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MLS Dissolving Reserve League
MLS commissioner Don Garber announced that the reserve league would be dissolved before the 2009 season in an attempt to put more money into the senior teams.
Nov 22, 2008 11:27:26 AM
MLS has announced plans to dissolve the MLS Reserve League before the 2009 season in a move to try and get more emphasis on the senior teams.
“We’re going to be expanding our senior rosters in 2009 and eliminating the reserve division as it exists today,” MLS commissioner Don Garber said in a press conference Friday. “We are reducing the number of developing players that are on each team’s roster from ten players to four players.”
According to Garber the move is designed to get the most out of the money spent on players and allow for a better product from the senior teams.
“Right now the focus is to be sure we have the best senior roster and be able to have the most competitive teams we can,” Garber said. “We’re not walking away from development but we’re saying we need to reconfigure it.”
The league will allow for added spots on the senior roster and with the growing number of fixtures on MLS schedules, especially for those teams involved with Super Liga and Champions League, the new policy should allow for more flexibility under the salary cap.
The academy programs seem to be the focus of development for MLS as they look to the future but the loss of developing professionals could turn into a negative for the league. Several teams called on reserve players throughout the year to supplement their rosters and even with two added roster spots, 24 players per team could run the ranks a little thin.
One group that should benefit from this move is the USL. Many of the young players that will be released do to the reserve league’s demise could find spots playing for USL teams in the near future.
While the choice to put out the best product possible at the senior level should be a priority for MLS, considering the poor showings of MLS sides in the Champions League, the dissolving of the reserve league could lead to a loss of some very talented young players to other leagues.
--Allen Ramsey, Goal.com
“We’re going to be expanding our senior rosters in 2009 and eliminating the reserve division as it exists today,” MLS commissioner Don Garber said in a press conference Friday. “We are reducing the number of developing players that are on each team’s roster from ten players to four players.”
According to Garber the move is designed to get the most out of the money spent on players and allow for a better product from the senior teams.
“Right now the focus is to be sure we have the best senior roster and be able to have the most competitive teams we can,” Garber said. “We’re not walking away from development but we’re saying we need to reconfigure it.”
The league will allow for added spots on the senior roster and with the growing number of fixtures on MLS schedules, especially for those teams involved with Super Liga and Champions League, the new policy should allow for more flexibility under the salary cap.
The academy programs seem to be the focus of development for MLS as they look to the future but the loss of developing professionals could turn into a negative for the league. Several teams called on reserve players throughout the year to supplement their rosters and even with two added roster spots, 24 players per team could run the ranks a little thin.
One group that should benefit from this move is the USL. Many of the young players that will be released do to the reserve league’s demise could find spots playing for USL teams in the near future.
While the choice to put out the best product possible at the senior level should be a priority for MLS, considering the poor showings of MLS sides in the Champions League, the dissolving of the reserve league could lead to a loss of some very talented young players to other leagues.
--Allen Ramsey, Goal.com
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