MLS left out in the cold

Thursday was an exciting day in the soccer world, what with all the player movements going on throughout Europe. Whether it was West Ham's shocking swoop for Argentine duo Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano, Chelsea's seemingly inevitable acquisition of Ashley Cole, or Jersey boy Giuseppe Rossi's loan move from Manchester United to Newcastle United, there was something for almost every fan to get excited about.

That is, unless you're a fan of Major League Soccer. The European transfer window came and went without a single player of any consequence being bought or sold by MLS clubs. Kansas City forward Josh Wolff came close to leaving for English first division club Derby County, but that deal fell through when Wolff's bid for a work permit was rejected. A failed sale was the extent of MLS' involvement on the sport's busiest business day of the year.

Never mind the well-chronicled inability of MLS to complete transfer moves for U.S. national team players Eddie Johnson and Clint Dempsey, or the less-publicized rejection of Celtic's $1 million bid for New England midfielder Shalrie Joseph. The most pressing question facing the league isn't why the league couldn't score a respectable transfer fee for Johnson or Dempsey (although that is a question worth asking). The real question is why not one of the league's 12 teams could secure the signing of an impact foreign player.

Where are the new stars? Where is the infusion of foreign talent to help boost a league that has done little in the past five years to replenish its stock of quality foreigners? MLS isn't in the running for the likes of a Tevez or Mascherano, but can't a single MLS team attract a player of some sort of pedigree and impact? Sure, Dutch midfielder Dave van den Bergh (Kansas City) and Austrian midfielder Markus Schopp (Red Bulls) are decent players, but are they the type of players who will attract fans or even be standouts in MLS?

So, why weren't there any major acquisitions? It is clear there has been a snag in the league's passage of the "David Beckham exception," a proposed change that would allow each MLS club to sign a high-profile and relatively high-priced player without having him count toward the salary cap. Even without the Beckham exception -- which might become easier to pass now that Columbus Crew owner Lamar Hunt has sold the Kansas City Wizards and owns just two teams instead of three -- the league should have been able to help one or two teams bring in a quality international.

MLS did manage one player move to Europe this summer. The league sold Red Bulls forward Jean Philippe Peguero to Danish club Brondby for $800,000 in late July. Some Red Bulls fans were upset by the sale -- an understandable feeling, considering the Red Bulls are fighting for a playoff spot -- but the move was wanted by all parties. For the Red Bulls, it was an easy choice between losing Peguero for three months and gaining a $250,000 player allocation, or keeping Peguero, whom sources say Bruce Arena wasn't crazy about to begin with.

The league also did add one veteran of European soccer who played in the World Cup, Trinidad and Tobago goalkeeper Shaka Hislop, who has settled in nicely as a backup goalkeeper for FC Dallas.

So the league sells one player almost nobody will really miss and signs a handful of players few will notice. That isn't exactly the approach most would have hoped for from a league that has done little to capitalize on the buzz and excitement about soccer generated by the World Cup and has done less to replenish a dwindling talent pool that surely will be stretched even further as MLS continues to expand.

I know what you are thinking. I complain about the league not having enough talent but then criticize the league for not selling Dempsey and Johnson. There comes a time when a player just has to move on, though. This was the case for Dempsey and, to a lesser extent, for Johnson, whose nickname might soon be Enron if he doesn't start scoring some goals. Players leaving a small league and flourishing in the world's best leagues is good for the small league and for its players. Only when this happens will we start to see more respectable transfer offers, and only then will young players really start to see MLS as a truly viable springboard to Europe. Ultimately, the league can sell players, and it should, but what the league must do is keep fresh talent coming in. This means spending money and devoting more resources toward scouting.

What can the league do aside from spending more money? One thing the league has to consider is loosening its policy regarding accepting players on loans. The league's policy is to accept players on loan only if MLS can have an option to buy the player. This basically keeps Europe's top teams from even considering sending prospects in need of first-team action to the United States. Apparently, MLS is concerned about continuity and identity of its teams. Funny how a big club like Newcastle United can ignore such a concern and accept a young player like Rossi on a temporary loan move from a rival like Manchester United but MLS has a problem with accepting similar moves from foreign clubs.

This policy is pretty ridiculous. Anything that improves the product on the field is worth doing, even if it means having talented young players pass through MLS on a temporary basis. Has anyone considered that maybe, just maybe, some of those young talents might take a liking to playing in MLS and might extend their stay? And what about having young foreign prospects spending a year or two here before going on to European stardom? Can that really be bad for the league's visibility?

