With Alvaro Saborio and Fredy Montero getting their Designated Player paydays this week, the attention will turn to some other top players who could be candidates for big money upgrade.
Whether you're talking MLS Cup-winning striker Omar Cummings, or Toronto FC star Dwayne DeRosario, there are a a handful of MLS standouts who can make good cases for deserving the boost in pay.
Here is our question to you. Which current MLS player not making Designated Player money should get a pay boost into the high-rent district? Is it Cummings, or MLS MVP David Ferreira? How about a player like Sebastien LeToux?
Make your pick for non-DP MLS player most deserving of a Designated Player salary after the jump:
Who do I think deserves the bump? David Ferreira has stamped his place as one of the league's best players and is arguably the most deserving, but you can make a strong case for any of the aforementioned players, though LeToux might have to put another Best XI season together before he could seriously be considered.
Who did you select, and why? Who wasn't on our ballot that you think deserves consideration?
Share your thoughts below.
Conor Casey is still underrated and 20 times better than Jozy Out-the-door
Bingo, I like the love that people are giving to guys like DeRo and Joseph. But they should not be DPs. They are MLS guys who have contracts with their current teams. They should be compensated well and they are.
The DP rule is about bringing in difference makers and stars from outside or keeping them in America is they are huge talents with high demand elsewhere. I love to watch guys like DeRo, Morales, Joseph and others in this league but they are not going anywhere else just because they don’t make 7 figures.
Both Sabo and Montero were high demand players on loan that benefit the league by obtaining their contracts and making long term deals. The guy on this list that also fits that bill for me would be Cummings because he is young and in demand. Lock him up with a DP if you think he is worth it.
Even if we keep winning, it’s gonna be hard to compete with the other strong sports markets around here.
Good list of players, only going with Ferreira cus i’m DTID.
Will Hesmer. He makes Andy Gruenebaum look like he has never even heard of soccer.
I don’t really get why so few voters chose Cummings. He’s the only player up there who I think could make an immediate impact on a type flight team. If I were Mark Hughes I’d want him over Eddie Johnson any day of the week.
Feel bad for DeRo. Part of me thinks his gesture (for more money) was classless, the other part of me understands being bitter that under-performers are making far more than him. He’ll definitely be an MLS lifer, which is kind of a shame when you think that he was a superior player to Stu Holden, and now Holden is doing pretty well in the Premiereship.
But I really don’t get Shalrie Joseph. I think he really could have had some good years in Germany, France, or maybe even England. But there’s no shame in being a great player for a very good team no matter the league. Hopefully they offer him a management position when he retires. He definitely deserves something along those lines.
If they keep winning games, that’ll fill seats.
Le Toux is a serious player, I don’t see why not.