Climb into the thicket of MLS' salary regulations, and it's not long before you're lost in a tangle of confusing legalese.
To oversimplify: The league, which technically owns all 20 teams, has set its salary cap at $3.6 million per club. The franchises themselves can spend extra on three "Designated Players" apiece, which is how a player like Kaka (who earned $7.1 million last year) was paid more by Orlando City than the entire payrolls of 15 other teams. MLS likes to compare itself favorably to other American sports leagues, but on the payroll scale, the league is distinctly small-time. Every player in the league, combined, made less than the total 2015 payrolls of six different baseball teams, and half the league's players made less than $100,000.
This is important not from a labor standpoint but from a competitiveness standpoint. It's undeniable that the league has struggled against outside competition, and for international respect. This year's CONCACAF Champions League, in which all four MLS qualifiers were soundly beaten in the quarterfinals by Liga MX sides, was a repeat of prior disappointments. Mexico's unbeaten string of titles continues, while MLS has produced just two finalists in eight years. The lack of competitiveness should worry fans of the U.S. men's national team as well; MLS is partly responsible for developing America's best players, and if the league isn't providing top-level competition, those players won't improve.
Three unrestricted spots per team aren't enough to build a solid squad, especially not when those spots are sometimes filled with players that were signed more for their famous names than their on-field contributions. Following the quarterfinal losses, ex-superstar Landon Donovan laid the blame for the latest Champions League failure on the league office's payroll setup, and he wasn't alone. Especially for the well-funded franchises at the top of the MLS payroll lists, such as Seattle, Toronto and Los Angeles, the league's low-ball salary cap is preventing their growth, not saving them from fiscal ruin.
The league's refusal to open things up for the teams at the top is born of a desire to protect the teams at the bottom, a survivalist mentality that's driven the league for more than two decades. The league's salary cap isn't in place to save Los Angeles, which could probably afford to pay $3.6 million to each of the 11 players in its starting lineup; it's designed to shield the clubs that want to skate by while spending as little as possible.
It's time for MLS to shed its protectionist mind-set, and open up the league's payroll structure. Doing so would not only help its clubs attract better foreign talent but help develop American talent as well. It would unleash those at the top, and force those at the bottom to find ways to improve. It's the fastest way to kick-start the next, more competitive era of MLS.
SHORT TAKES
• The U.S. women's national team continues to dominate, and it would appear the NWSL is finding its international footing, too. The Portland Thorns announced the signing of French superstar Amandine Henry, who will join up after her season with Lyon runs out in June. It's a sign that NWSL is ready to compete with deeper-pocketed European leagues — and is on track to become a destination for players from around the world.
• Bayern Munich came back from two goals down to beat Juventus 4-2 this week and clinch a spot in the Champions League quarterfinals, a win that also had implications for future Champions League spots, which are awarded to each country based on their progress in European competition. Juventus' loss means that England has clinched four spots again for next year — a big deal, especially for the squads locked in a race for fourth place in the Premier League.
