RE: [nas] Messing on U.S. players/San Antonio MLS/New United Stri ker?/Y

--- Original Message ---
From: "James V. Geluso" <atlemar@io.com>

>On Fri, 5 Sep 2003, Dan Veshia wrote:
>
>> You don't think that the good A-league players 
>would just get bumped up ?
>
>No. There are quite a few players good enough to play 
in MLS (lots of 
>players on Seattle, Rochester, Minnesota and Virginia 
Beach come to mind) 
>but who would actually take pay *cuts* if they came 
to MLS.

Yari Allnut is probably the best example of this - and 
his story is typical Rev.  He clearly was good enough 
to play in MLS, but got paid significantly more (2X?) 
to play in the A-League.  He finally made an MLS 
roster and got hurt...

But James is spot on here.  There are probably two 
teams' worth of players in the A-League who could play 
in MLS if pay weren't an issue.  But it is.

 I know this 
>has been an issue with Rochester players, I'm not 
sure to what extent it's 
>been true with other teams. But certainly Andrew 
Gregor is worth more to 
>Seattle than to any MLS team.

There are probably two or three or four players on the 
top four or five teams in the A-League (including 
Seattle, Rochester, etc.) who would replace the Nos. 7-
13 players on any MLS roster.

>And lots of A-League players are those who just 
didn't fit into an MLS 
>scheme - they're good at soccer, but not as good at 
particular positions 
>as many MLS players (Darren Sawatsky comes to mind).

Well, Darren is a great athlete, but I am not sure he 
is a good soccer player (if you see the distinction).  
This is something Buzz has mentioned before, and I 
agree with it - most of the time, to play at the US 
MNT level, you have to be both.  Ralston is a good 
soccer player, not as great an athlete.  Same for 
Jason Kreis.  Darren is the opposite - fast as hell, 
but a little wanting on the skill/knowledge side.  And 
from what I recall in the years he was in MLS, a 
little too wanting to be effective.   This is the jump 
MLS has made over the past three or four years - that 
pure athletecism isn't enough any more.





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