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Pavel Nedved, Coming to America?

by Sean Heffernan

After announcing  he's through with Italian football, Pavel Nedved (Czech soccer legend and now former Juventus star) is considering a move to the United States to professionally. Recently, the MLS has been an attractive setting for players who are nearing the twilight of their careers.  Late career moves to MLS have played out successfully for players like Cuauhtémoc Blanco (Chicago Fire), Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus Crew), and Freddie Ljungberg (Seattle Sounders FC). At 35, Nedved is coming off a stellar season with his long time club Juventus and can still perform at a very high level for at least a few more years.

 The best situation for the MLS would be if Nedved went to one of the bigger media markets America so to maxmize the exposure Nedved would garner. The L.A. Galaxy already has enough invested in David Beckham so I doubt they’d be in the market for another big name. Likewise, the Galaxy's Los Angeles rival, Chivas U.S.A., typically doesn’t splash money around on non-Latino players. Whereas the New York Red Bulls have big plans for next season with their new stadium opening and signing Nedved could be a good step in turning the club around after a dismal start to this year's season. I hope Pavel and his representation take Beckham's hardship in LA as a good lesson to go to a team that can win right away (unlike the NYRB). The Red Bulls might already have their sights set on bringing in Frenchmen Thierry Henry after next year’s World Cup.

 The New England Revolution are a step up from the NYRBs talent wise, especially if they ever get healthy with good veteran players in Taylor Twellman, Sharlie Joseph, and Steve Ralston on roster. Boston is still a pretty large media market and the Revs have a strong following. On the downside ,the Revolution have gotten off to a bad start so far this season and would need to come on strong the second half of the season to have any chance at making the playoffs. Also, the Revs don't have a soccer specific stadium so Pavel would be playing his home games in a half empty Gillette Stadium.

Chicago and Houston have the largest Czech populations in the United States according to the 2000 census so the Fire or the Dynamo would both be good fits for Nedved (who represented the Czech Republic in the 2006 World Cup). With the rumors that Blanco might leave Chicago after this season, Nedved could be seen as a replacement for the Mexican playmaker in the Windy City. Both Houston and Chicago are in first place in Western and Eastern Conferences currently, so the need for a player of Nedved's quality isn’t a immediate necessity for either club. However, Chicago has seen a dip in attendance this year so adding another big name might give them a badly needed boost in ticket sales.

Toronto FC is a good team with one of the best fan bases in the league and  BMO Field  is one of best soccer stadiums in the MLS. Yet, Nedved's agent remarked that the United States was a country that interested his client so based solely on those remarks you wouldn't expect Nedved to play for a Canadian team. D.C. United seemed to be in the mix for the Czech, but they signed former U.S. Olympic midfielder Danny Szetela this week making a move for Nedved unlikely. Real Salt Lake would benefit from a player like Nedved, but Salt Lake City may be too small of a market to attract that big of a fish.

I wouldn’t blame next year’s expansion team, the Philadelphia Union, to model themselves after the business model Seattle laid out last year when they signed former Arsenal star Freddy Ljungberg prior to their inaugural season. Ljungberg has been a real hit on and off the field in Seattle who've been selling out home games all year. The Union could sign Nedved and make him the face of the franchise before their club ever plays a game creating excitement around the club in Philly. If you’re going to model your sports team around a player, Pavel Nedved is not a bad choice. He’s a consistent professional who’s had a great career for both club and country.

Regardless of what teams are in contact with Nedved, I hope the MLS is doing everything in their power to make this move a reality. When David Beckham hit stateside two years ago the league hoped his arrival would convince more of the world’s stars to come to the MLS. Pavel Nedved coming to America would be nice victory for the soccer movement in this country. I hope it happens.

What MLS club should Pavel play for? Please leave your comments below.