MLS's Insistance on Snuffing Out Dreams

This really is a tragedy, considering how well Jimmy Conrad is playing and his age:

http://www.yanks-abroad.com/content.php ... ws&id=2731

 

I know the MLS can be brutal when it comes to selling players, but does Conrad want to go to the.....Norwegian league?? I know that could mean playing in European competition (UEFA Cup, Champions league) but I can't imagine that league pays very much.

 

True, but I am also thinking it is then a smaller jump to a bigger pond.

 

Conrad's dream is to play in Norway?? Some how I doubt that.

In some cases MLS is rigid, such as with Shalrie Joseph. But in many they turn out to be right.

Dempsey for example is a case where they got it right. If they had let him go to Charlton they would have received half the money, and he'd be playing in the CCC next season.

I can't disagree with MLS here, were better than selling are top players to Norway! England, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Holland, Italy YES, Norway? NO

I don't see how the move benefits Conrad or the league.

 

I don't follow the Norwegian league, but I wouldn't be opposed to selling players to "big" clubs in smaller leagues that play in the Champions League or UEFA Cup every year.

At Conrad's age, though, I think he'd be better off going to a bigger league.

 

Jimmy Conrad, the American Soccer version of Prince.

 

RE: Free the Conrad One!

Bull!

Sorry, and I hate to deprecate any other leagues the way ours are done sometimes, but Norway, especially is the kiss of death for any MLS player.
Unless he wants to find blonde chicks, that is.

Go ahead and find one that came back out... but there's 4 to every one you can point out.

I'll start: Brian West

 

Re: Free the Conrad One!

Well, therein lies the problem.....the way MLS is set up, a club and/or player cannot make decisions about the player, the league does. I do not think MLS should own the contracts of the players. The individual teams should own them.

If Jimmy Conrad wants to go and his club will accept the fee offered from the Norwegian side, he should be able to go. Whether we or MLS agrees with Jimmy Conrad's career moves or any other player for that matter should have absolutely no bearing.

The folks who run MLS may think they know what is best for the players in the league, but I can guarantee they do not know what is best each and every one of them. Each player is in a different mindset and has different career goals. There is no way MLS can know the aspirations and goals of all its players.

The league has developed enough in the first eleven years to let teams own the contracts and decide the futures of their players and incoming new players as well.

I am not as versed in MLS as others, so I will ask, why does MLS own the contracts? Do they do this to control the balance of power in the league and keep teams on an even playing field? That is the only thing I can think of. If that is the case, that needs to be done away with.

 

RE: Re: Free the Conrad One!

By the way...

Someone want to tell me what the REAL difference is whether MLs owns his contract, or Kansas City does?

Lets pretend Kanasas City was Lamar's only franchise, and he ran it as a 'hobby' hoping to establish soccer foothold one city at a time.

Would you be as upset or enraged if the Hunts didnt want to sell him?

No...I thought not!

Now let's look at it in reality but KC still holds Conrad's contract.

They are losing money. So, why not take a goodly fee offer?

After all, it would go a long way to balancing the books for the season and maybe KC can escalate development of one of their young players.. A win-win because they get to draft early in round next year if they bleed goals.

Yeah, they'll move out of the single-entity contract someday,( but then we'lll have the old-tired argumant about relegation.)

Is this making sense?

 

RE: Re: Free the Conrad One!

Watching you try to rationalize the way MLS controls player movement really is entertainment, Monsieur Petit.

 

RE: Re: Free the Conrad One!

Rebut it then... I asked questions,

HOW IS IT ANY DIFFERENT THAN IF KC OWNED HIM AND DIDNT WANT TO SELL?
Rebut my statement that NO GOOD comes from ANY established player going to Norway.

He's on the freakin NATIONAL TEAM! He can aim higher.

Oppss... make that "Stifle?" - My Ass!

Call your favorite politician for some spin way out of that!

 

RE: Re: Free the Conrad One!

My definition:
Rationalize - sometimes used to justify ones actions or beliefs.

Based on root 'rational' - using logic and past experience rather than emotion to form actions or beliefs.

 

Re: RE: Re: Free the Conrad One!

The obvious difference would be that his contract would be with a team or owner of a team, instead of a league that has who knows what agenda for keeping players. For people, you and Heather, who espouse your pure free market philosophies, you both tend to swerve away from the idea of decentralized control of MLS Teams on a regular basis.

I believe Don handled your other question quite sufficiently.

 

RE: Re: RE: Re: Free the Conrad One!

Guess WHAT... I advocate SOCIALIST CENTRAL PLANNING policies for underdeveloped third world countries, *****IF***** we could find an international organization to provide oversight without lining their own pockets or using their kids as sex toys.

Now I dont believe I have to point out AGAIN what happened with NASL ... and I dont believe you actually answered my question.

Nor do I believe you can address the 'what if' Chelsea has an 'agenda' that 'stifles' the player, how is that any different?

The MLS' agenda is that it builds a competent player base, thus interest in the teams in the league.
And you have the nerve to talk about 'Agenda'?

YOUR agenda seems to be that any player worth his salt will be playing 'over there' thus you can fell better about your lack of interest in anything that goes on here in the states.

And feel good about your derision of the 'Middle School League'

Take THAT!

 

RE: Re: RE: Re: Free the Conrad One!

But all this is beside the point.... my guess is Conrad dreams of playing for the top team in Norway, the same as Collins John dreams of becoming the regular starter at Watford and keeping them from relegation.

It's a freakin 'sideways' trade, at best... it will NOT help him with the national team and you might think about all the top players being pulled out of the scandy leagues into the Prem.

 

I'm for the decentralization of power in MLS or if that can't be done more clarity in the proceedings. It should be done so as to prevent a recreation of a NASL type catastrophe. Strict salary caps and so on, which shouldn't be a problem.

My general feelings is that if a team agrees to a fee and the player wants to go then well that's the end of it.

At this point its hard to say what the process is like. We do know for example that when their was a significant offer for Eddie Johnson a while back it was the KC owners who demanded he not be sold, therefore the league did not sell him. So perhaps clubs have more power than we think.

Either way there is no magic bullet here. Tom I believe said something about the league not always being able to know individual players and whats best for them. Very true but I doubt that individual clubs will be perfect in this regard either.

When clubs do eventually hold all the cards there will inevitably be cases in which clubs will refuse to sell their stars. We've all heard of cases like this in Europe. This will cause uproar and finger pointing, accusations that the league is holding the player back and stifling the growth of American soccer and many I'm guessing will call on MLS to over rule the club "in the interest of American soccer".

 

As for how this all relates to Conrad, I give you four reasons he should turn down this move:

1)I sincerely doubt that he'll develop as a player in that leauge anymore than he otherwise would in MLS.

2) He's got just as good a chance of being scouted by a club in a top league while playing in MLS as he does in Norway. We've all seen the interest shown in numerous different MLS players by big clubs. Clearly they keep an eye on the league.

3)Even if Conrad is sold. His new club isn't going to be anxious to sell him the minute a bigger club in a bigger league shows interest. They'll want to hold on to him for quite some time, like anyone would with a new purchase.

4)If he keeps up his play and does well in Copa America chances are a much bigger club from a much bigger league will come with a better offer. If not he can wait until his contract runs out and go get some trials in Europe and try to catch on in a big league that way.

Bottom line, if he goes to Norway now he's still playing in Norway three years from now. If he stays for the upcoming season theres a good chance he'll be in a top teir Euro league this time next year.