Throughout the history of the league, Major League Soccer has been loathe to repeat the mistakes of their predecessor, the North American Soccer League. Instead of allowing the big markets to dominate by buying the highest quality players from overseas, MLS has been run under a single entity system with a rigid salary cap that values substance over style.
As the league has grown, the shackles have been lifted gradually. First there was the Designated Player rule in 2007 (known back then as the Beckham Rule) that allowed each team to spend as much money as they wanted on player with only a super small portion ($400k) counting under the cap. Teams used their DP spots on players like Beckham, Juan Pablo Angel, Freddie Ljungberg, Cuauhtemoc Blanco, Claudio Reyna and Marcelo Gallardo. With soccer fandom at an all-time high in the US, MLS made a preemptive strike in allowing teams to have a second and third (if willing to pay a dispersal fee to the rest of the league) DP in hopes of catching the wave of World Cup veterans who were looking to leave the world of European soccer. So far it has worked. Just look at the names: Nery Castillo. Rafa Marquez. Blaise Nkufo. Alvaro Fernandez. Mista. And of course, the crown jewel of them all, Thierry Henry.
It's safe to say that the next few months will determine the future of the league as the big name markets continue to bring in expensive (and potentially over the hill) names while the smaller markets sit on their hands and try to build a cheaper alternative through the draft. In the past, big names have never meant success. Just ask MetroStars fans who got to watch names like Donadoni, Mattheaus, Branco, Djorkaeff and Reyna, but who have never seen a trophy lifted by the team. Instead, teams like Columbus, salt Lake and Houston, who have all built through trades and the draft, continue to be the model of success in the league.
The battle lines have been set. Its LA, NY, Chicago, Toronto and Seattle vs Columbus, Salt Lake, Houston and Dallas. Style vs substance. Superstars vs the common man.
If LA and NY are able to walk through the playoffs without breaking a sweat, other MLS teams will HAVE to follow their lead or prepare to insignificant for years to come (looking directly at you, New England).
As a supporter of the Sounders (a team who is willing to throw bucks around, albeit in a responsible way) I am excited by what the future holds. MLS will never be the EPL (and I'm not sure I want it to be), but if the league can grow such that every team has 5-6 world class players shrewdly mixed with the best domestic talent on every team then I think we are all in for a treat.
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