The MLS Superdraft has grown irrelevant – now the players participating in the draft themselves can attest to this statement. The Vancouver Whitecaps, having a rough offseason as it is what with losing their top player in Camilo, have now drafted a player who already had an agreement in place with another club. That’s right, the seventh overall pick in the Superdraft, Andre Lewis, has deferred a contract with an MLS team to play in the 2nd tier NASL for the New York Cosmos. There’s something fundamentally wrong with this scenario frankly, and how it could ever possibly come to pass. It’s not Andre Lewis – it’s the Superdraft itself.
No other professional soccer league utilizes such a method to distribute youth players amongst its clubs. People who believe in the concept of the draft often bring to light its purpose, which is to create equity and parity amongst teams throughout the league. Sounds perfectly fine right? Yet is rewarding teams who languish at the bottom of the standings with the selection of players truly a positive? Why should the losers be rewarded for losing?
When observing the history of the league, there are no consistent powerhouse teams who have dominated on a continuous basis since its inception, aside from the LA Galaxy. The whole concept of every club having a shot at the league trophy certainly adds excitement, but in a salary cap system that doesn’t translate well in foreign markets credibility-wise. We all know how four time champs DC United fared last year, don’t we? Take a look at the most popular and lucrative leagues in the world; what would La Liga be without Barca, Real Madrid or Atletico? Italy without the Milan brethren and Juventus? Powerhouses attract fans, develop followings, which translates into money. Equity doesn’t necessarily translate into success with the constant upheaval which is ever present in MLS.
Then there is question of why bother to hold a draft in the first place? In recent years, North American academies have produced as many successful players as the Superdraft has. Think about it. You’re developing talent within your own club’s system – once they break into the first squad the club’s footballing ideologies will already be embedded within them. Clubs are invested in you; you feel of worth to a community. The city will be familiar as opposed to exotic as you will be familiar to club officials. Plus, players have the opportunity to break through the professional barrier at a younger age via the academy system.
With the Superdraft, teams are selecting 20+ year old raw talents (aside from the Generation Adidas crop) who more often than not take several years adjusting to the professional level required for MLS – the academy players will already have had several years to impress prior to their peers. With the draft you don’t necessarily know all the details behind what you are selecting – the combine is not a worthy method of judging players’ potential nor does a brief interview constitute a relationship with a given individual. Toronto FC’s Kyle Bekker is an example of a player who performed well enough at the combine to elevate his draft standing yet this season did not pan out as anticipated.
The word “academy” itself is derived from Plato’s school of philosophy in Athens, the concept of specialized learning. Academies can facilitate a higher level of soccer-specific learning than college soccer ever will provide. The professional insight from world class coaches and staff members aid in the superiority of the academy. If you are a young and up and coming prodigy would you not rather have opportunities to play in tournaments against the world’s best under the tutelage of respected teachers of the game? It’s a no-brainer.
The concept of a “Generation Adidas Player” is also a confusing notion to the casual fan of MLS and anyone else who watches football in other leagues. Generation Adidas Players are young players with high potential selected by the MLS and Adidas who are offered a guaranteed three-year MLS contract. They generally earn a much higher salary than the league minimum of $35,000 and are not classified as being a part of senior MLS rosters upon being signed. As an added incentive, they possess the opportunity to attend a post-secondary institution on scholarship provided by Adidas. This is because once you choose to become a member of Generation Adidas you void your college education and become a full time professional. Unfortunately, the players who are capable of being selected by the program are but a select, privileged few – between 8-12 per year. In a league all about equality, this venture seems out of character.
The other issue at hand is how young players in general are looked after by the MLS. Base salaries of $35,000 are not much to smile about considering some designated players will earn over 200 times that amount (looking at you, Toronto). The contrast is startling. Then there is the major flaw in the Superdraft that tends to be overlooked – not all players are guaranteed MLS contracts, the clubs merely hold the rights to offer them contracts.
It is easy to comprehend why a player like Andre Lewis would decide to turn down the offer to play for a top-tier club when he knows very well he can make guaranteed money elsewhere- the Cosmos knew that and that’s why they were able to sign him to a contract. Because of the feathers that were ruffled there are now rumblings of a deal taking place in some shape or form between NASL and MLS officials so come March 1st, Andre might actually start the season in a Whitecaps jersey after all.
Don Garber frequently mentions his desire for MLS to develop into a relevant league – if he’s serious about his ambitions, then he’ll realize sooner or later that the Superdraft is an event which hinders the league’s growth. It’s not that the Superdraft is a bad method for developing players, it’s simply not the best – the rest of the world already understands this.
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