Steve Davis has a dispatch from Toronto this morning on the potential site and opponent for the 2011 MLS All-Star Game. The new
Barcelona would want somewhere between $1.5 million and $2 million to play in a one-off Stateside. Lesser-tier English sides like Everton, West Ham, and Fulham cost less than a quarter of a million dollars. These numbers don't really surprise me since I didn't have any preconceived ideas about what they might be, but they did immediately bring to mind a mental note on an MLS team going abroad: per Australian reports, the LA Galaxy are getting somewhere in the neighborhood of 2 million (AUD) to play the Newcastle Jets on November 27th.
And before you find yourself wondering if the exchange rate makes that amount look bigger than actually is, just know that the Australian dollar is currently on par with the US version. That's right, the LA Galaxy is getting the same fee for a one-off friendly in Australia as Barcelona would demand for one in the United States.
I don't really know what this means, but it's noteworthy at the least. The Galaxy-on-tour asking price is certainly down to David Beckham, and considering that the club is guaranteeing he'll play despite a groin pull, it might as well be a one man show. As much as it would please me to think that Donovan or even Buddle has some profile in Oz, I know they have zero impact on how much AEG is getting.
There are other considerations as well, things like higher travel costs to the other side of the world, that make the Galaxy-Barcelona comparison less impressive (another report indicated LA was getting A$ 1.5 million to play, and A$ 500,000 in travel reimbursement). But for all the talk of Beckham's drawing power dwindling in the US, it's clear that his value to the Galaxy is still massive.
-JD
