So, American soccer fans, let’s all take a moment to sit down. We need to talk.

Something weird and unexplainable is happening. Something we never thought we would have to worry about. Something that we have yet to be forewarned of. Though the rumor mills and speculation machines had us all believing a move was inevitable, Clint Dempsey is still playing — or at least on the roster of — Fulham.

We have all heard the rumblings. It was Champions League or bust for Deuce. You knew it. I knew it. He knew it. It was time for the big show. Months later, with less than a week until he is going to need to start mending fences with Martin Jol, Dempsey is playing with the Fulham reserves. It is a bitter pill to swallow. It is bitter to you. It is bitter to me. It is bitter for Clint Dempsey. But it is time to admit that maybe, just maybe, Clint Dempsey is going to stay at Fulham.

In actuality, American soccer fans, there is nothing wrong with staying at Fulham. Unfortunately, our expectations were raised so high that we thought there was no way he would stay at that club. Truthfully, Michael Bradley’s move to AS Roma may have helped in setting the bar way too high for Clint Dempsey. Bradley is younger and plays a more technical style than Dempsey. When Bradley quietly made a move to one of the biggest clubs in Italy, we figured that Dempsey was sure to find his way to a Champions League side in England. However, if a Champions League side wanted him, he’d probably already be there. And, American soccer fans, our boy is still in Fulham.

But why does this non movement seem much more painful? Good things have happened in this window, American soccer fans. In addition to Bradley’s move, we need to look at Geoff Cameron playing well for Stoke. Jozy is still continuing to light it up with AZ Alkmaar. Terrence Boyd has found first team minutes. Even Villyan Bijev has found a way to get time by being loaned out to Norway from Liverpool while awaiting his work permit.

Yet we are not looking at that. We are used to being kicked around as a big nation full of potential that cannot ever put it all together. So instead of our successes, we are self-consciously and hyper-vigilantly focused on Clint Dempsey’s non-movement from Fulham. It is a failure in our minds, American soccer fans. There is no success without Clint moving. He must move!

After all, when our best baseball and basketball players ask for trades, they are gone. When our best gridiron players holdout, they are rewarded with new contracts or new teams. Meanwhile, Dempsey who is one of the best American field players ever is unmoved; and frustratingly, we are having to watch as his manager and home crowd turn on him. What does that say about us that our star is sitting still with everyone turning on him?

This is not how we imagined it. We saw him strutting out opening day of the Prem in an Arsenal shirt, or at the very least a Liverpool one. He was going to start. He was going to score 20 goals, plus another 3 in Champions League. Now we are wondering if maybe he is just not good enough. We are at the realization point that if he does complete a move to a big club he may not be a star. He may even *gasp* have to come off the bench as a substitute. Are we willing to accept that, American soccer fan? It seems as though we’d rather panic, freak out, and get images of Clint Dempsey the homeless soccer vagabond than imagine him not moving!

The thing is with Dempsey, this is the first big time transfer saga we’ve seen play out. This is the first time we have been dragged with our guy. This is the first time we’ve seen our name dragged though the mud. Anti-American cheers from Fulham fans are hurting our soccer pride. This whole thing is new to us. Bradley moved softly to a big team. When Jozy moved it was not a big deal due to it not being in a top 4 league. But Dempsey had been in a big league, possibly the biggest. And when he requested the move he did it like they do things in his native Texas: biggly, brashly, and boldly! Now we all sit and wait.

And as the realization sinks in that he may not move we worry. But should we? After all, there is nothing wrong with being a star on a mid-table team. Yet now we worry if he will still be a star on Fulham. Will his fans forgive him? Will Martin Jol let him back on the roster that easily? Will he have another big season? Was last year his pinnacle?

So, American soccer fan, you are worried. I get that, so am I. And I’d bet so is Dempsey. But this is the transfer season. Dempsey is, as said by many, breaking new ground in American soccer. He’s playing with the big boys and playing big boy transfer ball. He’s ready for the move, but are we ready for him staying where he is? Hopefully, we won’t have to find out.

But we better prepare anyway.

