Analysis : Sockers Are Likely Losers in New MISL

The magic of Branko Segota, Brian Quinn and Hugo Perez. Diving blocks by Fernando Clavijo and Kevin Crow. Acrobatic saves by Zoltan Toth and Jim Gorsek.

The teamwork and artistry of the Sockers.

Enjoy it while it lasts. The team that has set an MISL regular-season record with 41 victories this season probably will take on a much different look next season.

The reason: the new two-year agreement reached by the MISL Players Assn. and the owners Friday night.

The per-team salary cap has been reduced from $1.275 million to $900,000 ($875,000 for 18 professionals and $25,000 for developmental players). That means the Sockers, who are within hundreds of dollars of the $1.275 million cap, have to find a way to field the same team while paying their players $400,000 less.

“Conceivably, it doesn’t look like we can keep the same team together unless we can get 10 players playing for $20,000 each,” Quinn said. “I don’t see that happening.”

The average salary in the MISL this year is approximately $52,000, according to Sports inc. magazine. That puts the average team salary of 18 players at $936,000, which is $61,000 more than the $875,000 allotment for professionals next season.

“How they disperse the money is a real problem for management,” Quinn said.

The Socker management is in an even tougher position than most because the Sockers have four highly paid players with no-trade contracts guaranteed for the next two seasons: Segota, Quinn, Toth and Brian Schmetzer. Gorsek’s contract is guaranteed for next year, but he does not have a no-trade clause.

Ron Cady, the Socker president, says that even if those five players take the minimum 15% cut required of players with guaranteed contracts, they will earn more than half of the Sockers’ $875,000 payroll next season.

Segota, 26, is earning approximately $200,000 in the first year of a three-year, $700,000 contract. Toth makes $80,000, and Quinn is in the same neighborhood. Schmetzer’s salary is believed to be more than $50,000. Gorsek was to earn $84,000 next season, after he agreed to $30,000 this year to help the Sockers meet the salary cap.

If any of these five players are asked to take a cut of 16% to 30%, they may become free agents.

“We’ll have to see who will take a 30% cut and stay with the team and who will become a free agent,” Cady said early Saturday morning.

Segota, the team’s leading scorer with 55 goals and 33 assists, has made it clear he does not think he should have to take a cut and has said he will consider playing outdoors in Europe.

“But realistically, where will Branko go and get $150,000?” asked one of his teammates.

The Sockers also have three highly paid players whose contracts expire Sept. 30: Juli Veee, defender Gus Mokalis and Clavijo.

Veee has had an excellent second half and is without doubt the most popular Socker ever, but at 38, he probably would have to take a considerable pay cut to play in the MISL.

Clavijo, the Socker captain and player voted most popular by the fans this season, earns approximately $70,000. In the past, he has said he wants to remain in San Diego, even if it means accepting less money than he might make elsewhere. After Friday’s game, Clavijo said he must wait and see what happens.

Mokalis, a veteran defender who came to the Sockers from the Lazers this season, earns approximately $60,000.

Cady isn’t sure whether the final three months of these three contracts (July 1 through Sept. 30) will apply to the old salary cap or the new one.

Then there are also the contracts of Perez and Crow, which expire in June.

Perez’s contract, worth approximately $100,000 this year, expires June 30. Perez, 24, says he will not take a cut and will try to play in Europe.

“It’s very difficult for me and some of the higher-paid players to take a pay cut because they would have to sacrifice for their family,” he said. “I think it will be difficult to end my career here.”

Perez tried to secure a contract in Europe last summer, but when negotiations fell through, he ended up back with the Sockers.

Although playing outdoor soccer abroad is an option for a young and talented player such as Perez, it is not a viable option for most MISL players. Many are either too old or have been away from the outdoor game too long, or they do not possess the skills needed to play in the European First Division. If they did, they probably would be playing there now.

Quinn thinks between 5% and 10% of the players in the league might be able to play in the First Division. He says Segota, Perez and Crow are the only Sockers who are qualified.

“And this is the best team in the league,” Quinn said.

Or was?

With this new collective-bargaining agreement, have the owners gone out of their way to break up the talent-laden and highly paid Sockers? After all, it was common knowledge that the Sockers had more guaranteed contracts than most teams.

“The owners are looking out for the overall good of the league,” Cady said. “They believe there can’t continue to be one dominant team. They collectively feel it’s not good for the league.”

Crow, the Socker player representative, believes the owners are “trying to split up the Sockers.”

Like many of his teammates, Crow is also in a precarious position. His $90,000-a-year contract expires June 1. The Sockers were close to signing Crow to a new contract when the owners demanded the cost-cutting measures on Feb. 26, at which time Cady put a moratorium on negotiations.

And what about the young players who have played an instrumental role in the Sockers’ success this season?

They don’t have guaranteed contracts, which means they can become free agents. They would hope to be rewarded with pay increases and prosper in bidding wars. But it appears that this is a year in which they will not be compensated for their recent success.

Paul Dougherty, 21, has 38 goals and 23 assists. He also has become a favorite among the fans.

Waad Hirmez has 30 goals and 23 assists. Keder had 28 goals and 10 assists in 36 games before he suffered ligament damage in his right knee that has sidelined him for the season. Zoran Karic had 21 goals and 12 assists in 27 games before he pulled a lower abdomen muscle that probably will keep him out of the playoffs.

And what about Gorsek and Toth?

They are the first pair of goalkeepers on the same team to both win 20 games in a MISL season. But will the Sockers be able to afford the luxury of two front-line goalkeepers?

The questions continue to multiply for the Socker players and management.