By Ridge Mahoney
Senior Editor
Discussions between Chicago/AEG and Mexican international Cuauhtemoc Blanco have gone far enough that the two sides are juggling salary terms and length of contract, playing the money against the risk.
According to a source who has spoken to people involved in the negotiations, to get Blanco the Fire would have to pay him a salary of between $1.5 million and $2 million per season, and offer him better terms than a one-year contract plus an option. Blanco, who turned 34 in January, wants more than a single year guaranteed.
Under regulations adopted when it approved the Designated Player option in November, the league's Board of Governors stipulated a DP can be either a one-year commitment or a three-year deal, as well as a five-year accord, as in the case of David Beckham. The three-year term matches the time frame of league's stated intent to review the DP procedure and its effects after the 2009 season. Although it's unlikely to be dropped, it certainly could be significantly revamped.
Blanco's current employer, Club America, is playing in the Libertadores Cup as well as the Mexican League, so if a deal is struck he probably wouldn't arrive until after the secondary U.S. registration window opens June 15. The current window closes April 13.
MLS and its marketing arm, SUM, are determined to have Blanco play in the United States this summer; either in the SuperLiga competition with Club America, or in MLS with the Fire.
He may be a nutter, but he sells tickets, and can still pull off plays like the back-heel that set up a goal in America's 4-0 rout of Argentine club Banfield Wednesday night. Blanco doesn't speak English, but Fire assistant coach Denis Hamlett – a former resident of Costa Rica — does.