Which are you, a 'nativist' who says the USA striker will thrive or a 'eurosnob' who thinks he has made a terrible mistake?
After a one-year stint at White Hart Lane, Clint Dempsey has left Tottenham Hotspur for the Seattle Sounders. By MLS standards, the salary and transfer fee involved in the move are pretty high.
Still, every transfer season hundreds if not thousands of players around the world switch allegiances for money. Sometimes the players want more money. Sometimes they want more playing time. Sometimes they are forced out – a new coach wants one of "his guys", or a club needs cash, and fast. Yet the Dempsey deal has another element which is unique to North American soccer: the "what this means for every other player", big-picture element. Sadly, the debate over it is as stale as ever.
On the one hand, MLS has a passionate and growing fanbase and expansion plans ad infinitum. The league is somewhat green, but it is on the rise. MLS fans are super happy to snag Clint Dempsey, a star forward for the national team who is still in his prime (between 28 and 32) and doesn't have a lengthy injury history. However, within MLS circles, there exists a group of what I call "nativists".
Basically, "nativists" are acolytes who can't (or don't want to) understand why some soccer fans eschew MLS for La Liga, the Premier League or other European leagues and who, somewhat ironically, can't stop talking about "eurosnobs". Every transfer back to MLS from Europe is written about with the "eurosnob" as the argument's scarecrow. Inevitably, the nativist concludes that the move will work out best for both MLS and the player. Take that, Europe!
On the other hand, there are the true "eurosnobs". Obviously, we can't really judge other folks' consumer preferences. Some like Pepsi. Some like Coke. Sport is no different. But a eurosnob is generally someone who only watches European soccer and looks down his or her nose at MLS. A eurosnob will tend to view a player's career in terms of the climbing a corporate mountain – with Europe as the peak. For such fans, a player going from MLS to the EPL is like a corporate footsoldier leaving a regional company to join a Fortune 500 multinational. To such folks, Dempsey has taken a step back.
There is of course some truth to their claim that European leagues enjoy a higher standard of play than MLS. However, such observers often forget that not every team in the Premier League is a Manchester United.
Also, such fans can do little to deny the drastic improvement in MLS. The evidence is overwhelming. Watch a game from 1996 when, say, an aged Carlos "El Pibe" Valderrama could walk circles around defenders. MLS has also benefited from the rise of rich Middle Eastern clubs as the quasi-retirement destination of choice for aging European players. When you toss in the MLS salary cap, it is not a place to find a last paycheck. Rather, the players who come to MLS want to be there. Many youngsters from Latin America have even come to see MLS as a launching pad to Europe, not a landing strip for geriatric has-beens.
MLS is not quite a destination league, but nor is it a laughing stock.
So where does the regular fan sit? The reality is that a fan can (and normally does) watch lots of leagues. Most folks are neither nativists nor eurosnobs.
Yet these two groups exist. I've been writing about MLS and European club soccer for five years and I always get emails, comments and tweets asking "which side I'm on" or "why I don't write more about MLS?"
I like MLS. I like La Liga. I the Premier League. If fans of college football can watch different conferences, why can't I watch different leagues?
The debate over Dempsey's move boils down to a contest over size.
Eurosnobs might as well shout: "The EPL is bigger and better!"
Nativists could respond: "If that's so, then why did Dempsey leave it?"
Cue the talk radio call-in number.
In such debates we lose a sense of civility, and with it any hope of unity. In many walks of life, we often come closer together by focusing on the details, not the grand picture. Regarding soccer transfers, we rush to praise or criticize but often overlook the player's perspective. Deuce saw Roberto Soldado coming, and moved to MLS to get games and stay on Jürgen Klinsmann's World Cup radar. Yes, he won't play (European) Champions League soccer, but the World Cup is a more attainable goal. From Dempsey's perspective, what could be worse than sitting on the bench as Spurs finish fifth in the Premier League again, then failing to make the final World Cup roster? Even a eurosnob would have to admit that'd be a pretty raw deal.
Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated offered excellent analysis on how the deal happened, at least on the Sounders' end. Apparently, the team's owners had long been seeking a big-name signing for the fans and when Spurs transfer-listed Dempsey and signed Soldado, a window of opportunity opened. The Sounders tried to keep the deal secret, but fans with access to Twitter and cellphone cameras blew the lid off. People at Heathrow airport saw Dempsey get on board a flight for the US; a Sounders fan took a picture with him in San Francisco. Even an Eddie Johnson tweet denying the move could not hamper the enthusiasm.
However, a cold look at the facts shows that the truth lies in between the world of nativists and eurosnobs.
In terms of Dempsey's growth as a player, what happens? There is no clear answer. He'll get more games, so if you believe in the "match-fit" theory of playing, that's a plus. On the other hand, he'll face less competition. Many MLS defenders, such as Omar Gonzalez, will push him. But in other games he'll face lower-quality opposition than that which exists at the bottom of the Premier League. MLS will keep Dempsey fit and reasonably sharp, but a dip in form, at least in regards to the speed of decision-making, would not be surprising. On the other hand, a run of games could do wonders for his confidence. Neither the nativists nor eurosnobs can give you a straight answer. Nor should they try.
In terms of the impact on the league, the verdict is also mixed. I'm happy to watch Deuce play. I recall the pleasure of seeing him obliterate DC United at RFK years ago, including one scoop/sombrero self-pass I've been trying to emulate ever since.
It's good for the league to sign an international player, but MLS is littered with international players. It's good for the league to snag a prodigal son, but Landon Donovan has been around for years. Commissioner Don Garber's spin is a staircase of improvement via DP's, eg: Donovan leads to Beckham leads to Dempsey.
I'm skeptical. I don't doubt that Dempsey will make his team-mates improve and provide stiff competition for opponents. However, He's 30 and he only scored seven league goals for Spurs last year.
In sum, Dempsey is neither a savior nor a failure. A slight dip in competition might soften his game, but a boost in confidence might reignite his killer instinct. On a grander scale, we are hopefully closer to a world where transatlantic soccer transfers don't divide observers. That world is, hopefully, coming sooner than you think.
In the meantime, catch a Sounders game if you can. Deuces are wild.
Elliott is the author of Real Madrid & Barcelona: the Making of a Rivalry Reported by guardian.co.uk 23 hours ago.
After a one-year stint at White Hart Lane, Clint Dempsey has left Tottenham Hotspur for the Seattle Sounders. By MLS standards, the salary and transfer fee involved in the move are pretty high.
Still, every transfer season hundreds if not thousands of players around the world switch allegiances for money. Sometimes the players want more money. Sometimes they want more playing time. Sometimes they are forced out – a new coach wants one of "his guys", or a club needs cash, and fast. Yet the Dempsey deal has another element which is unique to North American soccer: the "what this means for every other player", big-picture element. Sadly, the debate over it is as stale as ever.
On the one hand, MLS has a passionate and growing fanbase and expansion plans ad infinitum. The league is somewhat green, but it is on the rise. MLS fans are super happy to snag Clint Dempsey, a star forward for the national team who is still in his prime (between 28 and 32) and doesn't have a lengthy injury history. However, within MLS circles, there exists a group of what I call "nativists".
Basically, "nativists" are acolytes who can't (or don't want to) understand why some soccer fans eschew MLS for La Liga, the Premier League or other European leagues and who, somewhat ironically, can't stop talking about "eurosnobs". Every transfer back to MLS from Europe is written about with the "eurosnob" as the argument's scarecrow. Inevitably, the nativist concludes that the move will work out best for both MLS and the player. Take that, Europe!
On the other hand, there are the true "eurosnobs". Obviously, we can't really judge other folks' consumer preferences. Some like Pepsi. Some like Coke. Sport is no different. But a eurosnob is generally someone who only watches European soccer and looks down his or her nose at MLS. A eurosnob will tend to view a player's career in terms of the climbing a corporate mountain – with Europe as the peak. For such fans, a player going from MLS to the EPL is like a corporate footsoldier leaving a regional company to join a Fortune 500 multinational. To such folks, Dempsey has taken a step back.
There is of course some truth to their claim that European leagues enjoy a higher standard of play than MLS. However, such observers often forget that not every team in the Premier League is a Manchester United.