For Kicks & Giggles is a series here at Viva la Futbol, which highlights some of the top football blogs that I have found over the course of each week.  If you would like to see your blog added here, either send me a shout on Twitter @MindOfAbram or an email to Viva.La.Futbol.Ahora[at]Gmail[dot]com.  These lists will feature between 8 and 11 blogs, videos, or various web related things at least every other Friday.

Charles Boehm and Jimmy LaRoue<< Former U.S. international Eric Wynalda speaks out at NSCAA: Part I | Part II | Part III

Yorkshiremusings<< The Demise of the Saturday Afternoon Football Experience

Zach Woosley<< MLS 101: Allocations, Lotteries, DPs, Discoveries and Home Grown Players

Neil Morris<< UNC soccer star Billy Schuler speaks about opting for Sweden over Major League Soccer

Scott Buslawski<< 10 reasons why you should NOT sign Carlos Tevez

Duane Rollins<< Future Watch: a look at the Wild West of MLS development

David Conn<< Sepp Blatter and FIFA facing a moment of truth – or another whitewash

Kurtis Larson<< Reds to compete with NCAA for players

So the LA Galaxy’s Tim Leiweke has expressed interest in Frank Lampard.  Well not so fast Mr. Leiweke.  I’m calling dibs. I too am throwing my hat in the interest expressing ring of Mr. Frank Lampard.  And my interest to get him is only slightly less realistic than LA’s.

Shotgun!

Playing on my seven-a-side team yesterday, we were lacking something.  After combing through the rule-book for my league and division, I discovered that we do not have designated player rules or salary caps.  And though we don’t have the finances, or fan base, or jersey sponsor, or stadium, or professional environment of some other teams, I decided that we too could use Frank Lampard spearheading our midfield.  So I crafted a media release, which somehow slipped out on social media.  This, of course, makes me a player in the Lampard sweepstakes.

Dibs!

But did I stop there?  I did not!  On top of Lampard’s slow and steady, our attack could also use a creator.  There have been rumors circulating about teams saying they would be interested in  Michael Ballack, who is about to be out of contract, so I am now taking it a step further and calling dibs on him too.  Here is me expressing my interest in him. There’s a German bakery near where I live, so that should even be more of an incentive to lure him here (Hell, it might be incentive for Lampard too).  German bakery, calling dibs, expressing interest That ought to get the ball rolling on getting that deal done.

Firsts!

I know, I know, that’s a pretty good midfield if my team runs a 3-3-1 in seven-a-side, but you know what else our team could use?  A forward.  And not just any forward, but a big powerful target forward. Perhaps, one who has stopped a national civil war.  And since I’ve already expressed interest in his ex and current Chelsea compatriot, I’d like to express interest in  Didier Drogba.  Boom! Done! Sign him up now! He would fit in perfectly with my eighth division, seven-a-side team.

Mine!

Now that the attack is all but set, I’d like to express further interest in Rio Ferdinand.  There, express stated.  I’m going to pencil him in for Saturday. Hopefully he can deal with those former Chelsea guys.  But he is a professional, so he’ll do it.  Plus, not only would he excel in leading our backline, but he would help us reach capacity at John Henderson Soccer Facility.

Yes, I do declare that those are four good players to add to my seven-a-side team.  And since I have expressed interest in the players it obviously means I’m going to get it done.  After all, that’s how it works…right?

There is no media machine here.  There is no way that this could not happen. I expressed interest, so forget about finances and rules that govern soccer associations, because interest expressed is all that is needed to get a deal done. Isn’t it?

All of this has happened before, and it will all happen again.

Hey, Revs, want to fill those empty seats? I have a solution.

The top brass at New England supposedly wants to get the Boston market looking in their direction.  This has been part of the organizations downfall is a failure to catch the imagination of the Boston market –or the Portland, ME, New Bedford, Providence, or Hartford markets either.  So as they do yearly, they begin to claim they are looking to sign Designated Players, one whom obviously needs to be an attacking player. But more than just another Milton Caraglio retread, the Revolution need imagination.  They need innovation.  They need balls the size of the gas tanks on the Central Artery. They need a name who will grab the attention of the locals in order to fill up Gillette.

So, I have a proposition for the Kraft Group:  Don’t sign two or three DPs. Instead sign one, pay him astronomically, and make sure his name is Wayne Rooney.

