(10-11-2017 12:29 AM)chiefsfan Wrote:  

(10-11-2017 12:14 AM)Loco Bearcat Wrote:  Our country is not producing enough players for MLS. Costa Rica, Panama, and Honduras are filled with MLS players and they finished ahead of us.

One of the things Twellman said in a later rant on ESPN was that one of the biggest problems we have with the current roster is that these players have not experienced the pressure before that they had today. He said that MLS does not provide the same pressure for top American players that another European League does. At the end of the day, despite missing this World Cup, Dempsey, Altidore, Bradley etc are all still millionaires. They won't get harassed regularly by their own fans for not qualifying. People aren't going to stop them on the street to chastise them.

The Designated Player system is really hurting US growth. The system convinced guys like Altidore and Bradley to return to MLS where they can make millions without the pressure that Europe has. We're left in a situation where Americans playing in MLS are either top guys who have financial security forever, or fringe guys with little experience at the International level.

I hate to bring Pro/Rel up, but players in England whose clubs finish in the Bottom 3 know that their contracts state they will lose up to half their wages if the team gets relegated, and that relegation is going to stay on their resume and remain as a label forever. They fight tooth and nail to avoid getting that stigma.

You finish last in MLS, the best players make the same amount of money (or more) the next year, and the team gets a draft pick or allocation money to bring in more top players to make them better.

Agree with all of this 100%. Problem is I don't know how you could implement pro/rel at this point because of whole "buying" your way into the MLS. Team's have to pay a large fee to get into the MLS, so what happens if FC Cincy gets promoted and Columbus Crew get relegated? That is a lawsuit waiting to happen because FC Cincy didn't have to pay the fee. Only way I can even think to go about it is if the MLS expanded to 40 teams and then split into the Premier Division and Championship Division or whatever they want to call it.