Another aging Euro is being taken off the grocery store shelf, having his price reduced and added to the MLS cart.
Robert Pires to Philadelphia ... that doing anything for ya?
We hear today that former Arsenal man Robert Pires is likely bound for
Personally, I wince at the prospect.
Taken individually, these aren't crippling moves for MLS, although they could foul the locker room air. Young, enterprising up-and-comers who share small apartments because they make $40,000 a year won't particularly enjoy seeing older guys with pricey loafers and pretty hair earning $140,000 a goal.
Can a 37-year-old Pires, who was marginally successful in a limited role at Villareal this year, contribute a little to a young team? Possibly – so long as no one expects him to be any sort of dominant force.
Could Patrick Vieira do a little something to anchor an MLS midfield, if given the proper role and the right kind of support around him? Probably – although he has said flat-out that he’s not thinking about MLS just yet.
Can Thierry Henry come in and slice through MLS defenses like a sharp knife through a piping hot French croissant? Nah. But he’ll score some goals, stir up some buzz and create a smidge of an attendance spike, although not as much as some people might assume.
Individually, I don’t have any trouble with these guys, assuming they are paid commensurate with their declining skills and potential to miss a few matches due to age-related injuries – although I highly doubt that’s the case.
I have the biggest doubt about Pires. Success in MLS, for better or worse, depends on speed and strength. Ask Freddie Ljungberg, who reckoned that he needed to add a few pounds of muscle to cut it this year. I guy like Pires, who prowled the wings and depended largely on speed in his salad days, is going to find tough sledding here. In MLS, it’s generally OK to simply get in the way of a player who tries to run by you. I hate it, but there it is.
I have a little more confidence that a guy like Vieira, a tempo setter and field general who can manage his affairs without being overly reliant on speed, can impact matches and command a locker room. Even then, as I mentioned, his role and expectations must be carefully managed.
In the bigger picture, I just hate more and more of these guys coming over and turning MLS into the last chance saloon. It’s not good for the league’s image, and that matters in the big picture. FYI: on the same story that says Vieira, at 33, isn’t ready to call it a day and move over to MLS includes a summation of how the rest of the world has and will continue to see MLS:
Jens Lehmann and Real Madrid star Raul have also been linked with a lucrative career-ending pay days.
Nice, huh?
See More:
