MLS players say NYC FC's Mix Diskerud is league's most overrated star

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/mar/22/mls-players-mix-diskerud-overrated-players-poll

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A majority of MLS players think the standard of football is getting better, that most players don’t earn enough money, and that NYC FC’s Mix Diskerud – and not Steven Gerrard or Andrea Pirlo – is the league’s most overrated star.

The findings emerged from ESPN’s second annual players’ poll, which asked 123 current MLS players a series of questions on topics ranging from salary, scheduling, and whether Jurgen Klinsmann gives enough chances to MLS players. The players answered on the condition of anonymity – and the results were eye-catching.

Jozy Altidore was voted the second most overrated player, with Frank Lampard third and Pirlo fourth. LA Galaxy midfielder Gerrard came in fifth, while Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey were also selected in the top 10.

Some players cited the discrepancy in salary for designated players and the rest of the league as the reason behind their choice. “I’m not saying Michael Bradley isn’t a good player, but not for what he’s getting paid,” one player said.

Midfielder Diskerud, who was born in Norway and played for Stabaek and Rosenborg before joining New York City in 2015, has 37 caps for USA, but scored just three times last season as NYC FC failed to live up to the hype and missed out on the playoffs.

US internationals accounted for 18 of the 38 players named as most overrated.

Darlington Nagbe of Portland and the Red Bulls’ Dax McCarty tied for the most votes as the league’s most underrated player, with Sacha Kljestan and Fabian Castillo also in the top 10. One player said of the Colombia international Castillo, who plays for FC Dallas: “He’s going to be incredible. I think he’s going to get sold to a top league in the next year or two for $10m.”

Sixty-five percent of players said US national team coach Klinsmann did give enough chances to MLS players, but some said he was too focused on Europe.

“He’s a guy who spent his whole career in Europe, so I definitely think he rates playing in Europe over MLS, but I think he has come to recognize that talent can still come from your domestic league,” one player said.

But another said: “You look at Jordan Morris. The kid is in college. Who said: ‘Hey, Jurgen, go watch this college kid instead of watching an MLS game.’”

Pay was a big source of consternation among current players, with 84% of respondents claiming MLS players don’t get paid enough. “I think it’s just hard to say that it’s fair when you can be making $60,000 and a guy on your team is making $8m. You don’t see gaps like that in other leagues,” one player said.

Seventy-two percent said big-name owners like David Beckham, who is spearheading Miami’s proposed MLS franchise, and Will Ferrell, a co-owner of the new LAFC team, would help to attract big-name players to MLS in their prime. Fifty-five percent of players said signing stars past their prime nevertheless helped the league, rather than hurt it.

Other findings that emerged:

ESPN also asked the players where the best MLS team would finish in the Premier League this season. Zero respondents said they’d finish in the top four places, but 17% thought they’d finish in positions 5-9, 50% said between 10th and 14th, and 33% said between 15th and bottom.

One player said: “Sixth. Guys would play in that league and figure it out. I think guys in this league are a lot better than people give them credit for.”

But another was more damning. “Relegated. The best MLS team would get relegated every year in the Premier League. An MLS All-Star team would fight to [survive] in the bottom half.”