It is just a masterbatory circle between MLS and its pathetic fans. MLS focuses on useless gimmicks and you guys eat them up. Repeat again and again while the game/league continues to stagnate. Instead demanding a better quality, the MLS fanboys enable MLS to fleece your pockets while the game suffers.
I think this is getting too abstract and if you don’t bring it back to the subject of the thread you will get in trouble with a mod. But also if US Soccer worked me up this much I would really consider trying to not think about it as much and certainly not post. Otherwise you’re not far from making an on topic post for the thread. I’m curious can you make an ordered listed of specific problems you have with MLS’s handling of Cavan. I personally have thought it’s gone somewhat smoothly, and would like to hear your opinion as why otherwise.
I know that Cavan signing a significant pro contract at 14 made some uneasy but, are the people that are uneasy about it aware of what the travel is like for an elite young athlete in other sports? I doubt Cavan is traveling more than say an elite 15-year-old basketball prospect going to AAU tournaments all over the country and is probably being recruited to play for an elite prep school that plays a national schedule. Or an elite 15-year-old tennis player is either homeschooled or boarding at an expensive tennis academy so they can play junior events worldwide. Even a 15-year-old soccer player not in an MLS academy is probably playing for a club team that has them playing all over.
I question the logistics of being in Columbus until at least 1030/11pm then traveling by plane or car to Chicago and playing a game at noon CT. It’s a 5 hr car ride or a commercial flight. You can’t perform at that level on that schedule. And he didn’t, wasnt a good performance by any stretch.
This is a good point and you also see plenty of 15 year old big time football and basketball recruits getting a lot of hype. And in some states they’re getting NIL deals (depending on state law). Not all of these top recruits hit of course but that’s just because it’s hard to evaluate young players and there are all sorts of unexpected circumstances like injuries and what not.
Cavan mentioned... in the same breath as some 24 year old I've never heard of This is an interesting point, and perhaps the new contract was telegraphed by Curtin ahead of the Columbus match before the international break."This year, because—and it is self-inflicted—we are where we are on the table, you are not able to try things. You are not able to get… https://t.co/igUmqhnq1Q pic.twitter.com/WrOiRT5HS8— José Roberto Nuñez (@JoserNunez91) October 16, 2024
I don't agree with his premise. If you don't think Cavan is good enough, then of course you aren't able to give him opportunities. If you think he is but you are scared, well, that's on you. Not sure why it should matter if it's 4-0 or 2-1. You either think he's good enough for the level or not. Coaches that are forward thinking and not afraid to take risks and try new things are not guaranteed to succeed (not all of them do) but the types of coaches that usually do succeed. The rigid, stuck in their ways coaches almost never succeed.
I follow a lot of sports, and I don’t know of one that doesn’t use blowouts to give more minutes to developing players. Even in hockey, the 3rd D pairing and the 4th line are going to play more, and those guys are usually younger. NFL teams give the rookie quarterback the last part of the game. LeBron sits it out. Etc.
I thought we all knew soccer is a very unique sport in that roster construction and turnover is a worldwide event many times a year so an important aspect of talent evaluation is the never ending cycle of bleeding in new young talent to see how they react to the challenge of that next step.
Our playoff starters⚡️#DOOP | @MLSNEXTPRO pic.twitter.com/kER7kMDiJL— Philadelphia Union II (@PhilaUnionII) October 20, 2024
Cavan Sullivan: $200,000 base, $364,000 guaranteed.Danley Jean Jacques: $550,000 base, $602,100 guaranteed.More details and analysis to come from me later today. https://t.co/sWbJje59XY— Jonathan Tannenwald (@thegoalkeeper) October 24, 2024
The MSLPA report confirms that Cavan Sullivan's (15 years) guaranteed salary is $364,000/year with his new contract in 2024. That surpasses the record salary for a Homegrown Player in MLS, which until now was held by Julian Hall ($167,685/year). El informe de la #MLSPA confirma que el salario garantizado de Cavan Sullivan (15 años) es de $364.000/año con su nuevo contrato en 2024. Eso supera el salario récord para un Homegrown Player de la #MLS, que hasta ahora estaba en posesión de Julian Hall ($167.685/año). #DOOP https://t.co/cIM71eBJC2 pic.twitter.com/aV5zPrn6pZ— Jaime Ojeda (@jaimeor96) October 24, 2024
I don’t like prying too much into the details of these kids salaries. Not my business. At the same time, only brief thing I’ll say about Cav’s salary is that he’s absolutely going to be playing regularly for the first team next season, unless he’s not even close to good enough. Imagine telling the owner that a player he’s paying what Cav is making is better off developing slowly with the 2’s because some unknown 20 year old making nothing is hypothetically marginally better than him right now.
The amount of the salary could have been simply to get him to sign, not necessarily a statement of immediate intent or hierarchy. Hopefully the ownership sees a little bit of the big picture. His contract alone didn't suddenly make him grow or give him tons of experience -- that will take time. I'm sure he's on track to play plenty for the first team next year, but I hope they don't go wild.
I think he was going to be part of the first team next season regardless of his elevated salary. That seems to have been the trajectory of his timeline. How much will he play? that depends on performance. [That salary is nothing compared to the pile of cash that City is paying. So.........................] And yes, the salaries for elite homegrown players continue to increase and increase and increase. That can only be a good thing.
On the other hand, the owner knows that Cavan is a guaranteed profitable transaction at that cost due to the already agreed upon transfer fee. Even sitting in Union 2, which clearly they don't want to happen, the salary they will pay him will be less than the transfer fee. But he's going to play minutes for the Union next year. He's too good. He won't play as many as people want. I think in part because people want him to play like 2,000 minutes and in part because I'm sure Philly will be cautious about playing a 15 year old too many minutes, period.
Honestly, let's hope the owner has absolutely nothing to do with it. Have we ever heard of the owner meddling with soccer ops at Philly? Cavan has an IDP set out by Tanner, Curtin, LeBlanc, Manchester City, etc. Let's hope his development is not being affected by whoever owns the Union -- I doubt it is.
I think there's going to be some pressure to keep him moving up. From Manchester City, from MLS. I don't know if the owner gets much involved, except one of the owners is very invested in player development, and so he likely would also want Cavan to pan out. I guess my point was more that ownership is not worried about paying someone $300k to not play. Because what they really did was take Man City's money and split it with Cavan.
I wonder what is going on this offseason for Cavan. I would guess he will be going abroad for a training stint somewhere, maybe City.