Accepting more young foreign players on loans could offer a temporary and far more interesting option for MLS teams in search of talent than the current alternative, which seems to consist of trading for other teams' benchwarmers in hopes of unearthing a gem.

A talent boost as well as visibility boost is what Major League Soccer needs, and that was never more evident than Thursday, when the rest of the world did business and MLS fans were left to wait for an influx of new talent that never came.

Game Previews

As most of you know, I am not ashamed of my abysmal track record of predicting results in MLS matches this year (although I should be). I feel even better about my .429 success rate after receiving this e-mail from Jeffrey Hovermill Shamatha, a math professor at Northern Arizona:

"For what it is worth, since there are 3 possible outcomes you are predicting with each game (win, lose, tie), anything over a 33.33 winning percentage is better than just randomly guessing!"

What does it all mean? At .429, I am just two good weeks away having a good enough percentage to keep a job as an MLS head coach. The slow attempt to crawl to .500 continues this week, with a set of games that offers few easy calls, even for people who are actually good at picking MLS winners. Game of the Week honors goes to the D.C. United-Chivas USA tilt, with U.S. Soccer head coaching candidates Peter Nowak and Bob Bradley as well as MVP candidates Ante Razov and Jaime Moreno.

Saturday

New England Revolution at Columbus Crew

The Revs held off a game Columbus last week at Gillette Stadium. Can the Crew reproduce that sort of effort at home? They should be able to. With Dempsey and Joseph still in mourning over their missed chances at playing in Europe, the Revs are primed for an upset. Crew 1, Revolution 0.

Houston Dynamo at FC Dallas

What happened to the Dynamo? After a strong first half of the season, Houston has been shaky lately, posting just one victory in its past eight MLS matches (1-4-3). Playing without injured striker Brian Ching hasn't been easy, and things won't get any easier against intrastate rival FC Dallas, which can effectively lock up the regular season conference title with a victory. The Hoops prevail and put Houston in danger of being surpassed in the standings by Chivas USA. FC Dallas 2, Dynamo 0.

Colorado Rapids at Real Salt Lake

You have to hand it to Real Salt Lake. The Wasatch Mafia overcame last weekend's embarrassing 6-0 loss to the Red Bulls, and the previous week's equally embarrassing "groundbreaking" of a stadium project that hasn't been approved yet, to finally catch the Colorado Rapids in the West standings. Now, John Ellinger's boys can take a firm hold of a playoff spot with a win against a Rapids squad that is sinking fast. Expect RSL to take full advantage as Jeff Cunningham punishes his former team one more time. Real Salt Lake 3, Rapids 1

Kansas City Wizards at Los Angeles Galaxy

The Wizards still haven't figured out how to use all that talent on their roster. They needed a late goal to salvage a point against the Red Bulls on Wednesday but the Wiz can rain on the Galaxy's parade with a win at Home Depot. Los Angeles' playoff hopes are on life support. Sure, the Galaxy are just three points behind Colorado and Real Salt Lake for the final playoff spot in the West, but we still haven't seen consistent quality from the defending champions that tells us they are ready to wake up. Look for a wake-up call here. Galaxy 2, Wizards 1.

Sunday

D.C. United at Chivas USA

Could we be looking at an MLS Cup preview? It might sound a little nutty, but it shouldn't. Chivas have been on a steady groove for two months and have just one loss at home all year. D.C. is still struggling to cope with a hobbled Christian Gomez and Freddy Adu. Until those two are healthy, United will look mediocre. That won't be enough to leave Home Depot Center with a win. Chivas USA 1, D.C. United 1

New York Red Bulls at Chicago Fire

The Red Bulls enjoyed a strong week, destroying Real Salt Lake 6-0, then outplaying Kansas City on the road before settling for a 2-2 tie. Now, they must face a Fire team led by a rejuvenated Andy Herron, who is currently the league's most in-form striker. The Red Bulls defense has been stingy in recent weeks (four goals allowed in eight matches), and they are organized enough to slow Herron. John Wolyniec nets his third in three matches to give the Red Bulls a very important three points. Red Bulls 1, Fire 0.

Last week: 3-3

Overall: 42-56

Ives Galarcep covers MLS for ESPN.com and is a writer and columnist for the Herald News (N.J.). He can be reached at Ivespn79@aol.com.