With both the MLS SuperDraft and MLS Supplemental draft having been completed, most Major League Soccer clubs are now looking for established veteran talent to fill out their rosters and to hopefully give them a leg up on the competition. And in the case of clubs like the Montreal Impact, some are looking to sign just the right Designated Player to bolster their team on the pitch and at the box office.
German International Michael Ballack has long been rumoured to be one of the International stars who is poised to make a move to MLS. In fact, the scuttlebutt prior to David Beckham re-signing with the Galaxy had been that Adidas had been keen to convince the former Bayern Munich and Chelsea star that he should be the big European star to replace his blondness in Los Angeles.
With that move looking moot, The Washington Post’s Steve Goff reported today via Twitter that a source had told him that there was a “90 percent chance” that the 98 times capped German International was going to sign with the Montreal Impact.
Given that the whole soccer world goes kind of crazy any time the European transfer window opens, it probably makes a whole lot of sense to take these rumours with a grain of salt. After all, Montreal had also been rumoured to have been signing Nicolas Anelka and Alessandro Del Piero, with the former now in Shanghai and the latter looking very much like a player who will retire in Italy. That said, outside of New York and Los Angeles, you have to think that Montreal is a pretty attractive destination for any superstar who has been accustomed to living the good life in Europe.
The obvious question to ask in a case like this one is whether or not the player is truly a good fit for the organization he is rumoured to be going to. If the play of Torsten Frings with Toronto FC last season can be used as any type of barometer, you have to think that the 35 year old Ballack could very well step into Montreal’s lineup and immediately take a place as one of the top players in the MLS. Furthermore, you have to think that Impact Head Coach Jesse Marsch would surely pick up the phone to get the requisite feedback on the player from his former German National Team Head Coach, Jurgen Klinnsman, who is now the Head Coach of the United States National Team.
Now Joey Saputo does not take my calls or solicit my opinion when it comes to running his soccer club, but, if he did, I would, in a nod to Nancy Reagan, tell him to just say nein to Ballack.
My objection to the player has nothing to do with his talent, technical ability or fitness. Ballack is a top class midfielder who has been a very effective two way player for some of the top clubs in the world. If he came to Montreal with the right mindset and dedication, he would actually be the ideal central midfielder to anchor and lead the Impact through their first season in the MLS.
My main issue with Ballack is his own perception of the MLS. Back in June 2010 when his Chelsea contract was nearing completion, the German star told The Telegraph:
"I'm not yet ready to 'retire' by going to the United States or Dubai and want to stay in Europe.”
And that, in a nutshell, is enough to make me think that both the MLS and Impact should look elsewhere. Regardless of his obvious quality, I think it would be dangerous to launch your MLS franchise with a player who has openly described the league he would be coming to as a Retirement Home.
And in a way, bringing Ballack to the MLS would send the wrong message in terms of public relations as well. MLS Commissioner Don Garber has often stated that it is his ambition to make Major League Soccer equivalent to the top leagues in the world. That is both a bold statement and a tall order, but it also does not seem congruent with one of the potential faces of the MLS equating his new league with the United Arab Emirates Premier League.
I have enjoyed watching Michael Ballack throughout his career, as he has performed well and left it all on the pitch in World Cups, European Championships and the Champions League. However, at this point in the evolution of MLS, I’d prefer that he spends his golden years in the Florida-like climate of Dubai.
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