Sporting Kansas City

[KCMax]

Nobody posting about the Feilhaber trade?

Also, Besler re-signed, will be announced tomorrow.

[KCMax]

SKC gets defender Ike Opara from San Jose for a draft pick

http://www.sportingkc.com/news/2012/12/ ... -ike-opara

[NKC]

SKC gets defender Ike Opara from San Jose for a draft pick

http://www.sportingkc.com/news/2012/12/ ... -ike-opara

I wonder if Collin's days in KC are numbered. Collin is a great personality and very solid player, but he is one of the highest paid players on the team. Olum is solid and cheap as a back up. I don't think we make a move for Opara without penciling him into the starting lineup.

Then again, we will need a deep roster for 2013 due to the extra games the Champions League will bring.

[TheSmokinPun]

SKC gets defender Ike Opara from San Jose for a draft pick

http://www.sportingkc.com/news/2012/12/ ... -ike-opara

I wonder if Collin's days in KC are numbered. Collin is a great personality and very solid player, but he is one of the highest paid players on the team. Olum is solid and cheap as a back up. I don't think we make a move for Opara without penciling him into the starting lineup.

Then again, we will need a deep roster for 2013 due to the extra games the Champions League will bring.

Not one bit. While Collin isn't the true anchor and Besler can make most CBs look amazing, Collin is still very much next to Matty Ice for a while. If anything, this allows Olum to move up to d-mid and fall back to CB whenever we need to sub, depth, anything.

This is the beginnings of a team going after that piece of history. They want to win the CCL, they want to play in the Club World Cup.

[NKC]

I don't see Olum as a defensive midfielder. I expect Zusi, Fielhaber, and Nagamura are your first choice mids with Nagamura playing back in Cesar's role. Peterson Joseph and the kid from Barca will likely be involved a lot as well. I would not be shocked if Opara plays some defensive mid, but I don't think Olum has the technical ability to play anywhere in the midfield. Collin has one more year left on his deal, so I imagine you are right and he will be back as well. If we can renew with Collin after next year, great, if not we will have Opara ready to step in and not miss a beat.

[kboish]

On the SKC website I've seen the name Claudio Bieler popping up as a striker we are going to pick up. I don't know enough about the international players to say much, but apparently it would be a good pick up.

Its incredible to see how aggressive they are. always makin' moves!

[bobbyhawks]

On the SKC website I've seen the name Claudio Bieler popping up as a striker we are going to pick up. I don't know enough about the international players to say much, but apparently it would be a good pick up.

Its incredible to see how aggressive they are. always makin' moves!

The next few years in the MLS will be very interesting. We are a little over 2 years from the next collective bargaining agreement, so there is an interesting window under which Sporting KC will be able to compete financially without having to spend much money (relatively). I think this ownership will be great under any future circumstances, but the minimum salary will probably skyrocket by 2015. It is pathetic right now. Also, I'm guessing some of the larger markets will want to revise some of the cap rules in place right now regarding salary exemptions and overall payroll. The MLS player's union will have some pretty strong footing if a holdout is ever going to happen. From all accounts, the league is doing well, and the caliber of player is going to stall if they don't improve the standard pay.

[aknowledgeableperson]

No question that salaries will rise. The question is do the owners want to raise the level of play to compete with the top Euro clubs for players.

My guess the owners will want to leave the league like it is now.

[bobbyhawks]

No question that salaries will rise. The question is do the owners want to raise the level of play to compete with the top Euro clubs for players.

My guess the owners will want to leave the league like it is now.

There are two sides to how the owners will see this. On one side, they have an incredibly cheap labor pool when compared to the other major sports, and the product is still gaining in popularity (so why invest more when the current investment is yielding great returns?).

On the other hand, the only reason the league is gaining in popularity is because the quality of play has improved drastically over the last 10 years. With the current structure, there is really nowhere to improve by paying players at current salaries. The best young players in the USA still go to mediocre leagues overseas because they perceive it will be more competitive and increase their stature. If I am Sporting KC's ownership, and I've seen my investment skyrocket in correlation to an investment in players and stadium, I'd think that paying for better players is the natural way to grow my brand in the region and nationally. Of the top pro leagues in the USA, I don't think one of them has a league minimum under $400k. There are players on SKC's roster making salaries that many college grads would not find acceptable. People will tire of the MLS if it stays just like it is, but there is too much opportunity on the table for it to remain so.