Looking at these two clubs –Manchester United and the New England Revolution– they could not be further apart in standing or stature; however, both teams seem to go through the same exact struggle yearly.  In New England Bob and Jonathan Kraft have sworn that they are going to restructure, reshape, and reinvest in the Revolution.  In old England Wayne Rooney appears to be on the outs with Sir Alex and Manchester United.

New England seems to be stripping their team apart.  No more Milton Caraglio, no more Rajko Lekic, which means no more strikers.  Manchester United is still well placed for a UEFA Champions League guaranteed spot.  Rooney is still scoring goals, but must consistently swear to the media he is going no where.

Rooney, who has been having personal issues, both on and off the field, would love the relative anonymity that MLS offers.  Sure when he walks through the door of the Revolution, on the back of a unicorn, with his entourage of leprechauns, it will draw some attention to the league, but like with David Beckham and Thierry Henry the attention will shortly disappear.  Except that Gillette stadium would soon rival Seattle’s Qwest Field for MLS attendance, and outdo every stadium in the league for dragon sightings.

A trip to MLS may seem unrealistic, but when every year you get into it with your manager eventually something has to change.  Come on Wayne, how sick you must be of swearing to Manchester United supporters that you are not going anywhere?  You do it every single year. Don’t you want something new? And what could possibly be newer than New England?

When you hear the world-wide soccer press complaints about you never leaving the comforts of England, you have to see that nothing would be less comfortable than New England.  Add to that the Revolution want a DP who will put butts in seats, Wayne Rooney would fill up seats like no DP since David Beckham. Honestly, he’s going to miss the majority of Euros due to a suspension, so he might as well be doing something for at least one England during that time.  Why not help out the newer of the two?

Sure the man makes approximately $385,625 a week, which is substantially more than Thierry Henry, Rafa Marquez, Landon Donovan, and even David Beckham made, but unlike those players –Donovan included– he is not past, or in the process of passing, his prime.  He is just entering it. So giving him the extra money shouldn’t be a problem for the Kraft Group.  Especially if at the beginning of every game he slides down to the field on a rainbow.

As for his personal issues, New Englanders have been willing to overlook a lot of behavior from our star players.  Jim Rice was a jerk.  Manny Ramirez treated everything like a joke.  The Patriots had spygate.  Robert Parrish beat his wife and was a serial philanderer.  Does Rooney think Jay Heaps, Mike Burns, Brian Bilello, or our fanbase will really care if he has 5 or 6 extramarital affairs with “working girls”?  Well guess what?  So long as he is scoring goals we won’t care.  Heck, between him allegedly sleeping with “working girls” and his photographically proven public intoxication and urination, Rooney would fit right in in Boston.

Ladies and gentlemen, your savior!

Rooney fulfills both roles the Revolution claim they wants their DP to fill.  And if ever there was a time to move on him it would be now.  If you’re going to make Shalrie Joseph a DP, you might as well do the same for Wayne Rooney.

Will Rooney ultimately sign with MLS?  So long as Hell is frozen over and pigs are sprouting wings the Revolution have as good a shot as Real Madrid and Barcelona. Furthermore, the Revs can’t say they failed unless they give it a shot.

If the Krafts are really invested in the Revs, Rooney is who they should go after.  And they will.  Unfortunately it will most likely be John.

Further Reading on the Subject (sort of)…
Dear Revolution: A 2012 Request<< Soccer Soap Box

No one starts something new and says to himself, “gee, I hope I’m really average at this.”  In America everyone wants to be exceptional.  As a teacher, I know that several of my students are told early on by their parents that a “C” is a failing grade.  A “C” is not failing, it just means that you are average.  And honestly, what is so wrong with being average?

Like many of my students’ parents, MLS began in 1996 (yes they were formed before that) with ambitiously lofty goals.  They wanted, and according to Don Garber still want to be, one of the top four leagues in the world.  However, they are not even close to that ranking.  Due to MLS –after only 16 years mind you– not even breathing down the neck of the Eredivisie (possibly the sixth best league in the world) there are people who refuse to watch them.  MLS’s arrogance in reaching that top four status, without first embracing its feeder status, is almost as ridiculous as the people who refuse to watch it because of that arbitrary ranking.

