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Friday Free Kicks: Ronaldinho-LA rumor grows, Howard commits and more

BeckhamRonaldinho (MichaelJanoszISI)

Photo by Michael Janosz/ISIphotos.com

As we wind down the end of the first full week after the World Cup, the rumor mills on both sides of the pond are working at full tilt.

MLS isn't being left out, with rumors left and right about who may be coming and going.

Here are some of the more interesting rumors and news developments making the rounds:

Real Salt Lake owner Dave Checketts let spill in a recent interview that the Los Angeles Galaxy are signing Ronaldinho. The subject of several transfer rumors in recent days, Ronaldinho was supposedly returning to AC Milan, but with the fresh Galaxy rumor, you wonder whether Ronaldinho is ready to re-unite with good friend David Beckham and spend some time in LA.

Meanwhile, in Chicago…

The Chicago Fire are going to announce a Designated Player signing on Saturday. Buzz in the Windy City is that the club is set to unveil BOTH Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Nery Castillo. That sounds a bit far-fetched, with one of the two a more likely acquisition. If the Fire can land both, it'll create tons of buzz, but will also create the possibility for some serious chemistry issues. If the Fire can sign either Castillo or Blanco, it could give the Chicago attack a sorely-needed boost.

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MLS commissioner Don Garber's comments about the league not planning to sell Landon Donovan caused a stir, but they shouldn't have. Why would MLS want to make it seem like they want to sell their best commodity? Doesn't really help his value, does it? Those wondering if Garber is serious need only remember his comments from February of 2009, when he said David Beckham wouldn't be going on loan to AC Milan.

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A bit of good news for U.S. national team fans came courtesy of goalkeeper Tim Howard, who told the Associated Press he is ready stay with the national team through the next World Cup cycle. There had been some stories suggesting he was considering retirement, but that was never really the case. At just 31 years of age, Howard wasn't about to walk away from the national team when he still has plenty of years left to be the national team's top goalkeeper.

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Lost in the midst of all the transfer rumors was the news that D.C. United parted ways with former MLS MVP Luciano Emilio. The Brazilian striker always seemed like a desperation signing by D.C. and managed to play just four regular season matches after joining the team in May.

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What do you think of these developments? Hoping the Ronaldinho rumor is true? Think a Blanco-Castillo tandem would make the Fire contenders, or doom them to implode? Relieved to see Howard back for 2014?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Here we go again with this 85% of this player is better than 100% of that player.

    The Charlie Davies rating syndrome.

    Will Arena really field a player who is only giving you 85%? I doubt that. Now if you are telling me that Ronnie is only 85% of what he was at his best and the Galaxy are willing to accept that ( and are hopefully getting at least a 15% discount) that is another thing. I don’t know how you quantify that but a 15% drop off in a player’s abilities seems pretty severe.

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  2. Well said.

    Hopefully options for young Americans are much more diverse than they were for the guys you listed.

    Clearly, besides the money, what Europe has to offer is exposure to fierce competition that you can only get there. And how players react to that is clearly different for each individual.

    If US fans became more knowledgable about the world game, they would have more realistic expectations of their own players and be able to see just how good it could really be over here for soccer.

    I think we will win the World Cup some day not too far off because, unlike many other nations, we don’t know enough to know that we’re not supposed to win it.

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  3. You make valid points, and I definitely understand your point about EPL teams and player development…they have more resources. In the U.S., we have a college system, but it pales in comparison to the EPL reserve teams. Colleges also don’t play the game in an international or club style AT ALL. So, we have some issues. However, I also think we have the financial resources and facilities to start producing top talent, and I’m not 100% convinced dashing off to Europe for our top talent is always the best answer. Yes, sometimes it is, as is the case with Clint Dempsey, but not always. Has Jozy Altidore really become a better player since leaving the U.S.? Or Eddie Johnson, or Freddie Adu, or Danny Szetela, or Kenny Cooper? You see my point? All of the aforementioned guys may have been better off staying put here and getting valuable PT and match fitness.

    More globally, I think American soccer fans need to embrace their own league, which is a good one, and has SO MUCH potential to become a top flight one in the future.

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  4. Yes I know MLS not MSL.

    Also many Americans retire to Mexico, why should Landon be any different? He spekas the languge and is apparently well liked there. Life could be worse.

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  5. TimN,

    I don’t think there is any question that US outfield players can be regulars in and maybe even star for the top-flight teams.

