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Which potential DP do you want to see in MLS in 2012?

DrogbaLampard (Reuters Pictures)

Omar Bravo is gone. David Beckham could be gone. Nicolas Anelka isn't coming.

The Designated Player landscape in MLS is changing and evolving, and even with teams having the flexibility to go after younger DP options or giving players like league veteran Shalrie Joseph a DP deal, the lure of landing a big-name, marketable superstar is still prevalent. As the Los Angeles Galaxy proved last season, spending big money on the right players can pay off with a championship, but it's not only big-city clubs like L.A. and New York that are players in the DP market anymore. 

There are a number of players who have been rumored to be joining MLS, and the rumblings continue to grow as the European winter transfer window and MLS preseason approach. Names like international veterans Alessandro Del Piero, Didier Drogba and Michael Ballack (who are all out of contract this summer) have been tossed around as serious options — either this winter or during the summer window — for a league that continues to gain traction across the globe.

Which potential DP would you most like to see join MLS? Cast your vote after the jump:

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How did you vote? Who do you want to see come to MLS? Is there any realistic option not on this list that you think would make a good fit for your team? Would you rather see teams skew toward younger, unproven DPs as opposed to older, more-established veterans?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Apparently the same club that got Anelka, Shanghai Shenhua, is also making a move for Drogba. And they’re trying to get Jean Tigana to manage the club. Those guys are getting serious over there in China, and they got the money to do it.

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  2. Yeah, I know. I also lived in SF (until three months ago when I moved) but I think the idea is you could sell a star on living in San Francisco with only a 45-minute drive to the stadium. That said, I never liked San Jose and never had any desire to go see their dumb hockey or soccer teams. I understand why they didn’t put a team in SFC (expensive), but I don’t know why they couldn’t have gone with Oakland.

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  3. Why do people keep mentioning San Francisco? I live in SF and last I checked we don’t have a team. And don’t give me that two-bit operation down in San Jose. While SF would indeed be a great cosmopolitan MLS city that a lot of Europeans would love, that’s certainly not true of San Jose.

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  4. Well not all players are from urban backgrounds. Like schelotto to Columbus, he was actually from quieter background, not the bustling city.

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  5. What about releasing Gio dos Santos from North London purgatory? He’ll probably end up at one of the Southern European Leagues and of course he is 10 years younger than the usual age to come here but hopefully you see the logic?

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  6. I agree with all of your points…this is a great choice and more realistic than those on the survey. Plus since he lived in Manchester, every MLS town will seem like Paris.

    Another broader point is that footballers get anonymity here. Going out to dinner and not being recognized and pestered is a huge plus. The F1 drivers love NYC for this reason. Despite Posh’s best efforts (3 SUV entourage)…I’m sure LA was much easier for them.

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  7. crappy MLS forwards don’t deserve the service Pirlo could provide. No one has mentioned Seedorf enough. He is the lowest profile guy in the bunch but if you watch AC Milan…he is ageless and still a big contributor.

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