MLS Rosters Made in America
Two South Africans, three Canadians, one Jamaican, three Uruguayans, two Italians and one Venezuelan.
Two Colombians, two Bolivians, two El Salvadorans, one Moroccan, two Mexicans and one Zimbabwean.
Four Nigerians, one Cameroonian, one Ecuadorean, two Chileans and one Englishman.
Oh, yes, and 169 Americans.
There you have it, the makeup of Major League Soccer, circa Feb. 8, 1996, the day after the draft.
It will change, of course, between now and the league’s opening game April 6, but not much.
The only real influx of new foreign talent will probably come from Brazil. MLS has a tryout scheduled for a couple of dozen young Brazilian players Feb. 28 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The idea is that each of the league’s 10 clubs might want to add a future Bebeto or Branco to its roster, even if it means raising the MLS limit of four foreign players per team to five.
The concept is good, but won’t necessarily work.
“There’s a little concern about single Brazilians versus Brazilians in concert,” said Danny Villanueva Jr., general manager of the Los Angeles Galaxy.
Translation: The fewer Brazilians on a team, the more difficult it is to mesh their improvisational skills with those of other players.
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Only MLS would schedule its player combine in the middle of the CONCACAF Gold Cup and its player draft at the same time as national signing day for high school football.
Does no one have a calendar at league headquarters?
Next thing you know, they’ll schedule the championship game during the World Series.
Oh, they already have--Oct. 20 at Foxboro Stadium.
Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?
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Bobby Houghton, coach of the Colorado Rapids, chose a novel approach to the draft. Having already been assigned four field players by the league, he drafted another 13 field players before finally selecting a goalkeeper.
The wait might have been worthwhile, though. The Rapids picked Khalil Azmi in the 14th round. Azmi was Morocco’s World Cup ’94 goalkeeper. He joins the Galaxy’s Jorge Campos as the only foreign goalkeepers in the league.
Houghton might have another surprise in store. The Rapids, who need a second goalkeeper and still have a roster spot open for a foreign player, have been negotiating with Swedish World Cup goalkeeper Thomas Ravelli.
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Galaxy defender Dan Calichman, a former Williams College All-American, brings a unique perspective to the league.
As the only American to have played professionally in Japan, he was there for the launch of the J-League in 1992 and now is here for the launch of MLS.
The differences are immense.
“I was there before the J-League even began, so I kind of saw it all happening,” Calichman said. “In Japan, there are companies that are investing in the teams, which means they have tremendous amounts of money. They have tremendous capital, so they attract some of the best foreign players in the world, even though they might be a little past their prime.
“The one thing I did learn was the marketing. What the J-League did was market the league even before the first game started. You saw J-League products everywhere; you saw potato chips, you saw hats, you saw shirts, you saw J-League foods.
“I mean, every place you went there was J-League something. What it did is it created a tremendous stir in the country.
“Now, granted, Japan doesn’t have all the professional teams that we have in the States, so it’s a little different. But certainly marketing-wise they were very successful in selling the game. And what that did was the whole season--the whole season--was sold out before the first ball was kicked.
“So, although the product wasn’t as good to start, the product became better, meaning the players and the team became better, so it attracted more people
“They’re not doing the same thing here, but I’m sure they will be. Certainly I hope so.”
Are you listening, Alan Rothenberg, Doug Logan, et al?
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One reporter’s vote for a preseason MLS all-star team based on the players now under contract:
Goalkeeper: Khalil Azmi (Colorado).
Defenders: Marcelo Balboa (Colorado); Mike Burns and Alexi Lalas (New England); Robin Fraser (Los Angeles).
Midfielders: Carlos Valderrama (Tampa Bay); Tab Ramos and Roberto Donadoni (New York/New Jersey); Doctor Khumalo (Columbus Crew).
Forwards: Eric Wynalda (San Jose), Shaun Bartlett (Colorado).
