I was reading about Andy Dorman’s move to St. Mirren today in the Boston Globe and I was shocked at the money that he was on in New England.

Dorman was drafted late in the 2004 draft out of Boston University and appears to have signed a 4 year contract. Dorman signed for $16,000 his first season, an amount that has been increased to $30,000 a year today. So in a little under 4 years Dorman has earned just over $100,000.  His contract with St, Mirren is a one-year deal with a year option, will be worth nearly $400,000 with bonuses. What soccer player in his right mind could turn down that kind of salary increase?

There was no way that Dorman could have made $400,000 a year in the MLS. That kind of money is reserved for the top stars in the league. Dorman is not the first, nor last, MLS start to move to Europe. His Revolution teammate Clint Dempsey moved to English club Fulham last January for $4 million.

But the question that MLS needs to ask is what kind of league is it? Is it a leaguer where they sign young players for short money with the hope of selling them to the European teams for a lot of money? There is nothing wrong with this type of league, as long as everyone knows that is your goal. So is the goal of the MLS to fill teams with young players in there early 20’s, surround them with more established veteran players in their 30’s and sell of the best of the young players as they develop?

Within the last 12 months MLS has sold Dorman, Dempsey and Adu; three players with their best years ahead of them. What soccer players in their prime have replaced them?