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McCarthy's Musings: New Signings Will Determine Future Of MLS Designated Player Rule
MLS revised its Designated Player regulations last week. Kyle McCarthy seizes on a recent transfer link to illustrate the choices ahead of the league as it ponders how and when to add new DPs.
Apr 7, 2010 2:23:00 AM
By Kyle McCarthy
Thank goodness for European soccer reporters. They always know how to stir up a rumor or two to set the American soccer cognoscenti aflutter.
France Football launched the latest salvo in the unending parade of high-profile transfer links on Monday by suggesting MLS has expressed interest in five current and former French internationals, including frequently mooted targets Thierry Henry, Robert Pires and Patrick Vieira.
The interesting bit about this particular story isn't yet another link to several high-profile names. The narrative makes sense. As a group, the three aforementioned musketeers fit the Designated Player model well and represent the caliber of players who can significantly influence proceedings on and off the field. Ludovic Giuly, a former Barcelona winger also included in the group of five, doesn't match the DP ideal as snugly, but his creativity and quality on the ball make his presence in the DP discussion a reasonable one.
In this rare instance, the least notable player in the quintet – former Monaco schemer Camel Meriem – provides the most interesting angle because his inclusion as a possible acquisition prompts intriguing questions about how MLS clubs will approach the newly revised DP rule.
Push aside the veracity of the rumor – wait and see with no guarantees, after all – for a moment and ponder Meriem as a player. The 30-year-old midfielder accrued 11 caps for France without establishing himself as a regular in the squad and excelled as a playmaker in Ligue 1 for Bordeaux, Marseille, Monaco and Sochaux. After leaving Monaco on a free transfer after the 2008-2009 season, Meriem flirted with Blackburn and Bolton before signing an 18-month contract to join Freddy Adu and Eddie Johnson at Aris Salonika earlier this year.
Nothing about Meriem or his CV screams Designated Player. Not his exemplary career, not his international caps and certainly not his modest profile outside of France. Despite the discordance between the trusted model and the proffered resume, it isn't outside of the realm of possibility for a player of Meriem's stature – impressive, but not staggering, accomplishments in Europe, unheralded and unproven on American shores – to land at some ambitious MLS club as a second or third DP under the revised regulations. The current circumstances, including the recently reduced cap hit, may even encourage it.
Landing the prototypical DP remains a difficult task even with the host of aging European stars willing to publicly contemplate a move to the United States. Few players meet the traditional criteria – a notable star who can contribute on and off the field – and even fewer arrive on the favorable contract terms and with the free transfer arrangements required to reach a deal. The presence of a mere six DPs across the league reveals the difficulty in luring the proper players Stateside and the inherent risks to salary budgets and title aspirations a failed move poses. As the current pool of 48 potential DPs increases, the standard for incoming DPs will decrease unless MLS either starts to offer transfer fees in selected situations or suddenly discovers a untapped trove of suitably priced household names. Not even the reluctance of many teams to dip into the DP market can mask those concerns as the years progress.
Turning to the Meriems of the world to fill the DP ranks offers benefits and risks. Adding accomplished players, even at some unrecoverable financial cost to individual investor/operators and to the detriment of the original intent of the rule, makes sense. The standard of play would certainly welcome the injection of experienced campaigners, particularly if those wily veterans can supply some much-needed creativity in the attacking third. On the other hand, the inclusion of lesser-known DP players strengthens the case for MLS standouts and other notable players on short money to join them in the DP ranks. If a player in Meriem's class earns DP-level wages, the already tenuous rationale for artificially depressing salaries for MLS stars like Dwayne De Rosario and Shalrie Joseph or veteran imports like Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Youri Djorkaeff and Claudio Lopez weakens considerably. The financial repercussions could force MLS to ponder an alternative approach.
Until Meriem or a similar player – perhaps even Seattle's incoming Swiss forward Blaise Nkufo, if he is allotted DP wages – earns a DP deal and turns theory into reality, the conversation remains better suited to the speculation-reliant European press. Fortunately for those observers waiting for a resolution, the incessant rumors will continue to provide idle entertainment as MLS plots its DP direction over the next several months.
Kyle McCarthy writes the Monday MLS Breakdown and frequently writes opinion pieces during the week for Goal.com. He also covers the New England Revolution for the Boston Herald and MLSsoccer.com. Contact him with your questions or comments at kyle.mccarthy@goal.com and follow him on Twitter by clicking here.
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page.
Thank goodness for European soccer reporters. They always know how to stir up a rumor or two to set the American soccer cognoscenti aflutter.
France Football launched the latest salvo in the unending parade of high-profile transfer links on Monday by suggesting MLS has expressed interest in five current and former French internationals, including frequently mooted targets Thierry Henry, Robert Pires and Patrick Vieira.
The interesting bit about this particular story isn't yet another link to several high-profile names. The narrative makes sense. As a group, the three aforementioned musketeers fit the Designated Player model well and represent the caliber of players who can significantly influence proceedings on and off the field. Ludovic Giuly, a former Barcelona winger also included in the group of five, doesn't match the DP ideal as snugly, but his creativity and quality on the ball make his presence in the DP discussion a reasonable one.
In this rare instance, the least notable player in the quintet – former Monaco schemer Camel Meriem – provides the most interesting angle because his inclusion as a possible acquisition prompts intriguing questions about how MLS clubs will approach the newly revised DP rule.
Push aside the veracity of the rumor – wait and see with no guarantees, after all – for a moment and ponder Meriem as a player. The 30-year-old midfielder accrued 11 caps for France without establishing himself as a regular in the squad and excelled as a playmaker in Ligue 1 for Bordeaux, Marseille, Monaco and Sochaux. After leaving Monaco on a free transfer after the 2008-2009 season, Meriem flirted with Blackburn and Bolton before signing an 18-month contract to join Freddy Adu and Eddie Johnson at Aris Salonika earlier this year.
Nothing about Meriem or his CV screams Designated Player. Not his exemplary career, not his international caps and certainly not his modest profile outside of France. Despite the discordance between the trusted model and the proffered resume, it isn't outside of the realm of possibility for a player of Meriem's stature – impressive, but not staggering, accomplishments in Europe, unheralded and unproven on American shores – to land at some ambitious MLS club as a second or third DP under the revised regulations. The current circumstances, including the recently reduced cap hit, may even encourage it.
Landing the prototypical DP remains a difficult task even with the host of aging European stars willing to publicly contemplate a move to the United States. Few players meet the traditional criteria – a notable star who can contribute on and off the field – and even fewer arrive on the favorable contract terms and with the free transfer arrangements required to reach a deal. The presence of a mere six DPs across the league reveals the difficulty in luring the proper players Stateside and the inherent risks to salary budgets and title aspirations a failed move poses. As the current pool of 48 potential DPs increases, the standard for incoming DPs will decrease unless MLS either starts to offer transfer fees in selected situations or suddenly discovers a untapped trove of suitably priced household names. Not even the reluctance of many teams to dip into the DP market can mask those concerns as the years progress.
Turning to the Meriems of the world to fill the DP ranks offers benefits and risks. Adding accomplished players, even at some unrecoverable financial cost to individual investor/operators and to the detriment of the original intent of the rule, makes sense. The standard of play would certainly welcome the injection of experienced campaigners, particularly if those wily veterans can supply some much-needed creativity in the attacking third. On the other hand, the inclusion of lesser-known DP players strengthens the case for MLS standouts and other notable players on short money to join them in the DP ranks. If a player in Meriem's class earns DP-level wages, the already tenuous rationale for artificially depressing salaries for MLS stars like Dwayne De Rosario and Shalrie Joseph or veteran imports like Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Youri Djorkaeff and Claudio Lopez weakens considerably. The financial repercussions could force MLS to ponder an alternative approach.
Until Meriem or a similar player – perhaps even Seattle's incoming Swiss forward Blaise Nkufo, if he is allotted DP wages – earns a DP deal and turns theory into reality, the conversation remains better suited to the speculation-reliant European press. Fortunately for those observers waiting for a resolution, the incessant rumors will continue to provide idle entertainment as MLS plots its DP direction over the next several months.
Kyle McCarthy writes the Monday MLS Breakdown and frequently writes opinion pieces during the week for Goal.com. He also covers the New England Revolution for the Boston Herald and MLSsoccer.com. Contact him with your questions or comments at kyle.mccarthy@goal.com and follow him on Twitter by clicking here.
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page.
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