Also, such fans can do little to deny the drastic improvement in MLS. The evidence is overwhelming. Watch a game from 1996 when, say, an aged Carlos "El Pibe" Valderrama could walk circles around defenders. MLS has also benefited from the rise of rich Middle Eastern clubs as the quasi-retirement destination of choice for aging European players. When you toss in the MLS salary cap, it is not a place to find a last paycheck. Rather, the players who come to MLS want to be there. Many youngsters from Latin America have even come to see MLS as a launching pad to Europe, not a landing strip for geriatric has-beens.
MLS is not quite a destination league, but nor is it a laughing stock.
So where does the regular fan sit? The reality is that a fan can (and normally does) watch lots of leagues. Most folks are neither nativists nor eurosnobs.
Yet these two groups exist. I've been writing about MLS and European club soccer for five years and I always get emails, comments and tweets asking "which side I'm on" or "why I don't write more about MLS?"
I like MLS. I like La Liga. I the Premier League. If fans of college football can watch different conferences, why can't I watch different leagues?
The debate over Dempsey's move boils down to a contest over size.
Eurosnobs might as well shout: "The EPL is bigger and better!"
Nativists could respond: "If that's so, then why did Dempsey leave it?"
Cue the talk radio call-in number.
In such debates we lose a sense of civility, and with it any hope of unity. In many walks of life, we often come closer together by focusing on the details, not the grand picture. Regarding soccer transfers, we rush to praise or criticize but often overlook the player's perspective. Deuce saw Roberto Soldado coming, and moved to MLS to get games and stay on Jürgen Klinsmann's World Cup radar. Yes, he won't play (European) Champions League soccer, but the World Cup is a more attainable goal. From Dempsey's perspective, what could be worse than sitting on the bench as Spurs finish fifth in the Premier League again, then failing to make the final World Cup roster? Even a eurosnob would have to admit that'd be a pretty raw deal.
Grant Wahl of Sports Illustrated offered excellent analysis on how the deal happened, at least on the Sounders' end. Apparently, the team's owners had long been seeking a big-name signing for the fans and when Spurs transfer-listed Dempsey and signed Soldado, a window of opportunity opened. The Sounders tried to keep the deal secret, but fans with access to Twitter and cellphone cameras blew the lid off. People at Heathrow airport saw Dempsey get on board a flight for the US; a Sounders fan took a picture with him in San Francisco. Even an Eddie Johnson tweet denying the move could not hamper the enthusiasm.
However, a cold look at the facts shows that the truth lies in between the world of nativists and eurosnobs.
In terms of Dempsey's growth as a player, what happens? There is no clear answer. He'll get more games, so if you believe in the "match-fit" theory of playing, that's a plus. On the other hand, he'll face less competition. Many MLS defenders, such as Omar Gonzalez, will push him. But in other games he'll face lower-quality opposition than that which exists at the bottom of the Premier League. MLS will keep Dempsey fit and reasonably sharp, but a dip in form, at least in regards to the speed of decision-making, would not be surprising. On the other hand, a run of games could do wonders for his confidence. Neither the nativists nor eurosnobs can give you a straight answer. Nor should they try.
In terms of the impact on the league, the verdict is also mixed. I'm happy to watch Deuce play. I recall the pleasure of seeing him obliterate DC United at RFK years ago, including one scoop/sombrero self-pass I've been trying to emulate ever since.
It's good for the league to sign an international player, but MLS is littered with international players. It's good for the league to snag a prodigal son, but Landon Donovan has been around for years. Commissioner Don Garber's spin is a staircase of improvement via DP's, eg: Donovan leads to Beckham leads to Dempsey.
I'm skeptical. I don't doubt that Dempsey will make his team-mates improve and provide stiff competition for opponents. However, He's 30 and he only scored seven league goals for Spurs last year.
In sum, Dempsey is neither a savior nor a failure. A slight dip in competition might soften his game, but a boost in confidence might reignite his killer instinct. On a grander scale, we are hopefully closer to a world where transatlantic soccer transfers don't divide observers. That world is, hopefully, coming sooner than you think.
In the meantime, catch a Sounders game if you can. Deuces are wild.
Elliott is the author of Real Madrid & Barcelona: the Making of a Rivalry Reported by guardian.co.uk 23 hours ago.