Official: Pirlo Signs With Nycfc... Soon?

[JayH]

I'm not sure how enticing Columbus or Denver etc. are to Europeans. Of course money talks but I'd think New York City and Toronto themselves being world class cities help. (Add L.A., Montreal especially for French speakers and a few others to that list)

Crazy though when I first started with watching European Football Serie A was THE destination. The Prem was up and coming and La Liga was good but Italy was clearly the class league of the world. Come a long way down in a relatively short time.

To your latter point, check out this (credit to Fox Soccer): Between 1989 and 1998, nine of the 10 Champions League and European Cup finals involved Italian teams, with four winners in that time. Of the seven UEFA Cup finals from 1989 to 1995, six were won by Italian teams, and a total of 14 Serie A representatives featured in the final between 1989 and 1999.

 

[Z4CH3B99]

To your latter point, check out this (credit to Fox Soccer): Between 1989 and 1998, nine of the 10 Champions League and European Cup finals involved Italian teams, with four winners in that time. Of the seven UEFA Cup finals from 1989 to 1995, six were won by Italian teams, and a total of 14 Serie A representatives featured in the final between 1989 and 1999.

Why the sudden drop in success of the league?

 

[Drainyoo]

I hear ya, but I found this pretty surprising. I knew Serie A didn't pay the greatest wages, but I didn't think it was this bad.

Most Serie A teams are broke and always in the red. Last season there were only 3 teams that made a profit.

 

[NYCFC_Dan]

If this topic dies so does the chance of Pirlo coming here! Keep it ALIVE!
#WinPirlo

 

[JayH]

Why the sudden drop in success of the league?

There are others on here who probably are more versed to answer this, but I believe a variety of factors, including likely, among others, financial woes of the mega-teams' owners, the flux of Italian economy, corruption, FFP-related challenges, the trending up of other Euro leagues draining talent, gate receipt/stadium issues, etc.

 

[Isco Stu]

Why the sudden drop in success of the league?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/2164106.stm

 

[Gene]

If this topic dies so does the chance of Pirlo coming here! Keep it ALIVE!
#WinPirlo

I do believe in Pirlo, I do believe in Pirlo, I do I do I do I do I do beleive in Pirlo........

 

[JayH]

If this topic dies so does the chance of Pirlo coming here! Keep it ALIVE!
#WinPirlo

I will carry on at Dan's suggestion. The point that can't be emphasized enough is that we beat out teams like Juve, Liverpool and I'm sure others for the likes of Pirlo. Just being in the running for players also being courted by international powerhouses like those is incredible being a team in an overwhelmingly inferior league. It shows the incredible value of the draw to New York City, the importance of having owners with deep pockets and international futbol cred, and the uniqueness of this franchise. It's a great sign going forward.

 

[BxLio91]

Wow if only owners reduced DP spots to 1 and increased the cap to just $5 mil, rosters would be a lot better. They would have to increase international spots though. I didn't realize salaries were that low in Serie A.

 

[Davo15]

Why the sudden drop in success of the league?

Not claiming to be an expert but I'd guess the corruption scandal, economic problems in Italy in general, combined with the rise of the EPL . England no longer being banned from Europe, hosting Eur0 96 and capitalizing on "Cool Britainnia " modernized stadiums and other things that spread the game there past the traditional working class fan and made the EPL rise into the global juggernaut it is today at least in part at Serie A's expense.

 

[Andy]

Public stadiums is/was the bane of Italian football.. Concrete bowls built 50 years earlier without anything to entice families or corporate clients.

 

[juventuz]

This is likely post-tax, and therefore median salaries are still in the DP range for MLS teams.

Not to mention, even mid-range clubs like Fiorentina have ~30M euro rosters, post-tax. Let's say that's 50M euro pre-tax. That's $55MM. MLS salary cap is $3.49MM.

Long way to go.

It is post-tax, which comes out to being very close to 50%. So when people say Pirlo was making €3.5 million, that was net. He was grossing €7 million.

Serie A salaries are reported Net in Italy, and in all Italian publications. It confuses people, but that's the way they do it.

 

[Davo15]

Public stadiums is/was the bane of Italian football.. Concrete bowls built 50 years earlier without anything to entice families or corporate clients.

