By Richard Snowden

Whether you're a Los Angeles Galaxy fan or not, you've got to give Tim Leiweke, the president and CEO of Anschutz Entertainment Group, the club's owner, some credit. Top brass are never fond of copping to mistakes, but Leiweke recently did exactly that.

Speaking about the Galaxy's roster moves, Leiweke told Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl, "There are some in the league who argue, 'Yeah, but you're spending the same amount of money on the rest of your team that some of the other teams are spending on their entire team. So you made some bad personnel decisions.' I think we probably did.

"I'm not an expert, but I think we spent some money and brought some guys in that ultimately aren't very good," Leiweke continued, showing remarkable candor for someone so influential. "So they are right: We've made some bad decisions."

In the circumstances, though, it must be noted that Leiweke could hardly have said otherwise without destroying every scrap of credibility. For so far in the 2008 Major League Soccer season, the Galaxy has been simply awful much of the time.

Despite the presence of superstar David Beckham and MLS scoring leader Landon Donovan – or, indeed, perhaps because of them given how much salary-cap space those two alone eat up – L.A. currently sits outside the playoff spots even in MLS's weak Western Conference, thanks largely to a defense so appallingly leaky that it has more than annulled the league's most explosive attack.

Although the team seems to have righted itself for the moment after beating D.C. United 5-2 this past weekend, even the hiring of Bruce Arena, the most successful coach in American soccer history, has made little difference so far. The Galaxy has compiled a modest 1-2-2 record since Arena's appointment, with Saturday's win finally breaking a team-record 12-game winless skid. 

Having come to realize that swapping out technical staff and screaming at the players were not getting the desired results, Leiweke now plans to take his efforts in a different direction. Unfortunately, if those efforts are successful, they will likely result in further spending that fails to address the real problems facing the league on the field.

With regard to MLS's Designated Player rule, which allows teams to sign up to two players at any wage with only $400,000 (for the first player) and $325,000 (for the second) counted against the salary cap, Wahl explained, "Leiweke sees the small number of Designated Players currently in MLS (six in a 14-team league) and thinks the current Designated Player rules don't give teams enough incentive to sign big-name stars."

Leiweke's solution? Make Designated Players' wages completely exempt from salary-cap restrictions. Obviously, much of Leiweke's motivation here is selfish – after all, his team is the only one currently willing to spend cash hand over fist on big names – but he also claims such a change would benefit the entire league.

"[W]hy does David [Beckham] count against the cap when you see the impact that David has created for everybody else in the league?" Leiweke asked, clearly noting the upside Beckham's presence has conferred upon other MLS teams by helping increase attendance and interest in the league's other markets. (Perhaps Chicago Fire brass would agree, given their sizeable investment in popular Mexican icon Cuauhtemoc Blanco.)

Leiweke's inference here is that allowing teams to sign their one or two Designated Players without any salary-cap penalty would encourage other owners to use their Designated-Player slots, thus benefiting MLS as a whole due to increased interest. As Wahl puts it, Leiweke's essential argument is "that the league is better off having more star power than the six [Designated Players] currently in MLS."

The problem here is that Leiweke's proposed fix ignores a plainly obvious fact: MLS's problems with drawing fans and interest on a consistent basis do not derive so much from a star-power deficit as they do from the league's long-standing product-quality deficit.

As most people who are familiar with American soccer culture will probably be aware, there are millions of soccer fans in this country. The fans in question here, of course, are not the suburban families whose kids play soccer that MLS has long sought to attract, but rather serious fans whose passion for the sport far outstrips that of most suburbanites.

Unfortunately for MLS, these serious fans – unlike most so-called soccer families – tend to be a pretty finicky bunch. They are not easily swayed by pop-star footballers like Beckham and Donovan, nor will they jump on the Blanco bandwagon due to national or ethnic identification.

Being discriminating fans, they realize full well that Beckham and Blanco are largely past their prime, and they know Donovan never really had a prime to begin with (certainly not at the higher levels of the sport, in any event). They want to see top-quality players and a high level of play, and it is plainly obvious to them that MLS isn't providing those things.

