By Jason Davis - WASHINGTON, DC (Jan 6, 2011) US Soccer Players -- A funny thing happened to Major League Soccer on the way to international relevancy. With so much going for it - apparent unlimited potential for growth, new stadiums providing verifiable soccer atmospheres, the high standard of living in the US and Canada, a willingness to spend when appropriate, a dash of anonymity some players might find attractive - MLS sat perched atop the pile of secondary leagues with the wherewithal to lure European stars.
By signing David Beckham in 2007 and backing up that landmark move with several other big name signings across the intervening years, MLS became the preeminent destination for players with just a little more to give and the dream of one more big contract.
Now, there’s competition.
Some of it has always been there. The Middle Eastern leagues in places like the United Arab Emirates and Qatar never lack for cash to throw at the erstwhile European player. Some of it is more recent in its prominence.
Nikolas Anelka is now a Shanghai Shenhua player, having left the high profile environs of the English Premier League for a new lucrative adventure in the Far East. Rumors abound that the Chinese league isn’t done making megabuck (or is that megayuan?) offers to names most of the soccer worlds knows well, and the sudden arrival of China as a serious player in the market shouldn’t be taken lightly. Among others, Shanghai Shenhua beat out the expansion Montreal Impact to sign Anelka. The Impact simply couldn’t match the money. Even the common language didn’t matter.
Whether or not Montreal needed the Francophone Anelka from a marketing perspective is a discussion for another day. What is clear from the striker’s decision to ply his trade on the other side of the world is that MLS is in danger of relinquishing the pole position when it comes to importing players like him.
Money is still the driving force, and while not all will trade a Western existence for the cash, most will find it difficult to turn down the richer contracts offered by Chinese league sides. Major League Soccer still holds a trump card - especially for players who speak English and those who view the US and Canada positively - but more competition means likely losing out on players that might have landed here just a year or two ago.
It might come as a surprise to many American fans that China, with its Communist government and poor human rights reputation, is still able to entice Western stars. Again, it seems the bigger the money, the less cultural differences matter.
MLS is probably the most prestigious competition among these leagues. Throw in Australia’s A-League, which occasionally makes a bid for a name player with a European reputation, and Major League Soccer still maintains that edge. That’s a spot the League isn’t used to holding. With a few more years of seasoning, could aid in thrusting the American league back up to the top of the market for Euro players looking for new locales.
Whether MLS signs more Beckhams and Henrys or not, it is growing at a rapid enough clip. With the added benefit of an American profile, the League shouldn’t worry that prestige will slip below the Chinese Super League or the UAE’s Pro League. In fact, it might improve at a faster rate by leaving the Euro stars to others.
The Super League and leagues like it might actually be doing MLS a favor, however unintentional. Rather than waste time and money on players looking for one last contract who may or may not be emotionally invested in giving their best here, teams across MLS should be looking for younger players with potentials rather than pasts. The League has taken steps to encourage the signing of more young, foreign talent, but it has yet to take hold in a meaningful way. So far, one team, Portland, has exercised the young Designated Player rule. Young (potential) stars aren’t marketing drivers. Young (potential) stars might flop on the field without the acceptable hedge of selling a few extra season tickets. Young stars require actual scouting. Young stars are a risk.
But signing young foreign players with high ceilings (and further, possible value as saleable commodities) represents just one possible use for money not spent on the aging European model. The cash teams don’t dump into designated player contracts can also be used to improve academies, hire scouts, or invest further in the infrastructure that will ultimately determine their place in the future soccer world.
There’s a law of diminishing returns in play when it comes to the attention gained by the signing of yet another aging European player. Since Beckham, the effect of each successive big name DP on the profile of MLS both here and abroad is progressively less. A new dawn is breaking. The League is no longer dependent on a player or two for some measure of legitimacy.
Not that it’s easy for MLS teams, particularly those with big aspirations and the means to bring marquee names to the League, to wean themselves off of the marquee player. Admittedly, it’s very difficult to resist the urge to chase talented players on the wrong side of thirty who suddenly find themselves in need of a place to play. Those signings bring more than just a good player, they get your name in the paper. That has never been an easy task for MLS teams. With that in mind, the potential to overpay for publicity is par for the course.
China’s sudden interest in bringing in the famous names from Europe is a cloud with a silver lining for MLS. One that provides a check against flashy spending in the short term.
Jason Davis is the founder of MatchFitUSA.com. Contact him: matchfitusa@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter: http://twitter.com/davisjsn.
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