Over the last two weeks, I’ve taken a close look at every head coaching job in MLS and predicted who will stick around for 2015. In any sport, a head coach’s win-loss (and draw in soccer) record will be a big indicator of performance. But for most of the coaches that I predicted wouldn’t stick around, the win-loss-draw record is a very poor representation of their performance.
It is, however, an excellent indicator of the performances of the people watching from the boardroom: MLS owners.
A lot has happened in the past week to bring owners into the spotlight, and as is almost always the case, none of the publicity is terribly good.
The rumours of Chivas USA not being around in 2015 (or at all beyond 2014) have picked up so much steam that there may not be any more water left in the kettle to boil. The decision, which still has yet to be formally announced, has divided fans. While some argue that a new beginning is necessary, others are looking at Chivas’ fans (yes, they do exist) and feeling sorry that the team they love is folding against their will. Those who read me regularly will know that I’m strongly on the side of a contraction.
You’d think that the identification of a new ownership group to take over “LA2” would have been a rare positive side to the story. But then it was discovered that Vincent Tan, the much-maligned owner of Cardiff City FC, has a minority stake in the new ownership team.
No positives in California, nor in New York, where rumours arose this week that Red Bull was looking to sell the club that bears their namesake for a whopping $300 million. The club denied the rumours by issuing the following statement:
“There are no plans to sell the New York Red Bulls. While interest in soccer continues to grow in the U.S. and the MLS continues to expand, Red Bull is confident now more than ever in its investment and committed to the franchise and its supporters.”
Ignoring “the MLS”, which pained me to type out, let’s acknowledge that RED BULL ACTUALLY SAID SOMETHING ABOUT THE NEW YORK RED BULLS?!?! That alone is a miracle in itself.
And last but not least, there’s that pitch in New England, re-entering the argument of the worst playing surface in MLS in not-style. Have a look at Chicago’s from a few weeks ago and decide for yourself who takes this one.
I sit here wondering what happened to taking pride in ownership. Last I checked, nothing has changed in the world outside of MLS. Our possessions and how we care for them are still reflections of us as people.
Your neighbour didn’t just buy a flashy sports car with the intention of letting it collect dust in the garage or, even worse, the driveway, did they? After kicking it around for a few hours, do you leave your brand new soccer ball half-inflated? Your wife shelled out for a new iPhone. Are you really going to try the bend test on it?
Okay, I’ll concede here. I might have gone into Future Shop two weeks ago to try the bend test on one of their display iPhones. Though I didn’t try very hard (and was predictably unsuccessful) I still walked briskly out of the store.
What I’m trying to get at here is that an investment isn’t just about the initial purchase. It’s about the follow-up and the continual investment to keep a product working like new.
Still think I’m crazy? Fine, but the next time you break your leg, get some teeth knocked out, or need a new prescription, see how long you can last without the “continual investment” that is the healthcare system.
MLS owners have gotten better over time. No longer are we looking at a Lamar Hunt-Philip Anschutz-Robert Kraft triopoly. If we include Miami and Atlanta, 23 MLS clubs are currently overseen by 22 ownership groups. Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) oversees both the L.A. Galaxy and the Houston Dynamo, while Chivas USA is still owned by the league. It’s also worth noting that nearly every club now plays in a soccer-specific venue and that the price of buying an MLS side is now up to nine figures.
But regardless of these improvements, there is still no written standard of continual investment. Are there unwritten examples? Yes, in Toronto, Los Angeles, and the Pacific Northwest. But there is nothing that owners are bound to whatsoever.
That’s why New England and D.C. play in stadiums that are awful for soccer and just plain awful, respectively. Jorge Vergara was never really required to put anything into the American version of his Chivas empire; ownership from afar was part of the reason the franchise has been driven into the ground.
Clubs aren’t required to buy Designated Players, nor are they required to spend big on them if they choose to buy (I’m looking at you Colorado and owner Stan Kroenke). But according to MLS’ newest salary figures, Kaka is making more right now as an individual than all but five clubs right now (Toronto, Seattle, Los Angeles, New York, and, by a smidgen, New England thanks to the Jermaine Jones signing).
Kaka doesn’t start playing in MLS for five months, just so we’re all clear.
So what should the standards be for MLS owners?
A willingness to spend money would be a start. You can blame the single-entity structure all you want when it comes to spending, but that’s a whole other argument. The fact is that even with single-entity owners still have a wide range of spending options. Should every team spend like MLSE does in Toronto? No. But, ignoring Jermaine Jones’ contract for a second here, should every owner spend more than Kroenke and Kraft? Yes.
Owners should be willing to communicate with fans. And even if they can’t, they should get somebody else to do it for them. Dave Kaval, President of the San Jose Earthquakes, is the bar setter in this department. If we put Kaval at one end of the spectrum and Vergara at the other, I’d hope that MLS owners could eventually get at least three-quarters of the way to where Kaval and the Earthquakes are now.
Lastly, owners should be personally invested and put their own ideas into the club. Apart from Crew Stadium, the Columbus Crew have never really been trailblazers, but owner Anthony Precourt is changing that notion as he continues to redevelop and modernize his club’s aging brand. On the other end of the field of conviction stands Sheikh Mansour, the owner of Manchester City FC and the majority owner of New York City FC. Don’t get me wrong, he cares about his club in Manchester. But, like Vergara and Chivas, NYCFC has the potential to become an unloved scrap heap. Granted, there will still be a whole pile of money thrown into that scrap heap, but if Mansour comes across as an uncaring owner, will fans really care either? They sure as anything didn’t for Chivas USA.
We care about our clubs. MLS owners, the people who can actually try to make money off of them, should to.
Just don’t try to break your owner and use the healthcare analogy of continual investment on them. Please. For your sake and mine.
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