In general the ranking of leagues is stupid.  There is no rubric from which to draw the comparisons.  Many people want to point out the UEFA Champions League as the ultimate equalizer.  Barcelona and Real Madrid might be the best teams in the world, but I would rank Spain’s La Liga behind England’s Premier League and Germany’s Bundesliga.  What are our rankings based on?  Is it the strength of the top teams?  Is it the median talent of each team?  Is it the average points each team wins?  Are we looking at the technical skill of each individual player –if you have the time to rank even the top 11, on every team, in a 10-20 team league, you really need something better to do with your time.  There is no way to truthfully and objectively rank each league.

What I typically break it down to are two categories.  There are your feeder leagues and there are your destination leagues. Pretty much every league outside of England, Spain, Italy, Germany, and perhaps France and the Netherlands could be considered feeder leagues.  MLS, which I have heard ranked anywhere from the 10th (entirely too high in my opinion) to the 52nd (entirely too low in my opinion) best league in the world, is among those feeder leagues.  But their ambition just will not allow them to believe that.

A few days ago, I got into a Twitter discussion with Jason Davis of The Best Soccer Show about Billy Schuler signing with Hammarby as opposed to entering the MLS SuperDraft.  Davis believed that it is still the dream of Americans to play in Europe as opposed to MLS –even if it is a second division team in Sweden.  My thought was that it is more about the money that a player can earn overseas –even in a second division– as opposed to MLS. Honestly, both our arguments probably hold a bit of truth in them.

As Jurgen Klinnsman is starting to push MLS-based USMNT players, regulars and fringe, to train in Europe instead of resting in the offseason, we may begin to see a clash between him and MLS.  Don Garber wants American stars in MLS; however, his ambition for MLS gaining a top four standing won’t let him acknowledge that MLS is still a feeder league.  Landon Donovan should have been sold to Everton back in 2010 when his value was at his highest, and they could still afford him.  Yet, MLS, perhaps hoping he was finally the key to unlock that big time door, out priced Everton –and quite frankly the rest of the world– for his services.

Part of being a feeder league is actually feeding the larger leagues, and as I often state, the last MLS sale of a player was when Kenny Cooper was sold to 1860 Munich back in 2009.  Donovan could be considered equivalent to what Javier Hernandez was to the Mexican Primera Division.  Would the Mexican Primera and Chivas de Guadalajara been better off keeping Chicharito? He was a rising star and a marketing machine, yet they sold him.  And even though the Primera is a better league than MLS (not by as much as they were before) they know that a player’s ultimate dream is still to play in Europe.

Many would argue that Neymar staying in Brazil’s Serie A, another feeder league, shows that Serie A has the same ambitions as MLS.  Brazil’s Serie A has a many similarities with MLS.   They have older stars, young up-and-comers, and journeymen who will probably never do better than their league.  But Serie A does realize, to an extent, that they are a feeder league.  Everyone knows that several larger European teams want Neymar.  Many Brazilian fans want Neymar to prove that Robinho’s European failure was a fluke.  So when Santos kept Neymar, they paid him well and made sure the world knew he wasn’t ready for Europe.  They did not hide the fact that he wanted to end up in a Euro league, and they also made it clear that eventually he would.  They wanted us to know he just wasn’t developed enough to go to Europe now –amongst other reasons.

If I were a big club, or a mid-table club, in a big foreign league, I would look at MLS players cautiously as MLS has a track record of either over pricing or just not selling them.  Could clubs cautiously be looking at dozens, if not hundreds, of MLS players? Possibly, but MLS, in its blind ambition, never wants to sell.  At this moment Landon Donovan is on another loan to Everton, Omar Gonzalez is about to be loaned to FC Nürnberg, both Odense BK and AGF Aarhus of the Danish Super League are interested in loans of Chris Wondolowski, and certainly players like Brek Shea and George John are being looked at.  But, if these clubs wish to keep these players past their loan dates, how will MLS respond?