I find it very jarring at times watching either Serie A or La Liga and seeing beyond a very few big teams matches being played on poor surfaces and at poor stadiums. I think only the EPL and Bundesliga have majority modernized stadiums and playing surfaces like we're accustomed to in American sports. To see Juve or Real Madrid playing on some of the spotty pitches with dirt showing is just damned strange to my American brain.

 

[juventuz]

Public stadiums is/was the bane of Italian football.. Concrete bowls built 50 years earlier without anything to entice families or corporate clients.

This is the biggest factor. Only a few teams in Italy own their own stadium, the rest lease it from the local municipalities, and they don't want to renovate or build new stadiums. Italian fans figure, why go to a crappy stadium when you can watch from the comforts of home. The teams that do own their own stadiums do better financially. Look at Juventus with how much they make now. Since playing in the CL regularly and owning their own stadium their profits have soared.

It also comes down to marketing, many Italian owners didn't look at the big picture, now that has started to change. It's been a slow going, but you're finally starting to see teams making the necessary changes.

 

[juventuz]

Most Serie A teams are broke and always in the red. Last season there were only 3 teams that made a profit.

Last year 8 made a profit, still not even half the teams, and now Parma is officially no more.

 

[gbservis]

Not claiming to be an expert but I'd guess the corruption scandal, economic problems in Italy in general, combined with the rise of the EPL . England no longer being banned from Europe, hosting Eur0 96 and capitalizing on "Cool Britainnia " modernized stadiums and other things that spread the game there past the traditional working class fan and made the EPL rise into the global juggernaut it is today at least in part at Serie A's expense.

If the market in the US continues to grow the gap between Serie A and the EPL will only widen. It was a strong move by the EPL to set up a broadcast agreement with NBC. Obviously soccer is a world wide game but the US is a big relatively untapped market. If you are a casual fan just getting into soccer what league are you going to follow? The one that shows up on a standard network when you're just flipping channels on sat or sun morning? Or one of these leagues that's on some horribly obscure network like Beinspots that you have to get some crazy package to see or watch online over a horrible feed?

 

[BlueWarrior]

Most Serie A teams are broke and always in the red. Last season there were only 3 teams that made a profit.

thats crazy. wow.

 

[SoupInNYC]

If the market in the US continues to grow the gap between Serie A and the EPL will only widen. It was a strong move by the EPL to set up a broadcast agreement with NBC. Obviously soccer is a world wide game but the US is a big relatively untapped market. If you are a casual fan just getting into soccer what league are you going to follow? The one that shows up on a standard network when you're just flipping channels on sat or sun morning? Or one of these leagues that's on some horribly obscure network like Beinspots that you have to get some crazy package to see or watch online over a horrible feed?

I've spent many Saturday/Sunday mornings the last several months grabbing a bagel sandwich and a coffee and watching the EPL on NBCSN on my couch while nursing my hangover.

 

[NickA]

On a side note, IDK why any Italian footballer would not want to come here(MLS). Giovinco and Pirlo are going to be two of the highest paid Italian players in the world.

Not necessarily. DeRossi makes 11/m if I remember correctly.

 

[NickA]

Yes like some others said, you can almost double the salary on that chart.

If you go by reports of teams losing money, then you'd believe that all MLS, NBA and NHL teams lose money.

I was reading or listening to something the other day. Don't remember exactly where. Losses for sports teams get creative accounting. The depreciate players value each year and report that as a loss.

For example. Play A gets paid 5/m per year. At the end of the year they say he's a year older and worth 4/m now. The team counts that as a 1/m loss. They get fudgy with those numbers.

Serie A is having issues. They were attracting top international talent. To PL was nothing not to long ago. They started to overpay and a lot of players went there. Now a lot of PL teams are in trouble and there's talk that they will be in the same position as Serie A is now in the not so distant future. The CL is a big deal in Europe money wise. Realistically maybe 4 PL teams can make it and the same goes for Seria A. That is why Milan is trying to sign everyone under the sun all of a sudden, they realize how important CL is to them financially. Also the stadiuns in Serie A are a disaster.

As I mentioned previously, I know Joseph Tacopina through some work I do. He's a NYC based owner in Bologna. He was the one pushing Piazza to buy Parma. He said on the books Parma lost a lot of money, but in reality they could easily make money. That it was a fantastic investment.