    But I don’t think Landon will be the “chosen one”.

    With Donovan you are right, he is at the age, the point, in his career where, it’s almost all mental with him. Klinsmann himself said it was all about Donovan’s “mentality”. You all saw what that successful spell at Everton did for him leading into the World Cup. He takes exceptional care of his body and there is no reason to think that will change any time soon.

    So you have to wonder if moving to one of the more mentally and physically demanding European teams will just hurt his USMNT performances.

    Donovan is a USMNT player who plays for the Galaxy not the other way around. His time to shine is in short tournaments, notably the World Cup. Winning honors in the MSL is an afterthought for Landon.

    The big Euro stars like Messi, Rooney and C Ronaldo shine in their league competitions and the Champions league. This is a totally different deal from what Landon does. For them the World Cup is gravy, while for Landon it’s mostly what he is all about. Also never forget that guys like Rooney, CRonaldo and Messi are mega stars and have mega star demands on their off the field time in Europe. It’s hard to know exactly how much that affects their game but it clearly does, especially in a short tournament at the end of the season like the World Cup. Dempsey played a tough EPL schedule but, he’s not a mega celebrity and he was hurt and thus rested for a few months (or weeks??).

    At his age, Donovan is no different from any other player. If he is to move to Europe, it should be to a club with a good situation for him and that has a shot for honors. Everton don’t fit that description. Maybe Liverpool, Milan or Arsenal. Otherwise, what’s the point? He has family, friends, a hot wife, plenty of money and money making opportunities and adoring fans (but not too many) right where his is. After the next World Cup he can move to Mexico and play for Club America. He can be the USMNT version of Henrik Larsson.

    As for the MSL compared to the EPL, it’s all about resources and depth.

    If Houston played Villa in some kind of serious tournament game, I’m sure they would give a good account of themselves but if you entered Houston in the EPL they would be relegated because they don’t have the depth of resources to compete over a long season with these teams.

    Houston has 24 players on their player roster. Aston Villa has 33 players and could have as many as 40 over the course of the year. The EPL guys also play many more games and have reserve teams. Martin O’Neill has more resources and more time to develop his team than Dom Kinnear does.

    There is no great magic or mystery here; no inherent superiority. I’m sure if the Dynamo brain trust had the same resources that O’Neill and his staff did Houston could field a representative EPL team. But they don’t. But that could change one day.

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  6. There are few assumptions out there about foreign leagues, and I think one of them is that they automatically make guys better players. Does Landon Donovan really benefit from going to the EPL? Perhaps, but he has already shown that he is more than capable of playing with the world’s best players without playing regularly in any of the big name leagues.

    I think the main disparity you see in MLS compared with other international leagues is not in the top 10-20% of players, but in the bottom 10-20%. On average, the lesser known player for say Aston Villa is going to be superior than the lesser known player from the say the Houston Dynamo. However, look at how some of the top strikers on the world club scene fared in South Africa. Messi, Rooney…both NO GOALS and less-than-inspiring performances. Ronaldo, same thing, except 1 late, meaningless goal versus lowly North Korea. Then look at how some players that play in “lesser” leagues or on less high profile teams fared…Donovan (LA Galaxy- 2 goals), Forlan (Atletico Madrid- 5 goals), Mesut Ozil (Werder Bremen- 1 goal, and a great tournament by anyone’s standards). Point being is that the LA Galaxy, Werder Bremen, and Atletico Madrid are not teams on the order of ManU, Chelsea, Inter Milan, or Real Madrid, yet their players performed very well on the world stage.

    I think MLS is better off in the long run continuing to pursue top players, rather than listening to all the “soccer experts” continue to ballyhoo on about how great the EPL, or La Liga are. Yes, they are top leagues, but the MLS certainly CAN BE.

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  7. Ronaldinho would be great for MLS. I was holding out hope that DC could grab him off the market. However, with the acquisitions that the DC front office has made in the last three years, you would think a bunch of vuvuzelas were running the show.

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  8. These types of things are much deeper than what you read in the “papers”. But who cares. MLS can do whatever they want. It’s not their fault he is in Vietnam without a better option. It’s up to him to make it in MLS or Europe. I suppose he is okay with being a superstar in Vietnam at the moment.