MLS needs to recognize that there is nothing wrong with being a feeder league.  Most of the leagues in the world are feeder leagues.  And though Bill Simmons won’t watch MLS because it is minor league, that doesn’t mean thousands of other people will not.  I, like many other people on Cape Cod, spent part of my high school years watching Cape League Baseball every summer.  That is the equivalent of seventh division baseball.  I also watched Cape Cod Crusaders FC who drew about 1500 a game in what is about fifth or sixth division soccer.  If you haven’t yet heard, MLS is already drawing more than the NBA and NHL showing that people don’t mind the alleged minor league stigma it carries.

Recently, in fact, MLS actually seems to be taking steps towards embracing itself as a feeder league.  It’s investing in academies to improve on the field products.  It has, yet again, rechristened the DP rule in order to attract young players.  Still, it is mostly a league of foreigners barely holding 60% American and Canadian players –who MLS was partially started to servr.  It must compete with the allures of teams like Manchester United, Barcelona, Real Madrid, AC Milan, and Bayern Munich.  Due to the allure of the big clubs, it must also compete with the second division clubs.  As Jason Davis put it, “…it’s easier to imagine jumping from Leeds to [Manchester] United than it is from San Jose to United.”

And therein lies the biggest problem for MLS.  It wants to be major league, it is major league, but it is also still a feeder league.  In order for MLS to take the next step forward, it must show younger players –American and foreign– that it is willing to sell them, because for many the bad taste of Clint Mathis’s non-sale to Bayern Munich is still in their mouth.  The loans have begun, the next step is for MLS to bite the bullet and sell their stars.  This could be the step needed to bring in younger stars, higher quality games, and newer fans.

Fredy Montero was the first, Fabian Castillo followed, and Jose Adolfo Valencia was next.  The question is when will the Billy Schulers decide to come to MLS because it is the logical step to the destination leagues.  It could happen sooner than we think.  But until that happens, there is nothing wrong with cheering for MLS, even if its ambition makes its business model flawed.

Let’s just hope their blind ambition towards immediate destination status doesn’t keep them from ever reaching their goal.

Further reading on this subject:
Cowboy up << Viva La Futbol
Semi-guaranteed MLS contracts too risky<< L.E. Eisenmenger, Boston Pro Soccer Examiner

David Beckham could be the most divisive figure in the short history of MLS.  When David Beckham came to MLS, it was supposed to be as a holly savior for soccer in America.  And while soccer has a long way to travel to even get to NASCAR levels in this country (I’d say it’s the fourth most popular professional team sport, and then ranks behind MMA, NASCAR, PGA, and tennis for overall sports) it has grown immensely.

The God’s honest truth was that I hated David Beckham.  I really did.  When he came to MLS, I was shocked.  The publicity was good, but he never seemed to take anything seriously.  He decided to spend his offseasons training with any team that would take him. He got in arguments with fans, several arguments with fans.  He got into it with Landon Donovan.  He was ripped apart in a Grant Wahl book.  People complained that he only put in half effort on the field, or that he showed a lack of respect for his opponents.  He seemed to spend more time talking about football than actually playing it.  ESPN would talk about Beckham.  Sports Illustrated would talk about Beckham.  Casual fans would talk about Beckham.  But the thing was everyone was talking about Beckham.

Then, a funny thing happened.  He took an offseason off, played out of his mind, helped LA win back-to-back Supporters Shield, assisted in qualifying his team for the quarter-finals of CONCACAF Champions league, won MLS Cup, and looked to be riding off into the MLS sunset.  Despite my former dislike of him, I was saddened by the idea of MLS without Beckham.  Everyone needs a bad guy, and when the bad guy is a very good player, it makes it that much easier to dislike him.

The funny thing is, after being in a bad relationship for three-and-a-half seasons, LA Galaxy supporters –and MLS fans– started to realize that LA actually had it pretty good.  During the time he was in LA, LA morphed into the MLS version of a super club.  They are MLS’s Manchester United.  A team that is known world-wide.  They lose Juninho –a loss that would be a death knell for almost any other MLS team– and replace him with Marvelo Sarvas.  This is a team that goes to play in the Philippines against their All-Stars and utterly dominates them.  LA plays Melbourne –a pretty equal team to LA in Australia’s A-League– and beats them on PKs.  The team even signed a bigger local television deal than the entire MLS did with NBC Sports.  So at the end of the day David Beckham did turn LA Galaxy from just a team into a soccer brand.

