MLS's underperformance in CCL shows lack of middle class

   With a starting eleven plenty of the young and inexperienced, Seattle Sounders' loss to Olimpia in Honduras shows that clubs from MLS still lack an adequate middle class to serve as cushion between the high-profile signings and the youth ranks. That middle class turns to be most compulsory if the MLS really wants to get out of its domestic bubble and poise a real threat to the Liga Mx hegemony in Concacaf.

"A Real Madrid (consisting) of Zidanes and Pavones", was the old saying during Florentino Pérez's first administration a decade ago in precise reference to that absent middle class within Madrid's squad that could come to solve the many problems of playing La Liga and Champions League simultaneously. Real Madrid lacked that: either they had the stellar likes of Zidane, Figo, Ronaldo and Beckham, or the mundane likes of Albert Celades, Francisco Pavón, Raúl Bravo or Javier Portillo. With no middle class of highly competitive and somewhat lower-profile footballers, Madrid got prematurely eliminated in several Champions League editions to clubs with such names as Marcelo Zalayeta, Juninho Pernambucano, Alberto Aquilani and Alexander Hleb.

At this stage the MLS resembles the first Real Madrid of Florentino Pérez a lot. Galaxy provides a good example: either they have the Dos Santos and the Gerrards, or the Zardes and the Villarreals. The Homegrown Player Rule -which allows MLS clubs to offer better contracts than otherwise to two designated grassroots players- indeed fosters the development of more mature and experienced members of the squad; just two HGP berths are, however, indeed too few as to build an ample and robust middle class. The case of the Panamá goalkeeper Jaime Penedo illustrates what may be considered poor management by Galaxy's decision-makers: competitive, a keeper for all seasons, way cheaper in terms of salary, and nonetheless permitted to leave for good. What are the prospects for Galaxy in this CCL with no middle class?

Traditionally, the middle class isn't developed patiently, but rather bought and brought from somewhere else. At the closing of MLS's last transfer window about a month ago, Argentina retained its top spot as the biggest purveyor of foreign talent with 26 players surpassing the 22 coming from the UK. Barring such names as Red Bulls' Gonzalo Verón and Portland Timbers' Lucas Melano, the lion's share of that Argentine bulk doesn't occupy designated places which means that they could be part of a MLS early middle class. Moreover, some Argentines who are designated players are so just nominally as they earn much, much less than others. They are Nacho Piatti ($400,000), Cristian Maidana ($217,250) or Matías Laba ($325,000), to name a few.

Middle-class players aren't patiently looked after to grow up because their function is rather to make room for the development of the promising minors: they are the already mature and experienced that can go to Honduras and play Olimpia along some youngsters and teach them the professionals' tricks in actual competitive conditions. Neither Francisco Pavón nor Javier Portillo developed properly at Real Madrid as -when playing- were charged with the massive responsibilities of wearing the Madrid badge. At the end, the policy of "Zidanes and Pavones" proved a total failure and the Spanish giant had to wait until Florentino Pérez's second tenure to lift a new Champions League trophy.

In the case of MLS, that same policy doesn't work when outside the MLS. Be it in Honduras, Costa Rica or Mexico, Concacaf now demands deeper and more experienced squads. Without that middle class, which is just beginning to form as Argentina keeps feeding the league, the MLS will certainly still struggle in the CCL.