Many hardcore MLS fans accuse these folks of snobbery, but the truth is that they're just not buying into MLS's marketing shtick. Unlike most soccer families, they know MLS is trying to scam them with empty hype. And unlike most MLS diehards, they're not willing to spend their hard-earned dollars on inferior product just because it was made locally.

As such, there was some hope that the Designated Player rule could help remedy such problems by improving MLS's standard of play. As we have seen, however, it has merely turned out to be yet another in a long and tired line of gimmicks from MLS honchos, far more about the "star power" of which Wahl speaks than creating on-field quality.

Indeed, a solid argument can be made that, if anything, the rule has actually degraded the league's on-field product. As L.A. has proven, teams who spend on Designated Players lack the resources to put quality around their one or two top earners. Donovan and Becks simply cannot compensate for having seven or eight mediocre guys around them, and the Galaxy have flopped as a result.

Not only does such a situation often cause teams to struggle, but it also renders their play too poor for most soccer aficionados to justify spending money to watch it. And it is these serious fans that the league needs to attract to ensure long-term success, for they are the fans who, once convinced to support the league, will come out through thick and thin, unlike the notoriously fickle suburban soccer families.

Unfortunately, Leiweke still doesn't seem to be getting the message, as evidenced by his decision to put marketing considerations ahead of product-quality considerations yet again. The solution to what ails MLS is not to create more "star power"; instead, it is to create a compelling, exciting product that will wow crowds with substance instead of phony hype and keep them coming back for more.

What is needed, then, is not more spending on one or two big-name players; it is more spending on whole teams. MLS has gotten better in recent years at bringing in talent from Latin America, for instance, but thanks to the pitiful salary cap of just over $2 million per team, they are getting too many bargain-basement players who add little value.

However, by opening up the checkbooks a bit wider, MLS could begin competing for more promising players from this region. This would not be a cheap strategy, but it would likely yield much-needed results as improvements in the on-field product began to win over skeptical soccer aficionados and increased the league's credibility both at home and abroad.

Brazilian side Corinthians have shown that, with some investment, such things can be done, having kept Argentine superstars Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano in the Americas for a while before their eventual moves to the English Premiership. Given MLS's ever-increasing income, similar moves could be made by our own league, which could also reap further rewards by later selling the top talent on to Europe.

Moreover, the Designated Player rule ultimately cannot ever work out as it was originally intended. The idea was to bring in top players in their prime; however, very few such players have any desire to be surrounded by minimum-wage college players. They want to play with and against high-caliber talent in competitions that mean something.

This brings us to another long-standing MLS need. It is time to grease the CONMEBOL wheel a la Mexico and finally get MLS teams into the Copa Libertadores. Top players demand serious competition, and the Libertadores would certainly provide that. 

How to qualify teams? Here's one hypothetical recipe: Ditch the much-maligned Superliga, put four MLS teams (perhaps the MLS Cup finalists and the top two teams in the regular-season standings) into the Interliga to compete with four Mexican sides for the berths, and stir. Better yet, arrange to offer a couple of berths in the next Copa Sudamericana as consolation prizes in this new Interliga format as well. 

And what of the rather pathetic little CONCACAF Champions Cup? Simple: Put the four U.S. Open Cup semifinalists in, with the two finalists getting the automatic berths, and help make that venerable but badly neglected competition worth something for once. It's a fine little tournament and has long deserved better than red-headed-stepchild status.

With a winning blend of competitive player salaries and serious competition against top-class players and teams in the offing, MLS would be able to compete for top talent, putting it firmly on the road to its goal of becoming a major player in world soccer.

These steps will not come cheap, of course, but if the league truly wants to ditch its Mickey-Mouse status once and for all, MLS brass need to close the door on the era of empty marketing hype and pry open their wallets.      

HAVE YOUR SAY…
Is Richard on to something with how ineffective the designated player has been in bringing big names to MLS?  Is the problem with the league less about the star power and more about the quality and depth of each team’s roster?  Will this change as the MLS Reserve Division continues to develop?  Have your say on this and all issues soccer by emailing Soccer 365. CLICK HERE!