Due to Beckham, LA is suddenly a destination club.  Where’s Anelka going, Drogba, Del Piero, Ronaldinho, Kaka? None of them have ended up in LA, yet, but all of them have at one point or another been linked with LA, and not in a ridiculously unbelievable fashion.

Love or hate Beckham, and I lean towards the latter, it is good that he is leaning back towards MLS.  Will we see MLS sign Beckham to some kind of Tim Wakefield club option contract (Wakefield’s Red Sox deal allowed the club to have an option on him every year for life)?  Hopefully we’ll see him take a pay cut.  But will it keep him in the DP range?  After all, he still is –at 36– the face of MLS.

Even if it ends up that David Beckham does not end up back in LA, I will honestly feel grateful for him being in MLS.  Without Beckham, there is no Henry, there is no DP rule, there is no young DP rule, there is no one looking at investing into teams, and I would still have no idea what Herbalife is.  Either way if this decision ends with him back in MLS it is a good thing for MLS, and this is coming from a guy who used to want nothing to do with him.

I’ve spent the last few hours, or really days, working on papers for school. Research papers, model plans, literature reviews have been my life for the last 48 hours –give or take some time on Twitter. However, the latest news on Carlos Tevez came out and something had to be said.

Carlos Tevez is one of my favorite footballers. When I first fell in love with him, he was magical. However, it turns out he’s more manic than magic. This is a man who has globe trekked and ended up nowhere. But the truth is that Carlos Tevez is far more sad clown than evil villain. He is an idiot savant when it comes to football. Tevez is talented on the ball and off, has a nose for goal, and is an underrated passer, but off the pitch Tevez does not seem to know right from wrong.

When he scored an offside goal against Mexico in the 2010 World Cup, he probably thought he was doing the right thong admitting it to the media after the game. Yet it did more harm than good. Even his attemps at good end up poor.

But what should we expect from this world class athlete? The man does not look even slightly athletic and most of his press photos look like mug shots. If most people saw him walking the streets, even in his own clothing line, they would think he was a homeless. They may even try to give him money to help him –as so many clubs have done. This is a man who gets chance after chance but just keeps throwing them away.

When we look at Carlos Tevez we should be thinking one of the greatest footballers ever, but we don’t. Instead we look at him and think that he might have psychological problems, and that might not be too far from the truth. While we watch Tevez’s continual imploding, he is seeming akin to Michael Jackson. Great talent but can’t pull it together. Spectacular to see perform but somethings not quiet right.

How could we pity him? He’s rich. How could he be so insecure –and a lot of this is insecurity– he’s too damn talentend? He should be loved and reviered, not hated and reviled. But we don’t want to look at the facts. We don’t want to see it. We avoid it at all costs. Because the truth is that this man may, in all actuality, be insane.

Tevez’s career has seemed to be one crazy move after another. Complaining about wanting to be closer to Argentina then signing with Manchester United. Complaining about the city Manchester while with United, then signing for City. Claiming how much he loved the Argentinian National Team and then skipping a friendly claiming he was injured only to play a game the next day for his club team.

How many players –in any sport– have gone from hero to goat at the same club in less than a year? Is he Carlos Tevez Premier League Golden Boot winner? Is he Carlos Tevez the guy who refuses to play? Is he Carlos Tevez the guy who helped Man City qualify for Champions League? Is he Carlos Tevez the man who will never play for Man City again? First he refused to play in a game, then denied it, then asked for a transfer, the rescinded that transfer, then the media was told by Roberto Mancini that he would never play for Manchester City again.

The fact of the matter is Carlos Tevez could have been one of the best forwards to ever play the game. Perhaps he, not Messi, was destined to be the next Maradona. However, he got in the way of his own career. Is there anything that his clubs could do for him? Should his clubs need to do anything for him?

He is now apparently back in Argentina –a place he probably should have never left int he first place. Manchester City said they had no idea he was there. Tevez said he told them. It’s a classic case of “he said, she said” except in this case one of the two sides has a track record of insanity that everyone is apprently ignoring.

