So where is Brian McBride?
No, he can’t play in Major League Soccer until July 15th anyway, but why hasn’t a deal for his move to MLS, an presumably the Chicago Fire, not happened yet? The deal has stalled as negotiations between the Fire and Toronto FC, current holders of the allocation spot needed to sign McBride have hit a wall.
Chicago Fire technical director Frank Klopas was quoted by the Chicago Tribune about the Fire’s trade talks with Toronto FC and stated that Toronto was trying to land multiple players in any deal for the McBride allocation slot.
"(Toronto) always wants more than one player," Klopas told the Tribune’s Luis Arroyave. "That’s difficult from our standpoint. We can’t be releasing two or three guys to make this happen. It would hurt the team.
"It’s not just one situation either. They always seem to change the deal around."
That’s not quite how sources in Toronto see the trade talks going.
While Mo Johnston declined to comment on trade talks, a Toronto FC source told SBI that Toronto has asked for Justin Mapp or Wilman Conde in trade talks, with Chicago balking at both requests.
Is asking for Mapp or Conde an outrageous request for the chance to land a player of McBride’s caliber? According to Klopas, Toronto’s demands have been unreasonable. Klopas also suggested that Toronto should consider what McBride wants.
"Mo needs to understand it’s about doing the right thing," Klopas told the Tribune. "Someone who has had a great career wants to finish in his hometown. He has to understand that."
While having McBride play for Chicago is an idea situation for McBride and MLS, Toronto is a conference rival and the league’s rules have put Toronto in position to be compensated for McBride. It isn’t out of line for Toronto to want to make Chicago, a conference rival, pay a high price to acquire a star forward who has shown that he can still play at a high level.
Is asking for Mapp or Conde, or some combination of other players, an unreasonable asking price for the chance to add McBride? Or is it unreasonable for Chicago to think it can land a player like McBride for the low cost of a reserve player or draft picks?
What remains to be seen is if and when MLS will step in to the situation. There is a perception that the league will get involved if things aren’t rectified in timely fashion, but I think it is a bit presumptuous to assume that MLS will step in and side with one team over another. Perhaps in years past, when only a few owners were in MLS, the league could get away with writing the rules as they go along, but with Toronto and Chicago boasting relatively new MLS owners I’m not sure if the league will be in a hurry to snub one owner over the other.
The rules governing McBride’s potential to return to MLS are flawed, of that there is little doubt, but they are the rules so if the Fire want McBride wearing a Fire uniform this season they are going to have to pay a good price, whether they like it or not.
What do you think of this situation? Share your thoughts below.
jloome- TFC would be dumb to pass up on this situation…. the fire may get a McBride for 1 1/2 seasons at best…. while he’s a threat, his time is limited… if TFC get Conde or Mapp and use him as trading bait then they’ll find themselves getting pretty much a player of their choice….
the problem is we arent about to deal out too much…. TFC has to realize that they wont get an extreme trade…. again, 1 player, Draft Picks, and $$$ seem to be reasonable…. on top of that they can trade that player for another player or allocation so that they can strengthen their team…. everyone seems to be looking at the chicago/tfc deal as a player for a player, when in fact TFC’s side extends further then just chicago…
Smith- i love watching posters choke on their own ignorance
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You’re missing option no. 3: stalemate the situation until after the transfer window passes so that McBride plays for no one this season. TFC would prefer that to Chicago getting him for next to nothing.
But who knows? Maybe Mo will convince McBride to give Toronto six months and then leave the deal open at the end for McBride to sign where he wants for next season. That gives TFC half a season to change his mind about where to finish out. Seems unlikely, but who knows at this point.
I love watching Chicago choke on their hypocrisy
If Toronto can’t comes to terms with CHicago on this and they decide not to sign him them doesn’t he pass on to whoever is second in line in allocation?I agree that I don’t think it’s about Torontoasking for too much for the sake of it. If they trade the allocation it’s going to make it hard for them to sign a DP if they ave their eyes on one because every team in the league will have to pass on him first…the only way I see this working for Chicago is if the league steps in but in doing that they’ll make a deal with Toronto to keep the top allocation and maybe also tazking Chicago’s allocation spot.
Chicago have all of the leverage in this situation and TFC are just bluffing.
McBride has already stated a desire to play for Chicago, and only for Chicago. If TFC don’t trade him, he does not have to play one minute for them if he doesn’t want to. TFC will only end up paying for a player that will refuse to show up.
And who would look bad in taht situation? Not McBride.
TFC either need to make a deal or decline to use their allocation. They have no other options.
take chicago to the cleaners TFC!! mo has learned from his mistakes at redbull. mo doesn’t get ripped off in trades. I say TFC tries to convince mcbride to play for them…their midfield is already loaded
Brett, agree with you 100 percent, 1 player, allocation $, and draft pick. Any suggestions otherwise are ill-informed about both team’s situations. Just think your tone and rhetoric are way off-putting.