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READER FEEDBACK

I agree with Snowden that the problem is the lack of depth in MLS rosters.  There's a reason why the US national team can steamroll everyone in World Cup qualifying but the best of MLS can't even qualify for the CONCACAF champions Cup: the average MLS player is not as good as the average player in the rest of the region.  Development rosters are a start but without a big pay raise and increased roster sizes, you won't see much fruit grow in MLS.  Some of this can be reduced by not having the top teams play in both the Superliga and Champions Cup.  Personally, I'd like to see the top 4 teams in the Champions Cup and the bottom four playoff teams in Superliga, although I don't think this would fly for MLS or the Mexican federation especially with so few teams in the league (14 vs. 30).  And yes, I like Snowden, am still waiting for Copa Libertadores competition for MLS as well (then again we struggle in the Champions Cup).
 
Carl

Perfect analysis, with excellent remedies proposed, down to the last detail.

Mr. Snowden’s salary cap suggestion might produce the additional benefit of keeping home-grown talent home longer. The increased attention MLS sought to bring to the league through the DP rule was greatly successful in bringing international attention, and also more offers from abroad for MLS players. In fact, that is one of the draws for talented/young players (including the mentioned recent arrivals from Latin America) who have simply played in too big a pond to be noticed elsewhere.

Specific to the LA Galaxy, not only is a Donovan/Beckham combo incapable of carrying a team, but the experience seems to have had a more negative effect on Beckham’s game than has his age. He started the season out in fine form, and showed the same during the all-star match, but has been both poor and poorly tempered during these past weeks. An unusually slump on both counts for a player known for motivating self and teammates and for rising to challenges. Unfortunate for all parties involved, obviously particularly fans.

Diane T

I agree with all the author states above and like to add this: As a veteran season ticket holder (12 years) I have, especially the last 3 years, wondered where Leiweke's head is or was, or if he even had one.

The line-ups, signings, firings, changes created by his staff were so rampant that no coach and no good willing player-group could bring a respectable "product" onto the pitch.

Now on to the MLS.

We want to play at a "world" level? (read Europe/South America) but we bend the rules all the time. Bad idea.

In the past there was the ridiculous "shoot-out" if a game ended in a tie, now there are 2 divisions instead of just one and instead of having one team becoming the clear and dominating National Champion we go into the so-called "play-offs".

Do what Fifa does all over the world, one division, one winner and as the second prize keep the "Open Cup" tournament going.

Now add a youth team/competition next to your reserves team/competition and start building.

These latter guys can earn twice the minimum wage as far as I am concerned until the time comes they can prove they are worth more then that.

Do away with the "draft" after all this is soccer not baseball or basketball and open two annual windows in which players can be acquired or sold or traded. Instead of the draft do what the Galaxy does, hold an annual "Open House/try outs" whereby the participants have to pay to get in......generates $$$ and keeps most wannabees out.

In as far as all the so-called "stars" from abroad are concerned, most who came were gone within/after 2 seasons, to old to keep up with hard charging American youngsters who lacked talent but have the right spirit. Why pay mega-bucks for one commodity if you can use that same fund to buy 3 or 4 really good players: broaden your base not your front-man!

The market is clearly here......now the question is how do you get it and secure it for years/generations to come?

The Beckham move I must admit was brilliant (Thanks Tim!That was GOOD!) It created massive publicity, tons of shirts sold aka additional $$$ income and lots of seats sold. It's downside was exactly like the author states above, an older Mercedes running with 9 Ford's......no match (no pun intended) up.

Hans B
Long Beach

Rich Snowden speaks reality, will the MLS listen? Marketing the current MLS product is not a key element to promote spectator growth. A large percentage of the past NASL supporters  abandoned the MLS early because of an inferior product. MLS kahunas  need to accept the fact that the game speaks for itself and they can't fool its supporters. It's time for MLS to admit theirs is a mediocre product. Few teams, such as the Revs, Dynamo, DC, when healthy, can and do deliver on the pitch. Most of the other clubs show consistency in inconsistency due to thin talent rosters. Indeed, salaries must be raised and better domestic and foreign talent needs to be found. Domestic talent needs to be better defined based on footballing talent. And above all, overcoaching needs to cease and desist from the pewees to the top.      

