Here's an unfortunate (depending on your viewpoint) fact: the Major League Soccer salary cap isn't going anywhere. Even a significant increase in the cap seems unlikely for the foreseeable future, as the league struggles to raise its profile and bring in more television dollars. The prevailing financial prudence means that many fans will continue to be frustrated with the minuscule amount of money their teams are permitted to spend on players. This is especially true for fans of clubs that have the wherewithal to go well beyond the cap; profitable teams with strong attendance continue to be handcuffed by restrictions meant to ensure the solvency of the league, as well as maintain competitive parity.
There seems to be a reasonable answer to the problem, though. A way to allow those clubs with larger coffers to flex their muscle without out-pacing the rest of the league so much that it creates a competitive imbalance. It's called a "soft" cap.
I became aware of the soft cap concept thanks to Ben Knight from It's Called Football and Onward Soccer, who mentioned it on ICF; Ben also wrote an ebullient response to the idea, which was originally proposed by Richard Snowden of Soccer365 back in December. Richard's numbers are a little higher than I might suggest, as I would argue that something equivalent to what Duane Rollins (24th Minute) suggested in the comments of my recent post on parity makes more sense.
Take the cap as it exists, the money for which comes from the central player salary pool, and tack on an additional amount (again, Duane's $2.5 million makes sense) which owners can spend out of their own pockets to upgrade their teams. While some owners would obviously pass, it would allow those who wish to an opportunity to separate themselves from the pack. Keep the exempted amount low enough, and the league stays competitive from top to bottom, but separates things just enough to provide some haves v. havenots intrigue.
Essentially, the idea is the DP rule spread over multiple players, and capped. Imagine how much better off LA would be if half of Beckham's salary went towards the contracts of five players rather than one.
Most of what can be said on the subject already has, so I'll defer to Misters Knight and Snowden. If MLS is going to take the next step into international relevancy (both on the open player market as well as in international competitions), something needs to change to allow clubs more freedom to sign talent. A soft cap seems the most logical way to effect change without risking overspending or the league's bottom line.
Thoughts?