I propose Conde, Marmol, Blanco, $500,000 & a shag or three of Mrs. Hamlett for McBride. That, based on how Chicago behaved re: RBNY, seems very fair to me.
EDB- perhaps TFC will trade us McBride for the 150 Fire allotted tickets??
jloome- Tornonto are doing VERY well at home… this factor has been noted…
TFC record as stands:
away: 1-4-0
home: 5-0-2
what does this tell you?? TFC is VERY good at home…. but terrible on the road (ironically quite the opposite of the Fire O.o)…
if TFC makes the trade for Mapp they will most likely be making it for depth…
If TFC makes the trade for Conde, they are already probably talking to NY about some kind of deal…
either way, TFC better hope their home streak continues… or they should hope to start winning away games…
McBride should just play for a team in the USL for half a season instead. He’d probably have a lot of fun!
The interesting part of this deal to me is that very few of those ranting about Mo Johnston seem to have noticed how strong TFC is this year, or they’d realize we don’t need either conde or mapp; we have better players in both positions (okay, Conde might be our second strongest defender after Tebily, but we still don’t need him).
So if Ives’Toronto source is to be believed — and, having been a reporter for 20 year, I’d bank that it can be — Mapp and Conde are trade bait, which means MO is already talking to a third party.
That’s how he can stand up and say “I only want one player” but be asking for two: he has a striker or forward targeted (which is what we need) for a three-way deal at another club.
EDB- im wondering if the league has it set up just to get US local heros back to home for retirement… regardless of if they are retired of intl’ duty… but just like alot of the MLS’s actions, i cant be certain…
I will agree with what other have said.
A) this is NOTHING like the conde situation. He was under contract. The RedBulls had and still have no right to him. If they wanted him they had to pay a high price and they just didn’t want him that bad.
B) This is somewhat like the Marmol situation, but as stated above Marmol wanted to play in the MLS, He did not want to play for a particular team.
C) Neither of those players is a US Soccer icon who just wants to finish his career at home. If McBride was from NYC instead of Arlington Hieghts I’d be all for the guy going home to end his career. Can’t NYenergy drinks fans be happy for the guy instead of trying to stick it to the Fire? Frank never said “Toronto should consider what McBride wants.” People who are quoting that are quoting IVES. Frank said, and I’m paraphrasing, Toronto should do right by Brian. He’s earned respect for being a US soccer icon. Now let him get the hero’s welcome home me deserves.
Lastly, I think this deal is already done. This is just contreversy stirred up by the MLS to build up the tension before they give him a huge reception on July 15th. Helicopters, balloons, fireworks, a long and touching highlight reel. All these things are in the works and as soon as the MLS is good and prepared the deal will be announced. Conde for McBride.
Brett, my understanding was the allocation was about the fact he is a national team member returning. My question is if that is true, but he hasn’t played for the national team for a few years why is he still included in that? Is there a time period he would need to meet?
my question is if McBride chooses not to receive allocation money but rather just a normal deal (im assuming he’s got money from years and years of euro footie)… if he were to accept it for lets say 200k…. the fire still have allocation money from the JCO deal, so wouldnt they be able to bring him in with that rather then grandfathering him through the allocation rule??
Skinn- the fire have the league backing a deal…. something is going to happen… however, the rediculous claims some TFC fans make are simply that… rediculous… some are claiming rediculous deals and others are simply saying that they have all the power… TFC will feel the pressure from the MLS to get a deal done… while you wont be shafted in the deal, you wont get prime value…
ive stated from the get go, that TFC will probably get 1 player, $$, and some Draft Picks…. if you ask for 2, you will see it being perhaps 1 starter and 1 bench…
i highly doubt that TFC has just requested Conde.. the deal would’ve been done ages ago…. not that we are happy to get rid of Conde, but the fact he’d be leaving us at the end of the season…
who i see going?? Mapp or Conde…. while i cant see why you’d go after conde, except to trade to NY for allocation is beyond me….. Mapp can either be a promising winger for TFC or barter for a specific player and/or allocation…
Brett, common. TFC fans are not delusional and they (we) never said we hold all the cards. We’ve just said that the Fire are not in the power position that Fire fans (and especially you) think they are. Truth be told, the reason something is getting done is because both are trying to milk the situation, and nobody actually has the upper hand.
A deal between TFC and Chicago, under the current and admittedly stupid rules (I don’t think anybody disputes that, so I’m not sure why people want to talk about that aspect of it) is only in the best interests of MLS and McBride. If a deal is worked out, 2 rivals will have improved each other’s teams. Chicago will add McBride and Toronto will add either a useful player or a player to flip for allocation money.
Ives – “Mike, you might want to get a clue about my readership before making comments. If you did, you might know that Chicago is No. 2 and Toronto No. 4 among cities with the most readership of my site. ”
Ives,
Another example of you being overly defensive when readers question your judgment. It really seems like you’re taking some anonymous idiots opinion much too seriously. You sure you don’t have the Napoleon thing going on here? It might be time to break out that tape measure again.