Juke

I not sure what Richard Snowden’s message is in this article. He says that the league should increase the salary cap - hardly a new or unique view among American soccer fans - yet when LA says they want to be able to spend more money on players, he seems critical of them. He says that the Designated Player rule has actually degraded the quality of play because a team who signs a designated player can‘t then get quality support to surround that player, which is exactly the point that Leiweke is making, which Snowden doesn‘t seem to like. When he makes a comment about Beckham and Blanco, saying that they’re past their prime, one who doesn’t follow the league might infer that they’re not all that good, but I’m sure each of them would start for every manager in the league. Both players, along with Donovan, are not only among the top players in the league, but they still are worthy of playing for their national teams. He mentions that Beckham’s presence has increased attendance in every market he’s traveled to, yet later he says that getting star players won’t increase attendance. Finally, when he says “The idea was to bring in top players in their prime; however, very few such players have any desire to be surrounded by minimum-wage college players.”, a statement which to me seems like a call to adopt Leiweke’s idea. Everybody likes to make fun of LA and their problems (I‘m a Revs fan btw, not LA), but nobody can argue that they haven’t shown a desire to spend more money on players, which is what the rest of the league’s fans are calling for.

Everybody in America would like to see more money spent on players in MLS. As it stands right now, an owner could say that he doesn’t want to bring in a designated player, because as it’s been shown, it can hurt the team, even if it’s also shown that it can increase attendance if you get the right player. By itself, not counting the designated player’s salary against the cap would increase the cap for teams, as now the cap could be spread across one less player, and it would also make it so that bringing in a designated player would make a team more rather than less competitive. I would like to see both the cap increased and the designated salary not counted, but I don’t think the cap will go up too much until the new collective bargaining agreement gets done, as it’s chip the owners want to keep for the negotiations, but I would like to see Leiweke’s change go through, because it would also show which owners do truly want to make their teams as competitive as possible.

Rich

Richard,
 
You have some good points.  MLS needs to emulate the world standard. It seems like soccer is like everything else that gets imported to the USA, it's not the original recipe and it is watered down.
 
Things that MLS can do are the following:
 
1 tier system - no playoffs- season champ is MLS champion.......every game counts, mistakes in every game count, ask Chelsea about last season, lost the Prem to Manu by bad results against lesser opponents

No draft. Each MLS team has academies - you find, you keep, you sign, you sell, when it comes to players

Switch to FIFA schedule. Make the salary cap much higher, bigger rosters, 3 DPs per team without counting toward cap.

Top 2 teams go to Libertadores. Teams 3 and 4 go to CONCACAF champions league

Bottom 3 teams get punished somehow, not relegated.

Rewards for international trophies

Limit the MLS teams that participate in the US Open Cup, I don't think many people watch that anyway and don't the MLS teams use reserves for those games? 
 
Obviously we need stadia for each team and other things in place to make it happen.  I would like MLS to try it for just one season to see how it works. 
 
Get away from the gimmicks and novelty that MLS likes to promote to raise soccer status in the USA. 
 
I think Don Garber is making progress, he has listened to the fans and is moving in the right direction.   I have emailed him my suggestions.  I don't know that he got them.
 
Thanks for your time
 
Allen

The MLS rule is not that every team gets 2 DP's, as your article states.
 
Each team gets 1 DP, and the slots can be traded. But there are only 14 slots, not 28.
 
Plus, Ruiz, EJ, and LD were "grandfathered" in.
 
Teams with 2:
1. NY (via Guevara trade, Chivas I think) (Angel, open with Reyna retiring)
2. DC (via Gomez trade to COL): Gallardo & Emilio
 
Teams with one:
1. LA only has one (Beckham), LD is grandfathered.
2. Chicago has Blanco
 
I think that is it.
 
1. TFC has grand pappy Ruiz.
2. Columbus has Schelotto, who makes DP $$, but the salary number was paid down with allocation $$.
3. FCD had Denilson, but he is gone. Davilo may count, I'm not sure.
 
Jason W