The fix - Miami Barca

[Stryker]

Tribal Soccer and a handful of foreign sites are reporting that Xabier Azkargorta has been offered the postion of heading up Miami Barca.
One can assume they'd only be confident enough to do so if they'd been quietly givin the nod from MLS. If true, that in turn leads to speculation that they may be playing as early as 2010.

The good news? Barca wouldn't be interested in a team here unless they'd been promised room in which to spend their boat loads of cash.

I would expect the salary cap to double.

Things just got very interesting.

[mighty_torontofc_2008]

Tribal Soccer and a handful of foreign sites are reporting that Xabier Azkargorta has been offered the postion of heading up Miami Barca.
One can assume they'd only be confident enough to do so if they'd been quietly givin the nod from MLS. If true, that in turn leads to speculation that they may be playing as early as 2010.

The good news? Barca wouldn't be interested in a team here unless they'd been promised room in which to spend their boat loads of cash.
Im expecting the salary cap to double.

Things just got very interesting.

Barca have to play by the same cap rules as everyone else, no special treatment for them. THis MLS team will be to bring along american talent,
not to be a Barca 2nd tream.

[werewolf]

Barca have to play by the same cap rules as everyone else, no special treatment for them. THis MLS team will be to bring along american talent,
not to be a Barca 2nd tream.

yea...just like the Galaxy

[ensco]

I am convinced that Philly will be delayed (watch CNBC for 5 minutes and ask yourself how any government in the world will build a new sports stadium in this environment) and that Miami will play in 2010 at FIU.

[brad]

I wonder about the potential for loop holes with this.

Maybe this is the conspiracy theorist in me, but what is in place to stop something like this (legit question - I'm not that familiar with the ins and outs):

1) Barca in Spain buys DP caliber player, gives them a big enough signing bonus to offest the difference in wage. Players actual wage fits into the confines of MLS salary cap.
2)Player is loaned to Barca Miami - with an option to buy. That clause is never excuted, as it's the same ownership looking out for the same interests.
3)Repeat as often as needed/possible.

I also wonder about loans for their youth players.

[ensco]

^good question....I've asked before why Chivas doesn't do this.

[flatpicker]

If having Miami Barca enter the league means a big boost to the salary cap, then that actually makes me happy.
It would be a shame if it came at the expense of Vancouver's bid (or even Ottawa's)
But for the good of the league, and it's reputation globally, it might be a good thing.

[canadian_bhoy]

There is no way that Barca would "apply" for an MLS club if there was a chance they would be turned down.

Barca snubbed by MLS? not going to happen.

[Yohan]

^good question....I've asked before why Chivas doesn't do this.

i'm also curious to know why Crystal Palace doesnt field a team in MLS instead of whatever little league team CP Baltimore is playing in

i also am curious to know exactly does Barca know how convoluted MLS rules are, or does it expect to get some sort of special treatment

[I_AM_CANADIAN]

If Barca do insist on a salary cap increase, I say bring on Miami, because it's better for us. As long as the other team is in Vancouver.

[BFin]

i'm also curious to know why Crystal Palace doesnt field a team in MLS instead of whatever little league team CP Baltimore is playing in

i also am curious to know exactly does Barca know how convoluted MLS rules are, or does it expect to get some sort of special treatment

Why wouldn't Barca expect if it LA got it?

[Yohan]

Why wouldn't Barca expect if it LA got it?

because Barca hasn't forked up anything firm yet? Like, if we get a team, we'll ensure Henry plays on it

[Esquire]

Please tell me there's no way the team will be called "Miami Barca"

[loconet]

As a fan of the *real* Barca, this Miami Barca thing is garbage.

[Hitcho]

If the cap space goes up significantly, then the voerall quality of the league should follow suit. That, in turn, means a better calibre of DP can be attracted to play in the league. AT that stage, and with having a better supporting cast, a DP could suddenly become a very potent weapon, as opposed to a financial millstone.

I hope MLSE is prepared to fork out for fomr the kind of DP we'd want/need in that scenario. The waiting list will surely grow if this is the route the league goes down, so they could add in some more plastic to BMO Field and recoup far more in ticket sales to fund it.

Then again, without grass who are we seriously going to be able to attract?

Round and round we go, the never ending torment of TFC fans...

[Yohan]

generally, i find i get less stress if i dont think about raising salary cap stuff until new round of collective bargaining agreement finishes. also I think DP rule is up for review after this year too

[Hitcho]

how much power does collective bargaining give the clubs over the league? I mean, if they wanted to all vote for no cap at all (hypothetically), could they unanimously push it through? That would seriously screw MLS seeing as they pay the wages, so you assume not. but in that case, just what can the clubs actually swing?

like most things with the MLS rule and play book, it's all a mystery to me.