There is something about Carlos Tevez. The man who is both fascinating and frightening to watch. If the next BBC story about him were his death I’m not sure anyone would be shocked. He could have been that player, but he ended up being that player. We feel it’s a waste and a shame. But there is probably something there, but no one has taken the time to look for it.

I’d like to say only Carlos Tevez knows what’s next for Carlos Tevez, but I’m not sure that even that is true.

The cowboy walks alone, in solitude, down the beaten path.  It is a motif as old as the Wild West itself, the lone cacti, the dust settling on the prairie, the sole coyote howling at the moon, and the defeated hero walking the lonesome road into the abyss.  The sun looks to be setting on Brek Shea’s MLS career as the big clubs have started calling for the cowboy. They all want to lasso the kid from Bryan, Texas.

Watching him last night it had become apparent that he has outgrown the MLS corral. Every time he touched the ball, he made something happen. New York’s defense collapsed two, three, and sometimes four men posses onto him when he was on the ball. And even on a night where he provided nothing on the scorer’s sheet he still made an impact.  His tombstone epitaph may not be one of victory in making Dallas into a soccer hot bed where Dirk Nowitzki turns up every weekend, but since the injury of the last sheriff –David Ferreira – the deputy has controlled Frisco.  He did everything he could, but for once his best was not good enough. So now the long march to MLS Cup continues on without the kid. And while the limelight should be on the ideal New York-Los Angeles conference semis, it is instead leering hotly onto Brek Shea and whether his long road leads back to MLS.

MLS has always had trouble letting go of their white hats, their characters, their personalities.  Brek Shea is all three of those.  Ideally the ranges of MLS pitches would hold onto people like the gold lined streets of San Francisco once did, but no one comes to MLS in search of riches.  The big payday is overseas, not on the home range. MLS has, in the past, refuse to let Michael Parkhurst, Stuart Holden, and Clint Mathis be sold to foreign teams, instead hoping they see the light like Landon Donovan and remain forever.  So repeatedly MLS has refused to sell stars when bids came in. This why they lose stars, or even secondary players, on free transfers.

What will be the plan with the kid, the sheriff, the rooster?  He is a man amongst boys, but is he really ready for the showdowns of Manchester United, Liverpool, or Shalke04? Is MLS ready to let their latest sherrif walk down the tumbleweed strewn trail, or will they disallow a sale like they did with Landon Donovan and Clint Mathis?  If MLS blocks another sale of an upcoming star, for their own selfish reasons, what will become of him?  Mathis turned into the outlaw when his sale was blocked, meanwhile Donovan learned to deal with the loss of a European career by building a niche as the last American superstar.  Could Shea be happy confined to his ranch, with his paintings, and his hair shears?

We don’t know, but we do know that all cowboys need to roam. And Shea has repeatedly stated that he wants to go to Europe…soon.  After his failures during his first USMNT cap, this past October against Columbia, he said he spent months improving his on the ball skills, his crosses, and shooting with his right foot.  Judging from his MVP caliber season and emergence onto the National Tem, his extra practice paid off.

Yet despite the hardwork, in all likelihood, he will probably be back with Dallas next season. But what about the season after that?  What about while he is still in his prime? He has eyes for Europe. After all there’s gold in them there hills, and he’s all ready to saddle up and head towards the horizon line.

And maybe he isn’t ready for La Liga, EPL, or Bundesliga, but he is ready for the next step.  No more of the MLS dude ranch, it’s time for Mr. Shea to ride the open range.  And if MLS wants to grow up, they have to let Brek Shea go out.  MLS is still a feeder league, but it hasn’t fed anyone since Kenny Cooper went to 1860 Munich.

It is high-noon for MLS, and less polished players like Juan Agudelo, Teal Bunbury, Andy Najar , Steve Zakuani, and Fabian Castillo -or at least their agents- will be watching how this standoff plays out, because someday it will be them.  So if MLS wants to thrive in the Wild West of world football, and attract young up and coming bucks -like their new DP rule seems to indicate- they need to show a willingness to part with their fully developed pups. Even at the cost of losing a hero.

Either way, no matter how this first -probably of many- showdown goes Shea’s time in MLS is coming to a close. The question is how does MLS play it, because that is where this cowboy tale will really starts to take form.