[TheBigChuckbowski]

Claudio Bieler announced tomorrow.

[NKC]

It will be interesting to see where MLS goes with salary. The article below sheds some light on how the top soccer players in the world get paid relative to their counterparts in North American sports. The thing that jumps out at you is top players in the NBA, NFL, MLB, and even NHL (although not shown in this article) compare pretty well. Assuming the NHL continues its downward momentum in popularity and the MLS continues its increase you could see similar salaries in place in the foreseeable future. If that were to come to fruition the MLS could quickly become one of the better soccer leagues in the world. First, tax rates on player salaries in Europe are staggering. American teams could pay less but give players a better take home pay. Second, a lot of times we get caught up in these exorbitant transfer fees and lose the fact that this money is not going to the players salary.

http://www.businessinsider.com/highest- ... 012-1?op=1

[bobbyhawks]

I've also heard player interviews for Euro basketball players that say certain parts of Europe are more known for withholding salary or just flat out not paying people and being dishonest. I'm not sure that it is the same for soccer, but the stability of the US is attractive.

[chaglang]

I've also heard player interviews for Euro basketball players that say certain parts of Europe are more known for withholding salary or just flat out not paying people and being dishonest.

Or having a really, really scary fan base:
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story ... ck-players

[TheBigChuckbowski]

I've also heard player interviews for Euro basketball players that say certain parts of Europe are more known for withholding salary or just flat out not paying people and being dishonest.

Or having a really, really scary fan base:
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story ... ck-players

"We're not racists but..."

[TheBigChuckbowski]

2 of the top 5 players in endorsement money play in MLS. Obviously, Beckham is Beckham but are Henry's endorsements helped at all by being in the biggest media market in the world (both city and nationally)? He doesn't seem like he's a bigger star than some of the guys below him.

[chaglang]

I'm sure that being in New York has gotten Henry more endorsements than he would in Houston or Kansas City. It surprises me a little that he's even in the top 5 (Rooney, Beckham, Messi, Henry, Drogba?) of endorsements. Even at his peak with Arsenal he never seemed like the star that Messi or, gack, Rooney are now.

[bobbyhawks]

2 of the top 5 players in endorsement money play in MLS. Obviously, Beckham is Beckham but are Henry's endorsements helped at all by being in the biggest media market in the world (both city and nationally)? He doesn't seem like he's a bigger star than some of the guys below him.

I think it helps because Thierry Henry was not a huge name in the US market. Even playing in the US now, he is still marketable across the rest of the world. Obviously, his being in the US has very little to do with the overall marketability package, but I don't think it hurts. Henry was still overseas when his most recognizeable US ad campaign started, though (Gillette).

I doubt Wayne Rooney or Lionel Messi would see a hit to their endorsements if they came to the US, but they could also land more US-centric ad campaigns.

[TheBigChuckbowski]

2 of the top 5 players in endorsement money play in MLS. Obviously, Beckham is Beckham but are Henry's endorsements helped at all by being in the biggest media market in the world (both city and nationally)? He doesn't seem like he's a bigger star than some of the guys below him.

I think it helps because Thierry Henry was not a huge name in the US market. Even playing in the US now, he is still marketable across the rest of the world. Obviously, his being in the US has very little to do with the overall marketability package, but I don't think it hurts. Henry was still overseas when his most recognizeable US ad campaign started, though (Gillette).

I doubt Wayne Rooney or Lionel Messi would see a hit to their endorsements if they came to the US, but they could also land more US-centric ad campaigns.

That's sort of what I was driving at. The MLS wouldn't have to pay as much as the European leagues in salary if a few more guys come over and have their endorsements improve by $3-10 mil. If you're netting more money, what does it matter what your base salary is?

[chaglang]

Henry was still overseas when his most recognizeable US ad campaign started, though (Gillette).

Those Gillette ads always made me wonder if they were made for the international market and shown in the US as an afterthought. Tiger Woods, Therry Henry, and Roger Federer is not a trio that appeals to a broad US demographic.

[KCMax]

Sapong to Arsenal????

http://thefootballmagazine.com/2013/01/ ... on-sapong/