Andrea Pirlo is wrong about the MLS salary cap: American soccer needs parity
Italian international and New York City FC star Andrea Pirlo had a lot to say about the MLS salary cap — here’s why he’s off the mark.
Andrea Pirlo went on the record with Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport earlier this week to call for MLS to change its salary cap rules. He pointed to the rapid growth of the Chinese Super League as a reason to scrap the designated player rule, suggesting it hinders MLS’ ability to compete with other leagues around the world.
"“Enough with the three exceptions to the salary cap, which is too little to convince other stars to come here. They need to develop a liberal system where you can buy and sell players without restrictions.“Now there is even the competition from China. Especially if you want to compete with other leagues, at home and abroad, you have got to get rid of any restrictions.”"
The salary rules in MLS are confusing, with teams only allowed three players making more than $480,625 — unless they’re paid with targeted allocation money. Clubs have a cap of $3.845 million in salary for non-DPs, as well.
Pirlo himself is the highest-paid player in MLS, making $8 million a season. He’s certainly not feeling the squeeze some of his lower-profile teammates might be.
Still, Pirlo’s roots are in Serie A, where the rich stay rich and the also-rans fight for the scraps. As is the case in much of European soccer, league titles are the stomping ground of a very select few clubs.
Since 1996, the year of MLS’ birth, five teams have won Serie A, including Juventus nine times, and Inter Milan five. In the same time, MLS has had 11 different Cup champions (and, possibly for a more accurate comparison, 11 different Supporters’ Shield winners).
Only the LA Galaxy have anything resembling a Juventus-style dynasty, with five MLS Cups and four Shields. Even then, they’ve only ever repeated as Cup winners once.
MLS has salary cap rules in place to ensure that kind of parity. Fans love it because their team always has a chance. Owners love it because it keeps fans engaged, and it gives them a fair shot at playoff revenue every year.
In Europe, soccer is king. In most towns, fans will come out to support their club even if they aren’t challenging for a championship.
That doesn’t work in North America. Every city with an MLS club has pro or college teams in other major sports, competing for attention. If their soccer team is bad, or fan engagement is low, the stadium will be empty.
The Chinese Super League has identified Europe as its main competition. For MLS, it’s a different story. North American soccer teams need to compete with other North American sports teams first and foremost to succeed in their markets.
Richer MLS teams do, obviously, have some space to flex their financial muscle on the transfer market. That’s what the DP rule is for; teams like Los Angeles, New York City and Toronto can throw money around on the European market to bring in top-end talent.
Unlike a cap-free league, though, none of those teams can become a powerhouse just by spending more. The salary cap forces teams to build their lineup intelligently, and to make the most effective use of their money.
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A salary cap is a tough thing to wrap your head around, especially if you’re coming from a European league like Pirlo. It probably wouldn’t work in Serie A, or the Premier League, with club revenues so widely varied.
It works in North America, though.