MLS after Mac

Nothing new here:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/ ... 958868.ece

But it does beg the question: Will McBride stay on one more year?

Clearly, had he not injured himself, I would think he would feel fulfilled and head back to the states with his family. Is there a chance that since he missed a big part of the season, back to full health, just kept Fulham up, that our captain will stay one more season to make sure the Whites are safe for one more year?

PF note: Moved & merged from Fulham News thread.

 

I could see this going either way. Now that Fulham have survived the relagation battle I think there is a good possiblility that Brian will look at this as mission accomplished and decide that there is no better time to move his family back home. If this is the case I believe Chicago has the upperhand in receiving his services.

I could also see MAF making a personal plea to Brian for one more year of service to give Roy time to right the ship. I think Brian might be persuaded to stay but only if he feels a personal responsibility to the club and MAF.

My hope is to see him in a Fulham kit next season. My guess is that he will place his family's priorities before the clubs and that we watched his final Fulham match against Pompey.

 

.. and a few years after, as I recall. Sheesh.

This was discussed at length on the Crew BS. This is good a place -mid thread- to start:
http://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthre ... 943&page=7

Toronto has his rights - NO WAY

Chicago wants him and he/DINA wants Chicago - no money for him

Crew would like him, has the money for DP right now; but we already have a TEAM and that team is centered around GBS and Moreno.

He aint going anywhere else in England. He SURE's hell aint going anywhere else in Europe.

He'll be in for one more season.. at least till January {like Keller}

 

As nice as it would be to see McBride back in Columbus - to the point where I would actually buy season tickets - I think he is better needed for one more season at Fulham. They should buy some young players and have McBride teach them how to be PROPER professionals. We all can admit that his return did much for the boys this season.

 

Hands off, twerps!

Macca has one more "full" season left in the ol' cabeza.

 

Money or no money in Chicago I believe if Brian tells the MLS the only way he is signing a deal is if he plays in Chicago that the MLS will "arrange" for him to play in Chicago. Ruiz, Donovan and Beckham should not all be in LA but they are. The MLS is looking for name recognition and bums in the seats and Brian accomplishes both of those things in Chicago.

Just for the record I also believe that if Thiery Henry, or any other big name player, says they only sign a deal if they play in New York the MLS will make that happen too. The MLS is trying to brand teams and will bend over backwards for "names". Can anyone say, "Today the MLS has announced that a third DP slot will be available to all MLS teams" or "The MLS has announced today that the salary cap will be raised to $X"?

 

There's only one problem, Barry. Big Phil doesnt 'own the {majority of the} league', anymore.

Actually I THINK it's more cap room than a DP slot. Brian's the kind who will take a cut... after all, he's going to be getting out of the game, will be making business contacts, and once he quits playing wont be making that kind of money, anyway.

And Don... I was making an assumption that Radz had a brain AND that he liked Canada/Toronto, not anything he himself said. Evidently I was wrong.

In Keller's case, I'm basing it on his own words. And I think Seattle's owners have a brain. I could be wrong THERE, too.

 

Radz did pretty well this season, if I remember correctly. Toronto ain't going anywhere.

 

Toronto is a great area, so it's an easy assumption to make, but I think you forgot to consider that Radzinski is as genuinely Canadian as Owen Hargreaves is English.

By the way, looking at his Wikipedia page, Radz scored 14 goals for his team in Greece this season. Good for him!

 

I agree with you that it is more a case of cap room than the DP slot for Brian and I realize that Big Phil does not own the majority of the league now but I am simply looking at this from a business model perspective.

The question is does the MLS want to attract big name players and I think we can agree that at least eventually the answer is yes.

The problem from a business perspective is the divergence of the MLS business model vs. the rest of the world. Eventually this situation is going to wind up being a game of chicken. Either the MLS as a whole is going to have to "blink" and make concessions or the player is going to have to "blink" and only negotiate with teams that have cap room and/or DP slots.

Don't misunderstand me, I am ok with the MLS model as it is and am content to allow home grown talent to develop with a mix of aging imports to add some flair to the league. However, given the history of the MLS I don't think it will be the player that gives in to the MLS when this situation occurs and perhaps that means Brian will indeed be in a Fulham kit next season.

 

This is something that needs be remembered. McBride goes his own way for his own reasons. That's how he got to Fulham from MLS in the first place.
He had been too high priced for a risk, then his contract came up and MLS lowered the price, immediately Pompey came after him, then Cookie snatched him away. But that wouldnt have happened without it being LONDON.

He almost CERTAINLY will be Fulham next season, at least till January.

ADDED: Also have to think of Return on Investment. In Columbus, Brian would sell 3-5K season tix. almost the same in Chicago, perhaps. Anywhere else, especially Toronto.. no ROI.

 

From what I saw after he returned from the injury, McBride certainly has more than enough left in the tank to help Fulham next season (and beyond if he wishes.).

That kind of in-game awareness and finishing touch to go with it isn't all that common. There also seems to be a confidence the rest of the players, especially the midfield, gain from his presence.

MLS can wait. We still need him.

 

I know this thread is about Big Mac, but my jaw just dropped....14 goals for Radz??? This begs the question(s)...are GKs allowed to use their hands in the Greek League? Are the goals double the size of every other league??

Back on topic, think it will be a business decision. If MAF offers up the same salary as last year I think he'll stay more year. I can't see any MLS team offering up a huge salary to a 36 year old coming off a major injury.

 

Sometimes the two ($ and what's best for the family) aren't mutually exclusive. 1.5-2 million versus 250k and it's pretty obvious what best for the family. He's made a great living playing the game, but he hasn't made the kind of money that he would take that kind of paycut.

 

I sure hope to see Ironhead walk out of the tunnel at the Cottage in August.

I went back to the thread on MLS salaries to see what Reyna is making, but the link wasn't working. If he was offered CR's salary (500-600k??) I could see him regard that as what's best for the familia.

 

According to the MLS Players Union Website 2008 Salary Figures:

Claudio Reyna makes $ 1,015,000.00 Base Salary $ 1,265,000.00 Guaranteed Compensation

As someone who follows MLS, I would prefer to have Mcbride stay at Fulham because I beleive he still has much to offer the club. But, taking his age into consideration, if he stays and is injured or drops off in form, it maybe difficult to garner that big MLS salary next time around.

If a move is in the cards I beleive Columbus is the most likely destination. Mcbride is better fit with Columbus, would thrive in the midst of service from Schletto, and CLB still has their designated player spot available. The Chicago Fire already have their marquee player in Cuahtemoc Blanco and maybe a little more pressed to offer a big salary.