[nas] Reyna, turf and transfers

Reyna, turf and transfers

via The Netminder by Beau Dure on 7/15/08

In case you read Eric Wynalda's comments on Claudio Reyna in today's notebook and wondering what the former U.S. forward and ESPN commentator is doing these days, the answer is he's in business with Joe-Max Moore. See the clip.

Wynalda says he doesn't miss TV at all, and he's watching more games than ever while spending time with his kids and occasionally playing with the PDL's Bakersfield Brigade.

He's not a fan of the combination of the Giants Stadium artificial turf and skilled but injury-plagued players like Reyna and Tab Ramos. When the new Red Bulls stadium finally opens, Wynalda jokes, they should call it "the Ramos-Reyna Stadium."

Between this and the reports that Darren Huckerby steered clear of Toronto to avoid the turf up north, we might have a few debates over the fake grass in the near future.

Reyna's departure could set up an interesting domino effect with the transfer window now open. New York has an open spot.

Good time to review the rules. They're spelled out on MLS' site (one typo in that link -- the transfer window opened July 15, not June), but a few current examples might help to illustrate what's going on.

1. Players coming back to MLS from overseas. If the team was compensated already, they have no rights to claim that player. (See Donovan, Landon.) But if the team wasn't compensated -- a common occurrence if a player was out of contract and MLS didn't collect a transfer fee -- the team retains the player's MLS rights indefinitely. That's why Josh Wolff and Nate Jaqua can return to their last MLS teams with minimal fuss.

2. Still a single entity. We often say so-and-so signed with a particular team. In reality, they're still signing with the league and being assigned to that team. The teams have plenty of say, and the discovery process and trades give them room to reshape the roster. But the league is still paying the bills, including transfer fees. The team's salary and allocation budgets really determine how much spending they can ask from the league.

So if you're under contract overseas, the league discusses a transfer with your club. Then the league talks to you to hammer out a deal. Then the league's rules kick in to decide which team picks you up. The reality is that you're not likely to sign a deal unless you have some inkling of where you're going, but from a procedural point of view, that's how it goes.

Does any of that explain why Pat Noonan hasn't gone to Columbus?

3. Right of first refusal is literal. Let's say you're the first team on the allocation list, and a player comes up. You get that player if you can clear out a spot on your roster and under the salary cap. You can also make a deal with another team if and only if you demonstrate that you can clear those spaces. If not, you pass. So if someone is signed for $200K, you only have $100K under the cap and Team B has $200K, Team B doesn't owe you anything.

Which does not explain the Brian McBride situation. That's a stalemate.

The transfer window closes Aug. 15. If a deal isn't done before then, MLS would need to petition FIFA to allow McBride to sign.

All clear? Don't worry -- there's not a test unless you're running a team.

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Reyna, turf and transfers

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