July 1 came and went yesterday and what was supposed to be a good date for all MLS players wasn’t so special for some.
July 1 is the date MLS contracts become guaranteed, meaning a player can rest assured knowing they will earn their salary and not be waived. In other words, if you make it to that date, then you are safe.
Only that isn’t the case for everybody.
One understandable exception is the case of injured players. MLS teams cannot waive a player who is recovering from an injury so injured players also do not have their contracts guaranteed on July 1. A player must recover and be able to pass a physical after the July 1 deadline, at which time a team can choose to waive a player.
The second exception is less known about and more harsh for MLS players. According to MLS rules, teams are allowed to re-work contracts with up to two players to end the date of when their deals become guaranteed. Players are generally approached with a "take the new guarantee date or we will cut you" ultimatum and have to make the tough choice between staying in MLS without job security or moving on. Most players choose to stay.
So why does this go on? It is done to give teams more wiggle room ahead of the summer transfer window. By extending the date of a few players, it allows them to keep players around a few extra weeks until the reinforcements arrive without remaining on the hook for the remaining salaries of those players.
It sounds like something the MLS player’s union should fight against and the union did in fact work to get the two-player limit per team rule implemented. Before that, teams could extend even more players, rendering the deadline meaningless.
In other words, just because your favorite fringe player or young player wasn’t waived yet doesn’t mean he won’t be in the coming weeks. It’s the harsh reality of professional sports and life in MLS.
Matt-
Yes, Argenis Fernandez. But, on second look it appears he was not waived but rather was loaned to LD Alajuelense for the rest of the season. Not sure what the roster/salary cap implications of that are.
see: http://www.revolutionsoccer.net/news/index.cfm?ac=latestnewsdetail&pid=32501&pcid=115
i would take franco niell. he scored some nice goals for argentinos jrs.
You can probably add Carvallo/DCU to the list.
arena futbol,
what ‘Fernandez-NE’ are you referring to? According to the team page, Argenis Fernandez, the young costa rican forward, is still on the roster and there has been no news out of New England to the contrary. Did I miss something?
they should wave half of the scrubs in the MLS. There is no way they can expand this league with the talent being spread so thin. Bring in more foreign players.
The Union will probably try to negotiate something where the player can still be cut after July 1 and the roster spot open, but the money guaranteed.
Thus, the team can still make a move, but the player gets his money and is free to move elsewhere and double dip (like the NBA). Following the NBA model, the cut player’s salary would not count against the cap.
Some of the recently waived (in the last few weeks, not necessarily at 11:59 on June 30):
A. Fernandez NE
S. Wadsworth NE (later signed by HOU)
G. So CLM
N. Hernandez CLM
F. Niell DCU
E. Colombano KC
R. Gomes COL
M. Cordoba RSL
A. Schlouster SJ
G. Curry SJ
Ives, can you add others?
The contracts make little sense anyway if they bind the hands of the teams come July 15.
What is the point of a transfer window if you can’t use it?
Has anyone had good/bad experience with Saputo Stadium? I’ve been wanting to go, but Impact dont play on saturdays, so i wanted to take the opportunity to see Canada play there on Sept 6. Any info on stadium (preferred seating/how early to get there) would be appreciated.
So in other words a league that is trying to grow, continue to screw over young talent so they can lose out on players that prefer to go elsewhere to make a decent living ? all while at the same time making up rules and having a puppet union ? not a surprise to me lol
COPA LIBERTADORES FINAL TONIGHT! DON”T MISS IT!
Ives,
What players were waived yesterday?
Reyna is worthless. His contract isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. I don’t want him traded. I want him off the team. Just get rid of him.
But of course we can’t.
What am I even saying, do you know how much trade value Reyna would have? No matter what? Who cares that his contract is guaranteed? You are hurting my brain.
Nah Amar, Magee’s deal was negotiated by a wizard, it magically guarantees him a lifetime deal with plenty of playing time regardless of how useless this is.
Mike…are you surprised that a guy who managed to get a DP contract can’t be waived? Seriously, there are infinite other things to complain about with this team.
mike magee?
Unfortunately, I think it was written into Reyna’s DP contract that his money is always garenteed. Same old Metro.
So what you’re saying is that Reyna can still be waived?
Fantastic!
Should be: “who I hope had to…” Sigh.
Ives: I think you’re right that the union should look into that exception. That, no doubt, will be part of the funfest of the new CBA negotiations.
Still, in the short-term and in my selfish way, as a Galaxy fan I have a couple players in mind whom I hope had to sign one of those “change or march” contracts. The Galaxy has too many guys on the bench eating up a lot of cap space, and I’m not sure if any other team would actually want them in a trade.