The galaxy won their Sixth MLS Cup Saturday And celebrated success for a long time Sunday afternoon.
Then Monday, shortly after the champagne sprays in the locker room had dried, the team started to refine their list for next season, making the players who come back and who could move on.
Not because he wanted it, but because the rules of the league asked.
“It is a function of the league calendar and the players' association is ruled when the players must be informed”, ” Managing Director Will Kuntz said Tuesday. “It is really difficult and it is obviously much less than any other national league (A) with regard to this type of conversations.
“No league ends its season with the league match on Saturday, then already done intersane stuff on Monday.”
That Kuntz, in his first full season as managing director, built something special with the galaxy is undeniable. He signed 10 of the 14 players who appeared in 2-1 victory on Saturday against New York Red Bulls In the MLS Cup final, establishing the basics of one of the greatest reversals of a season in the history of the League.
But his last thing can be even more impressive because he already has 13 of these players under contract for next season. He did it by exercising contract options on midfielder Mark Delgado and defender Jalen Neal. And if he can achieve conditions on a new agreement with Captain Maya Yoshida – a big if since Yoshida has made $ 893,000 this season during the last year of his contract – the Galaxy I will bring back the whole group together for a reunion tour.
In a league with a salary ceiling and Byzantine rules, even a brain surgeon could not understand, it is quite an accomplishment. But there may be more lifting of heavy to come. The Galaxy left 11 unprotected players for Wednesday's expansion draft, which means that one of them could be selected by San Diego FC. And the team took a $ 1.1 million in the salary ceiling because Gabriel Pec has aged from his status as a young player designated and Dejan Jveljic went from an U22 initiative player to an alignment player.
“We will have work to do,” said Kuntz, whose payroll was $ 21.96 million, the fourth higher in MLS, according to figures published by the Players Association. “Not all the same players correspond to the salary budget.
“We lose 20% of our salary ceiling for these two guys. It is a million dollars less than for the rest of the team. And then some players could have bonuses that become substantial when you win the MLS Cup. Now these are added at their budgetary costs next year or (get) deduced from your allowance pool. ”
The league compensation structure is designed to produce parity, not the dynasties. And winning is supposed to underline this structure; Players who produce and earn increases in merit, which submerges the modest salary ceiling. This is why no team has repeated as champion since the 2011-12 Galaxy.
However, Kuntz managed to keep the heart of the galaxy together, helped by the fact that the alignment is mostly new – only six of the 17 men who played more than 350 minutes this season were part of the team when Kuntz was hired 20 months ago.
“We had the chance of the way things aligned,” said Kuntz. “This will not always be the case.”
The Galaxy refused the options on two players, defender Martín Cáceres, who had his end of the season early due to an injury for the second consecutive year, and the goalkeeper for help Brady Scott. In addition to Yoshida, defender Eriq Zavaleta is also out of contract.
Cáceres, 37, who played in four World Cups with Uruguay, should retire after Saturday's victory gave him his eighth title of champion in three countries. But the team is in talks with Zavaleta and Scott on new offers. Everyone is back.
For many teams, the immediate consequences of an MLS Cup victory were much more complicated. In 2016, the Sounders of Seattle, in order to respect the deadline to announce movements of alignment, told players of the return flight that their contracts were not renewed. Three years later, when they repeated themselves as champions, many players in the victory parade had already received pink sheets.
“This is what we live in this world,” said midfielder Diego Fagúndez, who has another year on his contract with the Galaxy, his third team in the past five seasons. “Sometimes we are here, the next day, you are not. So you have to enjoy the moments now. ”
So if the victory on Saturday – which came on the 10thth The anniversary of the last MLS Cup victory of the team – ended some players with the galaxy, at least they will get a championship ring as a separation gift.
“We know that we have left our inheritance here, each of these players,” said Fagúndez. “Their names go () to be there for history.”
⚽ You have read the last episode of soccer with Kevin Baxter. The weekly column takes you behind the scenes and highlights unique stories. Listen to Baxter in the episode of this week of “Podcast Corner of the Galaxy.
