Tuesday, June 21, 2005
MLS thinking bigger
The LA Times' Grahame Jones follows up on the Anschutz ranch discussions from a few weeks back:
With DC United close to being sold off, perhaps we shouldn't be surprised, then, that Tim Leiweke is most enthusiastic about what seems to be a modified NASL development philosophy for the league. I remain skeptical.
Somewhere between Major League Soccer as it is today and Tim Leiweke's vision of David Beckham in a Galaxy or MetroStar jersey lies reality.Elsewhere in the article, Jones notes that there is a slight concern that AEG is looking to set things up so that it can dominate the league, since it has by far the greatest purse strings.
It is Don Garber's job to find it.
Garber, commissioner of MLS for the past six years, has been entrusted with devising a plan to improve the quality of play in the 10-year-old league — while at the same time not breaking the bank.
...The consensus among the owners was that more money needs to be invested in MLS, particularly in player acquisition, so that the standard of play continues to rise.
In addition, they agreed large markets such as Los Angeles and New York need more marquee players if they are to reach their potential.
If that means bending salary cap rules so that, say, Juan Pablo Garcia can be brought to Jorge Vergara's Chivas USA, or Beckham can be brought to AEG's MetroStars, so be it.
...Garber is supposed to come up with some hard numbers and ideas by the time the MLS board of governors meets at the All-Star game in Columbus, Ohio, on July 30.
With DC United close to being sold off, perhaps we shouldn't be surprised, then, that Tim Leiweke is most enthusiastic about what seems to be a modified NASL development philosophy for the league. I remain skeptical.
