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One other aspect not being mentioned here is that this new rule would allow some teams in the MLS to hold onto American players that would not previously have been able to make the money that they could overseas. It's too late to hold on to Dempsey, but in the future this could work out for keeping American talent in the MLS.
Yes, the rule is aimed at bringing in star players from overseas, but I suspect a few wise franchises would use this to hold onto good young players that have grown within the MLS.
On a side note, the newly approved ability for MLS teams to sign players from their own youth systems without subjecting them to the draft will have more of an affect on the strength of the league than this new "Beckham" rule. One of the weaknesses of professional soccer in the US is how the game has been structured at the levels when players are younger. Specifically, how college soccer works in realation to youth systems in other countries.
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"It is a haunted game in which every player is measured against the ghosts of all who have gone before. Most of all, it is about time and timelessness, speed and grace, failure and loss, imperishable hope - and coming home." Ken Burns, Baseball
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