Adu = Salt Lake Stadium???

Will Adu Bring The Stadium?

As you probably already know, there was a huge trade today in Major League Soccer involving DC United and Real Salt Lake. The news was big enough that it was even mentioned on Monday Night Football. And there's hardly a soccer blog stateside that hasn't mentioned it (as you can see below).

It's a good move by both teams. But the reasons may not be apparent. Let's take a look at the definite pluses for each.

Real Salt lake

Nick Rimando :
He's barely mentioned but Real Salt Lake was needing a new starting goalkeeper. Garlick looked competent at times last year. But many others he looked as though he didn't realize that diving was part of the job description for a goalkeeper. Garlick along with Bo Oshoniyi was the least convincing of starting GKs in the league last year. RSL needed a new goalkeeper and Rimando while not perfect is a good choice.

Freddy Adu :
He's the poster boy for American soccer. It's likely that only a deal for David Beckham would get more press in the US. While Freddy is not the next Pele, he's not 18 yet and clearly a talent player who is already doing good things. Most importantly for RSL, the good press from landing this huge deal could be the last little something they need to get the deal for their new stadium deal completed. RSL's front office may have had a ground breaking in August but they have yet to get Salt Lake County to sign on to the deal. Ad without the county's money, they can't pull off building their new soccer specific stadium in Sandy. They're close to completing the deal but it's been dragging on for months. During this time they've been taking a lot of damage in the media over the deal. If they don't close soon, the county could pass on the deal for the 2nd time in less than a year.

Stadium :
Did I mention this could be the PR the team needs to finalize their stadium deal? I did but need to mention it as it's own category since without it, Real Salt Lake is likely to leave metro Salt Lake City.

DC United :

Major Allocation : While it's not a designated player slot, it's still worth enough to bring in a big player at league max. DC United in the past has shown while they're not perfect, they are skilled at finding good players at this level. Gomez and Moreno are two good examples of this. With DC making a push to do with in internal competions and winning the MLS Cup starting in a couple months, they will need more talent around if they're to do well on multiple fronts.

Jay Nolly : Nolly showed in 2006 that he's a competent stand-in when called upon. Unlike Rimando Nolly's not expecting to start and frees up @ $70,000 in cap space. That may not sound like a lot but in the MLS that give DCU room to add some good depth if not a new starter to their squad.

Better Focus, Natural Width :
Let's face it, Freddy Adu was a distraction for DC United. He wasn't content not being played in the middle nor in not being a guaranteed starter. He made this well known to the extent that at one point DCU had no choice but to suspend him for shooting off his mouth in public. And the focus on the team from the press was just as much about Freddy as it was about the entire team. Without Adu around the press can get back to talking about the team and the team can worry about playing well instead of how to integrate Freddy and deal with his antics. And without Freddy, DC can look to bring in natural width that's happy to play their role on the rather than how well they're setting up their big money move to Europe.

Nowak :
Whether Peter Nowak, arguably the best coach in Major League Soccer, would be back next year or not has been up in the air. It's unlikely the team would make such a move without it being made by whomever they were going to have coach next year. And given the friction Nowak and Adu had, it's reasonable to assume the deal has Nowak's seal of approval and that he's on the verge of finalizing a new contract with the team.

Cap Space :
As mentioned, Adu and Rimando being gone gives DC United a lot of flexibility in staying under the salary cap. Getting rid of Rimando should enable them to bring Donnet back (if that's what they want) or bring in a solid MLS player. And the allocation gives the ability to bring in a very talented player while keeping their designated player slot open for an even bigger signing.

Money :
If Adu is sold, DC United will see a good portion of it. This is money they will need with Gomez and Moreno in their last years in the league.

There are some negatives for both teams.

DC United :
Talent Loss : DC United loses a GK capable of starting in the league and in international club play. If Perkins sustains a major injury the team could struggle. And Adu would've been a good player to have around to fill in in the middle if Gomez, who is 32, is injured or needs a rest with DCU playing in 4 club competition next year. Injuries aside, DC may lose Jeff Carroll from their midfield. And they've probably lost John Wilson (last year's knee injury may be career ending). Having Freddy around would mean one less hole to fill.

Positive Press :
As much as DC United has been the closest thing to a dynasty that Major League Soccer has had, they still couldn't generate the kind of press that Freddy can. Metro Washington is one of the if not the best soccer market in the United States so they won't disappear quietly into the night. But they will clearly get a lot less attention.

Real Salt Lake :
Payroll : For Real Salt Lake they have to worry about not just the salary cap but also making their payroll. They're still picking up part of the tab for Clint Mathis (likely in the neighborhood of $150k). It's likely that Jeff Cunningham, coming off a career season, will be looking to increase his $212k salary up to the league max (@$300k for 2007) if he's to stick around. As big as Freddy Adu is, he can not replace Cunningham's 16 goals and 11 assists. Real Salt Lake is also facing paying Eddie Pope ( $400k in 06), Chris Klein ($178k), Jason Kreis ($198k), Andy Williams ($100k), Garlick ($100k). RSL's other teenager, Nick Besagno is up there too with his 06 wages (up to $90 depending on bonuses) even though he's only started a handful of games over 2 years.

More Changes Needed :
RSL was worst in the league for goals allowed in 2006. They finished last in their conference. And with Ballouchy, Williams, Klein and even Kreis they were not in need of yet another attacking midfielder. If Adu plays more forward as a link between the midfield and Cunningham, it makes what to do with Kreis more of a question. If he plays in the midfield, it leaves more of a question of how their midfield will play defense with Williams, Ballouchy and Klein all not being known for being strong coming back. More so it's hard to see how the team can afford to keep Garlick around With 2 other well paid, experienced and talented keepers on the marker - Hartman (LA) and Thorton (Fire) - it's unlikely that RSL will be able to get much for Garlick.

Quick Loss / Designated Player Slot :
Freddy Adu turns 18 this spring. He's already made it clear that he wants to move to Europe. With his birthday he very well make that move. And while he's grandfathered in for 07, if Adu does stick around in 2008 Real Salt Lake will have to use a designated player rule slot on him to keep him in 2008. The MLS has done a great job on selling the DPR as the Beckham rule. They've sold it as a chance for teams to bring in big players. But the reality is it's the league moving to tighten up their salary cap requirements. There are only 13 of these slots and any team willing to trade theirs going into 2008 should be able to command a steep price for theirs knowing that RSL would have little choice but to trade for it to keep Adu. That is assuming RSL uses their in 2007. If they do that player is likely to be on a 2 year guaranteed contract so they'll need that 2nd slot for Adu.

Given all of that the temptation is to reduce the trade into terms that imply that one team can only make gains at the expense of the other. Trades are never that simple. DC United may not make good use of their cap room. Keeping Nowak around may not be enough for the team to win a couple of their competitions like they expect to. But even if things go well, that doesn't mean Real Salt Lake loses. Simply landing Adu is likely to help their local media realize they are a major team. And with the team facing having to move or be sold if they can't finalize their stadium deal, that's a lot to loose. In the short term they stand to loose on the field and this move will necessitate more roster moves. But all the negatives they face with the deal would be well offset if this deal is indeed the tipping point in finally securing their stadium.