Chivas Pass on Feilhaber – Right Choice?

As the news emerged Tuesday that Chivas USA were not going to pick up Benny Feilhaber from their perch atop the allocation order, reactions were quite mixed. Feilhaber has been a fixture on the U.S. Men’s National Team for the past several years and has scored some memorable goals, but he has also been reduced to a substitute’s role for an extended period. Still, given the obvious holes for Chivas, a team that has only scored three goals on the season so far, a player of Feilhaber’s caliber would be a much-needed upgrade. In a statement released that explained their decision, Chivas coach Robin Fraser said, “Certainly we’re looking to address some needs on the team, and having Benny would’ve been great in our midfield, because he’s a very, very good player, but the fact of the matter is his salary would’ve been so high that we wouldn’t have been able to make any adjustments going forward.” For many fans and journalists, the potential of a single player blowing the team’s transfer budget has been understood as a reasonable concern. Additionally, the fact that the second team in the allocation order, Philadelphia, also passed on Feilhaber, and the fact that the third team, New England, is reportedly considering trade options means the collective scouting report on him may not have been very good. Feilhaber has never played in MLS, and he has divided his time in Europe between the top and second divisions, so maybe he will not be a consistent player and potential superstar for the league.

For fans, however, the fact that Chivas did not pounce upon an opportunity for what seems like an immediate upgrade is pretty frustrating. Fans of the club were pretty much universal in their support for picking up Feilhaber, and the budgetary concerns the club cited as their reason for passing on him seem at least a little strange considering they have no high-profile players or designated players on the payroll. Although DPs do not guarantee championships, there is literally nowhere for Chivas to go but up, as they are currently sitting in last place of MLS. Although the club hinted at future moves to get high-quality players, it is unclear how many potential targets will make their way to MLS, either this season or in future seasons. Around the league, there is a perception that Chivas USA is an irrelevant team that fails to spend the necessary money to compete. If the team’s front office wants to build a strong fanbase, actions like failing to pick up Feilhaber hurts their cause and every goal that Feilhaber scores in this league will unquestionably stick in the craws of Chivas fans.

Although I am pretty frustrated with Chivas’ decision, I think of another example in sports that might prove illustrative to Chivas fans. Growing up a fan of the Detroit Pistons, I used to go to games to watch Grant Hill, who was the only bright side on a poor team in the late-1990s. I was heartbroken when Hill bolted Detroit for Orlando in 2000, because the team seemed to have no shot at improving for the foreseeable future. However, in an effort to provide some compensation for the Pistons, and for Hill to get the maximum possible money, Detroit and Orlando traded some players back for Hill. The players the Pistons received, Chucky Atkins and Ben Wallace, were not nearly the same quality as Hill. But Wallace became the cornerstone of a Pistons team that eventually won the 2004 NBA title. Meanwhile, Hill barely played in Orlando as he struggled with injuries. Although examples like these are probably not very common, the fact that what seemed like a devastating loss turned into a championship move could give fans of struggling clubs like Chivas at least a measure of hope. Perhaps in a couple of years, we will look back at this event and be happy at how everything turned out but from the current perspective, it seems like a huge risk.

(image courtesy of revolutionsoccer.net)