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Yes, Brek's back in town, but just hold on


With the current state of FC Dallas' roster, a bit of noise was made yesterday when it became known Brek Shea was in town and training with the team.  Adding some excitement to the news was the curious, but kind quotes from coach Oscar Pareja provided by our own Steve Hunt, "Yeah, great to have him. This is his home. He's a wonderful kid. It's a pleasure to have him."  And, "It's good timing for us to have someone who belongs here."

Before anyone asks let's lay down some facts and clear up any confusion.

First:  This is almost certainly nothing more than convenience and courtesy.  Shea still has his Dallas home and because he wasn't picked for the USMNT provisional 30 for the World Cup has some time on his hands he wasn't planning on six months ago.  Returning to his Texas home while getting training and fitness is likely nothing more than that.

Second:  Even if FC Dallas wants to reaquire Brek, MLS has a system of rules that would make it costly for the club to pull off.  Dallas sits third on the allocation list.  The allocation order rule is as follows: "The allocation ranking is the mechanism used to determine which MLS club has first priority to acquire a U.S. National Team player who signs with MLS after playing abroad, or a former MLS player who returns to the League after having gone to a club abroad for a transfer fee"  Shea qualifies as both of those definitions.

In the allocation order, Dallas is behind Toronto FC and the Columbus Crew.  So, Dallas would have to find a way to compensate both of those clubs to trade up to the #1 spot.  Shea's agent recently confirmed interest from Toronto, but that a deal couldn't be made.  Even if TFC can't make the deal, they own the spot and Dallas would have to compensate them in some manner.  Then the Crew would be next up and Shea is probably a player they would consider, but if Dallas dangles out enough reason to sell that spot - maybe.

Add into the mix the mysteries and vagaries of how MLS operates when it wants to make something happen.  If Brek wants to return to MLS - specifically Dallas - and FCD wants Brek, make no mistake the league will find a way to make it happen.

Third: Dallas would have to find a way to fit Shea into it's salary cap.  This alone could be a big hurdle, but it also could be the loophole around the allocation order:  If Dallas was to make Shea a "designated player" the need for him to go through the allocation order is bypassed (and would reduce his cost against the cap).  This is how Seattle got Clint Dempsey - now called "The Dempsey Route".  The problem is making Shea a DP would be a massive stretch by any standard.

The other issue with this idea is FC Dallas is out of DP slots.  Dallas has three "Youth DP's" in Texeira, Escobar and Diaz.  This means Dallas has maxed out its available number of DP's and would have to find a way to rid itself of one.

Now that we've gone through all those details, time for the cold water dump of reality: Dallas first has to want Brek to return, and Brek has to want to be back in MLS.  Now that his hopes of using Europe as a path to Brazil are over, why he would want to come back would be less clear.  He could just remain with Stoke, where he has a contract, and work to make the team or find a good loan deal where he could get more playing time.  Returning to MLS doesn't necessarily guarantee a better situation for Shea but his frustrating English adventure may be pushing him to find familiar waters.

So, before anyone get's all bothered by this development, consider "Occam's Razor" - basically (very basic version) the simplest theory is the best one to go with - and in this case it's that Shea is enjoying his Big D home, and getting some fitness and training in with his old team and friends.

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