Newest MLS DP

A story that has been lost in all the World Cup talk is DC United's new Designated Player signing. No, it's not Thierry Henry. Not Raul. Not Robert Pires. Not Ronaldinho. It's Branko Boskovic from Montenegro. Ives is reporting that the 29 year old will be signed for the remainder of the year and available July 15 against Seattle (in which our new DP Blaise N'kufo makes his debut).

If one reads the 70+ comments on the SBI site, it is easy to see that most fans think this is a terrible signing. Some go overboard and assume that this is terrible because he is not Beckham. Others are wondering if the only way to get a not-over-the-hill DP is to pick him from the Austrian League. I disagree with both sentiments.

I won't claim to know anything about Boskovic, but the fact remains that MLS is in a tough spot. The likes of Messi, Torres and Kaka will NOT be coming to MLS anytime soon. There is no way it will happen, even if Joe Roth drops $25 million on their doorstep. If MLS teams want big names, they have to settle for the likes of Beckham, Henry and Raul - players whose best days are behind them. These are the guys whose who can put fans in the seats, but often at the expense of quality on the field.

If MLS wants to improve their quality, a great place to start is by bringing in lesser known stars who want to live and play in the US for the right reasons. If they want to go the European route, they would be wise to consider the likes of Juan Pablo Angel, Joel Lindpere and Darren Huckerby. If they want to go the Central/South American/Caribbean route, they would be wise to consider the likes of Shalrie Joseph, Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Osvaldo Alonso. Bottom line: the signings don't need to be sexy, but they need to be wise.

All I know about Boskovic is that he is 29 years old, has 30 national team appearances and has played for Red Star Belgrade, Paris St Germain and Rapid Wien. That may not be the pedigree of a Beckham, but I bet it will be a perfect fit for DC. I applaud the move and hope for good things from Boskovic during his time in DC.