Recruiting is not a perfect science. Difficulty adapting to a new country and culture, poor fit in the locker room, poor fit in a particular system, drop-offs in production, etc. There are many things that can go wrong. As such, roster building presents the following problems: A built-in margin of error – the expectation that every front office will miss a player along the way.
But missing big still really hurts, especially in Major League Soccer.
The structure of the MLS salary cap system leaves little room for error for teams when it comes to high-value contracts. Teams can only get three picks, so he could ruin a season (or more) if he misses one of those guys. Just look at when two of Sporting Kansas City’s DP players were sidelined with long-term injuries. In MLS, it is also difficult to reduce the burden on players and adjust for mistakes. The cap doesn’t actually allow a new player to replace an absent player, and teams can only buy him out of his contract once per season.
League history is littered with failed DP deals, from Steven Gerrard to Rafa Marquez. And when the MLS Players Association announces salaries twice a year, it’s become something of a tradition for fans, media, even locker rooms and front offices to scan and cringe at the bad deals they’ve been handed out. ing. Go all over the league.
Here’s a look at some of the players under contract in MLS this year.
Goalkeeper: Nick Marsman, Inter Miami — $587,184
The Dutch goalkeeper signed a free deal in 2021 and made 22 appearances that season, but was ousted by Drake Callender in 2022, making just seven appearances last year and this year’s. Did not play in 0 games. In general, MLS teams don’t like spending large sums of money on goalkeeper positions. Spending over $500,000 on a backup goalie is a financial nightmare.
Left rear: Mohanad Jadze, DC United — $660,000
The Swedish-born left-back, who signed from Hammarby for Target Allocation Money (TAM) in December, has made six appearances and provided two assists this season, but was arrested on assault charges while on club-approved leave. is currently on suspension. MLS.
Center back: Omar Gonzalez, New England Revolution — $450,000
One of the best defenders in MLS history, Gonzalez returned to the league in 2019, playing more than two years as a starter in Toronto before moving to New England and reuniting with former LA Galaxy coach Bruce Arena. . He struggled to start just eight games last season and has played just six minutes so far this season. The 34-year-old still has a hefty price tag, but it doesn’t quite match his role on this Revs team.
Center back: Derrick Williams, DC United — $871,458
Irish centre-back Derrick Williams joined MLS from the LA Galaxy in 2021 and was traded to DC United earlier this season. He has made 54 appearances in MLS between both clubs, and while his individual defensive stats can be opaque, he does not rank anywhere near the top defenders in any major category. With this cap reach, Williams is expected to become one of the best centre-backs in the league.
Right rear: Nathan Byrne, Charlotte FC — $607,833
Right-back was a difficult place to choose. The highest-paid players at the position, like Miami’s DeAndre Yedlin, are important contributors to the team. Bad contracts are rare. Nathan Byrne isn’t objectively a terrible player and has started most of Charlotte’s games, but his cap hits so far are a little north of his impact. The 30-year-old spent his entire career in England, playing mostly in the Championship and League One, before coming to MLS.
Midfielder: Rodolfo Pizarro, Inter Miami — $3,350,000
Rodolfo Pizarro has become Inter Miami’s star player heading into the first season of 2020. Expectations were high for the Mexican international, thanks in part to a $12 million transfer fee, and Miami had constant links with the big names in football. Pizarro’s talent has not been reflected in the competition, as he has contributed just 17 goals in 56 appearances. He left last year on loan but still haunts Miami as a DP because of that transfer fee. He returned this year in a more box-to-box role.
Midfielder: Ravel Morrison, DC United — $922,844
DC United signed Ravel Morrison on a TAM deal last summer amid Wayne Rooney’s roster review. It was Morrison’s 13th team. By the winter, the club had decided to go ahead without a talented but enigmatic midfielder. He won’t be in the group for the entire season, but he’s still under contract as both sides continue to consider what’s next. As a result, Morrison still counts on DC’s cap despite not being on the team. His contract expires at the end of the season, but even if a move doesn’t materialize this summer, DC could buy him out to free up cap space.
Attacking Midfielder: Xherdan Shaqiri, Chicago Fire — $8,153,000
Swiss international Xherdan Shaqiri, the highest-paid player in Major League Soccer in 2023, has just seven goals and seven assists in 36 appearances. Four of those goals came from the penalty spot. The Fire have already made a coaching change for 2023 after failing to make the playoffs last year and getting off to a disappointing start.
Winger: Luis Araujo, Atlanta United — $4,483,333
Will the elite winger, signed for $10 million (plus $2 million in incentives) after helping Lille win Ligue 1, join the frenzied Atlanta United attack? Luis Araujo hasn’t lived up to his 12 goals and 11 assists in 59 appearances as Atlanta led the attack and missed the playoffs last year. Araujo still contributes a few goals, but he is hardly comparable to his transfer fees or being one of the highest paid players in the league. There were plenty of candidates here too, including Toronto’s Lorenzo Insigne, but he clearly doesn’t live up to the hype.
Winger: Douglas Costa, LA Galaxy — $4,508,333
Since signing for the LA Galaxy for the 2022 season, he has started just 19 of the club’s 47 games and is currently injured again. Costa, now 32, has almost as many red cards (three) as goals (four) in the MLS. Costa filled his trophy case during his stints at Shakhtar Donetsk, Bayern Munich and Juventus, but had a very disappointing season at Gremio before joining Galaxy. The Brazilian player is under contract until the remainder of 2023.
striker: Josie Altidore, New England Revolution — $2,939,963
Josie Altidore’s salary is split between the two clubs. He was acquired by Toronto FC ahead of the 2022 season and signed a MAX-TAM deal with New England, but TFC still pays the rest. Altidore’s time at the Levs has not gone as planned, with only one MLS goal and four starts for the club since the start of last season. He was loaned to Puebla FC in the summer, where he played only 88 minutes in three months, but he returned to New England and has played just 89 minutes so far in 2023. It’s the only time Altidore has exceeded 1,000 minutes in a league season since 2017.
Honorable mention (not)
Goalkeeper: Daniel, South Carolina — $400,000. Tim Meriah, SKC — $637,500.Kenneth Vermeer, MLS — $387,334
Defender: Kyle Duncan, RBNY — $555,750. Teen Hadebe, HOU — $1,288,077. Arnaud Souquet, Chile — $679,667
Midfielder: Efra Alvarez, LAG — $766,500. Christian Dajomé, DCU — $965,625. Gaston Jimenez, Chile – $1,633,333. Yuya Kubo, CIN — $1,206,750. Nuno Santos, CLT — $611,387.Mateus Rossett — $764,375
forward: Ayo Akinola, TOR — $771,875. Sebastian Ferreira, HOU — $2,130,200. Anderson Julio, RSL — $820,000. Kacper Przybylko, CHI — $1,212,504; Emiliano Rigoni, ATX — $2,047,996. Kyrie Shelton, SKC — $625,000
(Top photo: Andrew Katsampes/ISI Photos/Getty Images, Matthew Ashton – AMA/Getty Images. Design: Eamonn Dalton)
