The manager of free-spending English soccer team Chelsea says Major League Soccer’s self-imposed salary cap prevents the North American league from joining the ranks of the world’s best.
Playing in the World Football Challenge tourney sponsored in part by MLS, the Champions League and FA Cup winners Chelsea will help christen the new Yankee Stadium as a soccer pitch Sunday night (7 p.m., Fox Soccer) in an exhibition against France’s Paris Saint-Germain, the latest European team to go on a spending spree.
“I’ve had a few conversations about the MLS. To be able to get to the next level, they have to be able to attract more established players from Europe and South American,” Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo said Saturday. “There is a salary cap here. Maybe increasing the salary cap would be one solution. But they’re going in the right direction.”
Di Matteo took over at Chelsea from Andre Villas-Boas in midseason and the team turned around. By winning the Champions League, Chelsea assured itself a place in next year’s competition, knocking down Tottenham, which would have otherwise qualified with its fourth-place finish in the Premier League. Chelsea finished sixth.
PSG was the French league runner-up last season with Carlo Ancelotti managing, again on a midseason takeover. Ancelotti was Villas-Boas’ Chelsea predecessor.
“We have to take notice of what PSG is doing,” DiMatteo said. “They’ll be involved in the Champions League. They’ve signed some of the best players around the world. It’s going to enhance the Champions League, and make the French league more interesting by buying all these players.”
Chelsea, bankrolled by Russian magnate Roman Abramovich, has been challenged on the spending front lately by Manchester City. Chelsea and PSG are reported to both be chasing Arsenal’s Theo Walcott, with the Blues trying to replace Didier Drogba. PSG is now run by Qatari Investment Authority.
Chelsea opened its North American friendly tour by beating the MLS Seattle Sounders 4-2 Wednesday, in its first action since beating Bayern Munich for its first Champions League crown. It was also the Chelsea debut of $50 million signing Eden Hazard from Lille. “We’re looking forward to playing the first soccer game in Yankee Stadium. We’re proud to be part of that,” Di Matteo said. “With PSG, we’ll see at what point of preseason we’re at.”
The Yankee Stadium pitch, 110 by 70 yards, has its end lines along the first-base line and the left-field wall. The other teams in this World Football Challenge include Liverpool, AC Milan, Real Madrid, Celtic, Toronto, DC United, Santos Laguna and the LA Galaxy. AC Milan faces Real Madrid at Yankee Stadium on Aug. 8.