[Yohan]

how much power does collective bargaining give the clubs over the league? I mean, if they wanted to all vote for no cap at all (hypothetically), could they unanimously push it through? That would seriously screw MLS seeing as they pay the wages, so you assume not. but in that case, just what can the clubs actually swing?

like most things with the MLS rule and play book, it's all a mystery to me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_l...ccer#Ownership

MLS operates under a single-entity structure in which teams are centrally controlled by the league. In order to keep costs under control, revenues are shared throughout the league, player contracts are negotiated by the league, and ultimately players are contracted not with individual teams but with the league itself. The league fought a bitter legal battle with its players over its economic system, but this was eventually resolved with the players gaining some improved benefits in return for accepting the single entity structure. A court had also ruled that even absent their collective bargaining agreement, players could opt to play in other leagues if they were unsatisfied.

so if the players want bigger pay, go on strike!

[S_D]

how much power does collective bargaining give the clubs over the league? I mean, if they wanted to all vote for no cap at all (hypothetically), could they unanimously push it through? That would seriously screw MLS seeing as they pay the wages, so you assume not. but in that case, just what can the clubs actually swing?

like most things with the MLS rule and play book, it's all a mystery to me.

I don't think the clubs can as the owners only control 49% of the team. MLS owns the other 51%. Not sure if the owners of the clubs all own part of the other 51%.

I guess what they could do is fire the commish and put a new one in his place who is more open to raising the cap or getting rid of it entirely. Wouldn't happen though.

[Oldtimer]

I guess what they could do is fire the commish and put a new one in his place who is more open to raising the cap or getting rid of it entirely. Wouldn't happen though.

Its actually the majority of the clubs who are opposed to raising the cap. The Board of Governors has the ultimate say, not the commish.

[billyfly]

Everytime we talk about Miami in MLS we have to say this - ROADTRIP!

[jloome]

^good question....I've asked before why Chivas doesn't do this.

Loaned players original salaries count against the cap to prevent this.

[Detroit_TFC]

i'm also curious to know why Crystal Palace doesnt field a team in MLS instead of whatever little league team CP Baltimore is playing in

i also am curious to know exactly does Barca know how convoluted MLS rules are, or does it expect to get some sort of special treatment

The only two criteria for getting a USL team: not infringing another owners territory and your check clears. Lots easier for clubs wanting to show the flag in North America to buy a franchise than try to leverage a MLS bid. Unless, of course, you are a very big boy. I imagine if Roman or Sheikh Mansour wanted an MLS team, it would happen instantly.

[Redcoe15]

This has suck written all over it. Miami's a shit sports town where MLS failed before and the Barca people are making special demands to MLS to get in the league or they'll take their ball and go home. Joey Saputo did that and got the Montreal bid yanked out from under him. If MLS does that to him they should do that to Miami Barca's proposed farm team.

[Keystone FC]

The only two criteria for getting a USL team: not infringing another owners territory and your check clears. Lots easier for clubs wanting to show the flag in North America to buy a franchise than try to leverage a MLS bid. Unless, of course, you are a very big boy. I imagine if Roman or Sheikh Mansour wanted an MLS team, it would happen instantly.

Plus, from what I hear, CP Baltimore is run on a shoestring budget. Basically the hand-me-down kits from CP as well as merch. This is why they are in the USL 2. It's bascially to scout for some US talent but moreover it's to give CP up-and-coming players more playing time during the summer months.
I think this is why the MLS and A-League, J League (to some extents) are very attractive to Euro clubs for development teams. We play in their off season which can give their reserves a chance to gain experience.

[Cashcleaner]

This has suck written all over it. Miami's a shit sports town where MLS failed before and the Barca people are making special demands to MLS to get in the league or they'll take their ball and go home. Joey Saputo did that and got the Montreal bid yanked out from under him. If MLS does that to him they should do that to Miami Barca's proposed farm team.

That's the one problem I have with Miami as a potential expansion city. They've had two chances in Florida to make a go of soccer and both the Fusion and Mutiny failed. People can argue all they want about why the clubs failed and who or what is to blame, but at the end of the day people simply didn't come out in the numbers needed for either team to turn the sort of profits the owners wanted.

Unfortunately I think Barca will get its way in this deal and MLS will be bending the rules once again to entice them with a partnership. I'm not against Miami getting a team if they legitimately beat out the other candidates with what they can offer MLS, but I have a feeling we might be looking at another incarnation of the Galaxy, but for the Eastern Conference.

[ensco]

People can argue all they want about why the clubs failed and who or what is to blame, but at the end of the day people simply didn't come out in the numbers needed for either team to turn the sort of profits the owners wanted.

What, the facts don't matter?

If TFC were owned by a money-pinching individual who screwed the season ticket holders and went broke while he owned the team, if they played in a high school stadium in Newmarket, if they drew 8,000-10,000 anyway (ie multiples of what the Lynx got), would you conclude that MLS soccer can't ever work in Toronto?

Because that's exactly what the situation with the Fusion was. Ask Tyrone Marshall. He'll tell you it was the situation, not the city, that was the problem.