Frank Dell’Apa of the Boston Globe says that Major League Soccer’s expansion plans are over-extending its teams, whose financial constraints keep them from having a big enough squad to handle mounting fixture lists. One obvious example is the Los Angeles Galaxy, which will have played 41 games this year not including the playoffs, and while you could argue that David Beckham’s arrival makes for an exception this year, many feel that over-exposure is one of the main reasons the team is now fighting for its playoff life.
D.C. United is another team with a crammed fixture list; by the end of the season, they will have played in 30 regular season matches, the CONCACAF Champions’ Cup, the Copa Sudamericana, SuperLiga and US Open Cup — and that doesn’t include as many as four playoff games. As Dell’Apa says, “In order to be successful in these outside competitions, the league must increase the number of full-time players on rosters and also increase the salary cap.” He adds that having one or two designated players whose salaries fall outside the salary cap helps, but not enough — it would actually be better to spread the money out to bring in more talent.
D.C. United’s failure in the various cup competitions shows that MLS, in imposing such financial restraints, is “leaving teams unprepared to match the league’s ambition.”