for him to stay. And he is not posturing to gain leverage to renegotiate his contract; he sincerely, and passionately, wants to move on.
This is a rare situation for a US athlete, though other MLS players have moved to Europe, most notably goalkeeper Tim Howard to Manchester United on a $3.6 million transfer.
European money has long ruled the sport of soccer. European clubs set the standards of supply and demand. Only a few leagues (England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain) are predominantly importers of talent. Other leagues play the import-export game and some (Argentina, Brazil, most Eastern European and Third World countries) are developmental leagues.
MLS is still evolving and does not comfortably fit into this equation. It was an importer of talent in its first couple of years. But when MLS was first proposed, it expected to someday be a ``net exporter" of talent to international leagues. Now, it is somewhere in between. The league is not spending money on imported talent, and though it is developing talent, it is only rarely exporting it.
Dempsey, then, is becoming a symbol of MLS. But is Dempsey an exception or does he represent a trend?
US players are certainly improving, and Dempsey is a great example of that. But many MLS players do not aspire to be exported, though there is often greater opportunity elsewhere.
In other countries, players use offers as leverage with their clubs, even if they are locked into a contract. The club often responds with a sweetener, though its feet usually have to be held to the fire, unless the offer is so great the club simply can't say no. This also happens in MLS, but it seldom receives offers it can't refuse.
Another irritation for players is that the league does not convert player transfers into increased salaries. This could change if the MLS Players Association gains power. For now, though, players believe Dempsey should be sold, the transfer fee used to augment their own pay and invested into developing a replacement for Dempsey. The league counters that the situation is not that simple.
The World Cup showed that US players still need to move to Europe to gain seasoning. Dempsey, for one, is ready to go.
``I talked to the referee [Andrew Chapin] in the referee's room after the game," Nicol said after the Revolution and Fire reserves played to a 0-0 tie at the Payson Road field yesterday morning. ``I gave him the benefit of the doubt that maybe he didn't understand what happened. He said Jay hit Barrett in the face.
``I went back and looked at the tape and what Jay did was completely accidental and was done with no malice; Jay was looking only at the ball and going for the ball."
Nicol said Chapin also did not allow enough injury time, and he confronted the referee outside the center circle after the match.
``It should have been more than four minutes," Nicol said. ``But it was not even four. I showed him the stopwatch and it was 3:55. He said it was 3:59. I said it only takes one second to score a goal."
