Jan 26th 2007
The New York Red Bulls' signing this week of Claudio Reyna as the second designated player in MLS is sure to add further fuel to the debate amongst Toronto FC's supporters as to whether TFC management are justified in their posture that a designated player is an issue that will only be considered in 6 to 12 months time based on whatever recommendation is brought to MLSE's board by the coach, Maurice Johnston.
Reyna, although undoubtedly an accomplished player over the years for the United States national team and also at the club level for famous British clubs like Rangers and Manchester City, is hardly in the same league as David Beckham in celebrity terms so Reyna's signing may have provided a much needed reality check as to the calibre of player that the designated player rule will usually attract and will make many wonder exactly what TFC management are so afraid of? A cautious approach appears decidedely odd when 11,000 season tickets sales are in place 3 months before the home opener far surpassing an initial projected target of 8000.
To recap the mechanics of the so called Beckham rule, a designated player costs a team $US 400,000 against the league salary cap of ca. $US 2.1 million, while the team investor/operators, subject to league office approval, can pay, however, much they wish to the player over and above that amount. Clearly David Beckham will make considerably more in this regard than Claudio Reyna. Teams are initially allowed only one designated player each but it is possible for teams to trade for a second designated player roster spot for one, two, three or even five seasons, which when filled cost $US 325,000 against the cap.
Although a trade may seem like a good way to capitalize on the asset, since it is not going to be used in 2007, it appears somewhat unlikely that one can be made at this point. Chivas USA were one of the teams expected by most MLS observers to be in the market for a second designated player but they instead traded their rights to one away for five years to the New York Red Bulls to obtain Honduran star, Amado Guevara. Although the LA Galaxy will need a second to accomodate Landon Donovan and David Beckham from 2008 onwards, another AEG operated team will probably be the one to make the trade with them.
Many TFC fans are eager to see a designated player arrive before the end of the European transfer window with names like Robbie Fowler, Patrick Berger and Neil Lennon being linked are linked to possible moves to MLS in recent days but caution may well be the best policy at least for 2007. It remains to be seen if using almost 20% of the salary cap on one player is a sensible approach in what is after all very much a team game. Many older big name 30-somethings who have arrived in MLS in years past like Luiz Hernandez, Hugo Sanchez and Lothar Mattheus were major disappointments in an MLS context.
As an expansion team an allocation signing is probably the best way to circumvent the salary cap since TFC were provided with three major allocations to help make the team competitive as quickly as possible. A signing similar to Chivas USA's acquisition of Juan Pablo Garcia during the summer transfer window in their first season, a younger hungrier Mexican player who wanted to use MLS as a way to showcase his skills to European teams, would perhaps be a better approach than an aging player looking for one last big pay cheque.
The bottom line is that before fans jump to hasty conclusions on this issue we should probably wait to see who Mo unveils on Feb 7th or 8th, as he stated on the FAN 590's Soccer Show on Thu Jan 25th that he expects to announce the signing of an experienced European at that point, who he has already identified and who he expects to be wearing the captain's armband for TFC on April 7th in the season opener against Chivas USA. This player would presumably be signed on the basis of a major allocation using some more of the $US 900,000 war chest he was still reported to have available in that regard prior to swapping allocations with the New York Red Bulls to acquire the rights to Abbe Ibrahim. More foreign signings like Ibrahim were reported to be imminent in the Toronto Star on Fri Jan 26th once visa issues are sorted out.
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