According to various reports, D.C. United is close to finalizing a deal that would bring Argentine legend Juan Sebastian Veron to Major League Soccer next year. However, the story of Veron's possible signing is a tale of two takes. Soccer pundit Ives Galarcep is excited at the prospect of Seba in America, and while Ian Plenderleith of USSoccerPlayers says "he'd probably have few problems shining in Major League Soccer," the Argentine represents yet another over-30 designated player.
However, it's not that designated players haven't performed well or even lived up to their billing so far -- Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Juan Pablo Angel have been excellent, for example -- it's that these over-30s come with "nothing much left to prove,"says Plenderleith. Once we've marveled at their skill from abroad, the wow factor is gone when they perform here, too, says.
We'd comment that that's not entirely fair. If Blanco makes Chicago a better team and drives interest in the club, everybody benefits. On the other hand, Chicago fans certainly won't be dissuaded from going to Toyota Park because they've seen the Mexican international on television before. That said, Plenderleith's point is more that over-30 DPs are no panacea. Galarcep, meanwhile, points out that the arrival of Veron likely means the departure of one or both of Christian Gomez and Luciano Emilio, who are both set for pay raises that could bring them close to DP territory at the end of the season.
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