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MLSNet.comSunday evening promises a trip to sample the MLS as LA Galaxy - minus Beckham who is on England duty - play host to Chicago Fire. There is one former Manchester United winger in action though as Terry Cooke's familiar scamper can these days be found on Chicago's right flank. Cooke drifted over the Atlantic after spiralling down the Football League and eventually finding himself without a club and facing up to the prospect of the dole. Cooke's an honest pro but if Pele, Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer and George Best can't sell soccer to the Yanks, then what chance Terry? Gullit, long since exasperated by a lack of finance and complicated league structures in America, believes a horse that should have been resigned to the glue factory continues to be flogged. "I doubt if they want to make soccer, as they call it here, a really big thing. "I really doubt it. Because of the rules, because of the control the league has over it. If you look at every major sport the salary caps are $30-40million, only with soccer it's $2million - come on. "If you want to attract the best players in the world then you have to pay them. That's what they do in all the other sports. That's why they became so big. "Therefore, for that reason, I have a doubt about how much they really want it. "I don't confirm that it won't work but I just have that feeling. They haven't convinced me."
Wow, our favorite Dutchman is back in the news. And just as we feared he is making even more outlandish statements about MLS the more he is asked about it. He just goes on and on and on....Like the Energizer bunny crossed with Oliver Stone with an unfortunate haircut. Anyway...
An excerpt rom Sky Sports:Problems Stateside
To all who said he was right in the last post we referenced above, what say you now? Is he still right?
MLS is right with its small incremental gain approach. The NASL tried Ruud's European-style "buy everything that kicks" approach. Where are they now?
Sure, Ruud, the rest of the American professional sports got big because they spent a bunch of money to bring in international stars.
It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that we freaking invented baseball, basketball, and gridiron football.
It's a big conspiracy.
i find it funny that the article claims terry cooke likes to play on Chicago's flank, as he normally wears a Colorado jersey
He has a Salary cap point!
If the NHL (41 home games)56 Mil = 1.36 mil per home game
and the NBA (41 hone games)58.8 mil = 1.43 mil per home game
Both with equivalent size venues albeit with much larger TV contracts.
you would think that MLS 15 home games) 2.3 mil =153,000/home game could at least have a 5 million dollar cap!
Well even with a 5 or 7 million dollar cap Ruud would still probably spout this stuff. It plays into what a lot of Europeans already believe.
According to Forbes MLS lost 20 million last season overall, with only three teams turning a profit.
How much money would they have lost if the salary cap was 5 million a team. You cant compare the NBA to MLS. Even their worst teams turn a profit. I bet columbus crew dispite one of their best season is still going to loose money.
Elite XC is folding after loosing 55 million after only two years.
From the begining of MLS to 2004 the league has lost 350 mil. and it continues to loose money. But the league is still alive!
Only a jack ass like Ruud would claim ludicrous conspiracies like these.
Chris...
The NBAs average player earns 5.2 mil. a season. There are NBA players that make over 20 mil. a season on salary alone. I don't believe their is a superstar soccer player in europe who make that kind of money.
Its like apples and oranges.
America DIDN'T invent Basketball and Gridiron football.
Basketball was invented by a Canadian.
Pointy Ball was invented as a spin off to RUGBY by a Canadian and American University collectively.
LaCrosse was invented in NorthAmerica, why isnt that flying off the shelves?
ruud is just bitter because he thought he was going to be mls's version of jose morinho... but wasnt. he bought lalas's bogus la galaxy is the "glamor club" of the mls line... and didnt bother to think about the fact that a league with a salary cap has no glamor club for obvious reasons. now both are gone. good, the mls is better without them.
basketball was invented by a canadian in frickin KANSAS... hence the name of KU's basketball arena. its an american sport. besides, there really isnt too much of a difference between america and canada anyway.
as for american football, yes, of course its based off of rugby... but so is aussie rules... and all of these sports, including hockey and even basketball and lacrosse, are based off of soccer.
sorry, ruud is talking out of his a$$, there is no defending his sour grapes garbage.
LOL I love the euros and their "BASKETBALL IS NOT AMERICAN"
mantra.
Yes we know it was invented by a Canadian, but it's as american as apple pie. Invented in the states, for americans, played and grown by americans.
PS - Ruud is nuts, no more euro coaches please, they're awful.
Ruud failed and just want everyone to think it was the leagues fault.
Like when an employee gets fired he bad-mouths his boss.
Just out of curiosity
How is apple pie American?
Or is that just a saying?
The best way to shrug off an error as big as his coming to the MLS is to rubbish the entire league.
Stay classy, asshat!
Lol! yeah, those european coaches are just awful aren't they.
I think if you read his words in text, you can make a very negative judgment, but hearing him say these things, it doesn't seem like he thinks it's this huge conspiracy. Even Houston Dynamos coach came out on Fox Football Fone-In and said the salary cap is too low which I feel are in the same context as Ruud's words. Th problems Gullit mentions are totally true. I don't think he meant that they set the league up this way to keep it from becoming a top 3 sport in the states, but the way it's set up is definitely keeping the league stagnant.
The Central governing body is put into place to keep the loss of profit's within the whole league as low as possible. That's why no one team is owned and operated by it's owner. They have to buy the team from the MLS and sign a contract that has them agreeing the allow certain rules (such as salary cap) to be put into force for them to compete.
The reasons for the cap are obvious. As numerous posts have already pointed to Forbes article that was showing loses for the MLS being up to $400 mil in the past 5 years. Saying this, it doesn't talk about the increased popularity of the sport over the past 5 years and it doesn't talk about the increase in the amount of Soccer Specific stadiums that have been built in the US.
As for the salary cap...it has to be increased for the sole reason that developmental contracts are starting at $18,000/year. That's not enough for a kid to live on.
The way that Soccer is trending in the US at the moment...And, yes I am well aware of the Freddy Adu's and the Jozy Altidores, is that most players go into college get a 4 year degree and because soccer in college doesn't have a lot of money to offer these kids go into the draft already carrying debt from school only to find out that they are going to be paid next to nothing and live in apartments owned by the clubs they will be playing for with 4 other guys on the team to save money. Doesn't that sound like they are back in college again and not a professional athlete? The league is meant to grow soccer in the US not to bring expensive players from across to the globe to make soccer exciting in the US for the fans. If the MLS takes this approach they will be spending themselves into debt and eventually the creditors will come calling. The focus needs to be on the development of stadiums and then youth development. This is where the new Salary needs to go to. Not to more washed up ex-European players who are looking to extend there careers for another 4 years in the states.
Well said ksegebart! Most people want the salary cap to increase so they can sing more expensive washed up players. (Scalotto, Angel & Huckerbery being one of the few exceptions)
If MLS increases the cap, they should worry more about taking care of their own first.
I would hate to see the MLS become the next "NASL". Until atleast 80% of MLS teams start to show a profit I dont see the league making the cap as high as 5 mil. to risky.