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  9. The new CBA allows each club 2 DPs plus the opportunity to purchase a 3rd DP slot. Donovan is not grandfathered in anymore. He and Beckham are LA’s 2 DPs. They could buy a 3rd slot. I think the cost is $250k. The $250k (or whatever it is) purchase fee is then split among the teams without 3 DP slots.

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  10. Can someone explain how the salary cap thing is going to work with LA? Beckham is LA’s DP right? I believe that this year Donovan stops being “free due to grandfather clause” so he will be DP next year too right? Now Ronaldinho is coming in too?

    Is someone here making a lot less money than I expect or are there more DP spots than before?

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  11. If it truly is Ronaldinho then it’s great news with a caveat. I think the risk is certainly the chance he reports out of shape and unmotivated to really contribute. The flip side is that Ronaldinho at 85% is still much better than many players. He certainly played better last year and you can’t blame all of Milan’s failures on him. They are definitely an aging team, especially in midfield, even though defense gets pointed out the most. Who knows what happens, but it’s definitely a risk worth taking in my opinion.

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  12. D, he is one guy that can help grow the MLS brand. We just got past the point of the league going belly up and now have a 5 year player agreement in place with 3 teams coming on. Two of those teams bring instant rivalries with the best drawing team in the league. Two more teams open new stadiums in the nest few years and he is one of the biggest names to the casual fan. His flare alone will help attract the young kids as he will be recognized as a cross over athlete in the USA. With that team in place for the next two to three years the Galaxy will turn into the team to hate witch is good for the league. Just ask the Cowboys, Yankees, Celtics & Lakers. If New York gets the last team the league is set for TV growth for the next 4 years and hopefully people start jumping on for World Cup 2014, who knows we might start being thought of as the 5th sport.

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  13. STFU with all the NASL bullcrap. we have a cap and these are smart moves to bring publicity to the league and up the quality. you are talking apples and oranges now. Only people like you would love to watch some college rookies and average guys play every week. we want to see quality and thats what these players will bring to the team.

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  14. I really think they LAG-NYRB rivalry will be actually quite respectful… Its like 2 rich kids that are forced to go to public school, of course they are gunna be buds, and have competitive banter. We have much in common… Every other team’s fans hates US, And we wouldnt have it any other way.

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  15. I love how your all getting excited for Ronaldinho…Yay, let’s make the MLS into the NASL b/c that was such a success!

    And for those that are saying how good Ronnie is and that Dunga is an idiot, your a fool. Yeah he had a lot of assists, but Milan sucked! And he was a main reason b/c he refuses to even think about defense…sound like Freddy Adu? And “He’ll come here for the night life.” That’s worse if that’s the case…that means it truly is a retirement league…

    Hey, let’s be like England and import more big names! They’re really developing players. The MLS’s current model (prior to 2nd/3rd DP) is working and slowly progressing. They are jumping the gun with this…

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  16. Drop that waste of Brazilian DNA Juninho.

    I’d like to see:

    ————Buddle-Bowen————-
    Ronaldinho——————–Donovan
    ———Stephens—–Beckham——–
    Dunivant–Berhalter–Gonzo—Franklin
    ————–Ricketts—————

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  17. If I’m Donovan, and I get to play with Ronaldinho and Beckham on an otherwise good team to boot, I’d stay in LA also.

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  18. Henry is 32, healthy, and one season removed from scoring more than 20 goals with CL winners Barcelona. Ronaldinho is 30, healthy, and had a very solid season with AC Milan and would have been on Brazil’s World Cup side with any other manager. The former is already here and the latter may be. If MLS can attract world class players in their early 30s — on the other side of their prime but with three or four more good years in them — MLS will raise the bar significantly and become an important player in the world game. Henry and Ronny are a good number of years away from “retirement playing” and anyone who claims that these are geezers looking for some fun are out of their minds.

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  19. Rumor has it that Chicago is signing Blanco, but asking that he play shirtless to bring chicks into the satdium.

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  20. But seriously, folks…

    Signing Ronaldinho is MAJOR bet hedging against Donovan leaving for Europe.

    Hmm…big ticket draw, playmaker in midfield, Donovan may be leaving…

    Smells like Ronaldinho.

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  21. you mean the guy who lead Serie A in assist and kept Milan afloat this season is way past his best lol. its funny when people talk ignorant things. it best to not comment when you dont know mate seriously. The only reason Dinho was not staring in the world cup was because Dunga is an idiot and took a bunch scrubs who cant even start for second tier clubs.

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