No Kandji For New York

No Kandji For New York

  • Posted by Drew Epperley
  • On August 28, 2008
  • 8 Comments
  • Atlanta Silverbacks, Macoumba Kandji, Summer Transfers, USL

Let’s take one striker off the shortlist of players the New York Red Bulls are after. Reports today say Major League Soccer has blocked a bid for New York to transfer in USL star Macoumba Kandji from Atlanta for $200,000.

According to SBI, the league denied the New York’s club bid for a USL player. That means the league basically passed on the 23-year-old Senegalese striker, who was probably more MLS ready than the league would even admit.

You can’t blame Atlanta for the high transfer fee. USL clubs rarely, if ever, get transfer fees for players they lose. So putting a price tag on a guy that is getting a lot of press makes total sense on their part. Plus that kind of cash would easily come in handy for any USL club which would probably help attract some of the younger developmental players from MLS who aren’t getting paid as much.

The Red Bulls secured the necessary funds to pay the asking price for Kandji when it traded goalkeeper Zach Thornton to Chivas USA for an allocation. The league didn’t like the idea of paying that much to a USL club, thinking it would set up a bad precedent for all of the league.

You know, I get where the league is coming from but it makes little sense for them to step in like this and say no to a club who wants to spend their money like this. Its one of those nit-picky rules wrote in pencil that the league really needs to take a hard look at here real soon and change. The issue wasn’t really the transfer fee itself, I think it was the league not wanting to do that sort of business with the “minor league”. Unfair really all around to both sides.

New York is still looking on the market for a speedy forward. Some have thrown out Dallas’s Dominic Oduro and Colorado’s Omar Cummings. Neither make a lot of sense for their current clubs to trade at the moment. he Red Bulls may wind up adding Gambian Sainey Touray, who has been on trial with the Red Bulls. Its also said that the club is looking into another USL player, Crystal Palace Baltimore (USL-2) Matthew Mbuta, a Cameroon-born winger/midfielder. Most Red Bull fans may recall Mbuta from their US Open Cup loss to Baltimore back in July.

What do you all make of the league stepping in like this? See their point or find them missing the mark on a potential sud of a striker?

  • gastronatu

    I'm beginning to sense a turf war between MLS and USL. Paying 200K to the USL is a tacit acknowledgement that the MLS isn't the only game in town. <br />
    <br />
    add to that the proxy war that is nike vs. adidas in this battle, we'll see more of this soon.<br />
    <br />
    I think it's ridiculous, but this kind of shit doesn't surprise me from the MLS.

  • American Dust

    I don't blame MLS from wanting to keep 200K's out of a USL's hands who would then use the money to steal a bunch of young MLS players.

  • tex

    MLS = minor league soccer<br />
    <br />
    And the league shows once again why they will never get beyond a USA 'house' league and not a world league in a world game. They control the teams and keep them from making any moves that might break up the parity that is mls.

  • Gregg

    The single entity system has to go. Not being able to purchase the players you want to after having just sold off your best player for $10 mill is not a way to sell the game to fans. All it does is create animosity like this. The reality is the product on the field for MLS could be better and shit like this means it won't get better.<br />
    <br />
    This really is just one of the huge problems they need to address and soon. Like this off season.<br />
    <br />
    I'm a Fire season ticket holder and it drives me nuts that the league steps in and denies teams what they want to do.

  • I’m beginning to sense a turf war between MLS and USL. Paying 200K to the USL is a tacit acknowledgement that the MLS isn’t the only game in town.

    add to that the proxy war that is nike vs. adidas in this battle, we’ll see more of this soon.

    I think it’s ridiculous, but this kind of shit doesn’t surprise me from the MLS.

  • I don’t blame MLS from wanting to keep 200K’s out of a USL’s hands who would then use the money to steal a bunch of young MLS players.

  • tex

    MLS = minor league soccer

    And the league shows once again why they will never get beyond a USA ‘house’ league and not a world league in a world game. They control the teams and keep them from making any moves that might break up the parity that is mls.

  • Gregg

    The single entity system has to go. Not being able to purchase the players you want to after having just sold off your best player for $10 mill is not a way to sell the game to fans. All it does is create animosity like this. The reality is the product on the field for MLS could be better and shit like this means it won’t get better.

    This really is just one of the huge problems they need to address and soon. Like this off season.

    I’m a Fire season ticket holder and it drives me nuts that the league steps in and denies teams what they want to do.

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