This article is posted in the hope that it provides athletes with a way to more accurately assess the skills of an offer from various types of agents.

For example, anyone doing any research on me will quickly see that I have a strong background in the law, so one would expect my skills to be strong apropos contracts, negotiation, drafting, professionalism and presentation.  But does that make me a good agent?  Is the agent who is a former player without as much formal education and experience necessarily a weaker negotiator than me? Is he less well-versed in the nuances of contract law?  Can he pick out a future star as well as me simply because he has played professionally for many years?  Am I any less able to find the diamond in the rough simply because I spent my formative working years in Court rather than on the rainy, muddy and wind-swept soccer pitches of England?

I will readily concede that one of my weaknesses on which I have worked very hard is identifying young players who may have what it takes to play professionally at some point in the future.  Unearthing young talent is a key component of any agent’s practice.  But there is a vast difference between noticing a player who is playing well in that game and in spotting someone who has the raw materials and can go on to forge a career.  When coupled with the myriad factors involved in making it professionally then, this can suddenly seem a daunting task.

My solutions have been two-fold.  Firstly, there is no substitute for actually getting out there and watching as many games as possible.  DVDs only take one so far.  Being present during the game is vital.  The more games one watches, with one’s agent hat on rather than punter, the more I have been able to build up an accurate picture of youth soccer and, over time, been able to make more accurate and informed judgments on players.

Secondly, being humble enough to ask the opinion of others – namely, coaches.  My company currently represents a number of coaches, some of whom are experts in youth development.  I have done a good job for them in the past and they are delighted to receive DVDs of players on whom I would like their feedback.  It can really mean the difference between investing time and resources into a player who may never make it and, on the other side of that chain of reasoning, between having a reliable and experienced 2^nd opinion to back up my own thoughts on the player.

So, what can a former player who is now acting as an agent offer?  You can expect him to have a lot more contacts earlier on his career than someone like me who had to build everything up from the bottom over a period of time.  He may or may not have the same presentation skills and may place less emphasis on the quality of the written work.  He will most likely have greater access to better young players earlier on due to the fact he has just finished his playing career and is making the transition from playing to representation, so if you’re an unknown young player then he may already have a complete portfolio of young players and be less willing to take a chance on you.  Whilst there is the prestige of being represented by a former big name, does this mean that you will get the personal touch you as a player want and deserve?  Equally, there is no guarantee that someone without a playing background will give you the requisite attention.

I’ve had players come to me from other agents with stories about what took place which led to them leaving.  I have no doubt that the player is telling the truth and, equally, that the other agent was doing his job properly and professionally but it didn’t work out based on a number of factors…but mainly chemistry.  What works for one player and one agent may not be appropriate for the agent and the second player.  Likewise, I’ve had 1 or 2 of my clients ask if they could leave the agency or speak to other agents.  There is never bad blood, because as much as this is a personal relationship based on trust, it’s also a business deal and there’s no sense in preventing a client from looking elsewhere.

For me, the absolute bottom line is chemistry with my clients.  If we’re not getting along well, then I will have no hesitation in terminating the contract and allowing both parties to walk away.  I love this game too much, and am deeply fortunate to be able to earn a living doing something I love, to allow it to be hindered by a client with an attitude problem.  If it’s not working out, as sometimes happens, then there’s nothing wrong with walking away.  Neither party should be unhappy when the excitement of building a successful career together can be incredibly fulfilling.

In summary, I would say that there are really no sure things and perhaps this article has achieved the opposite of what I set out to accomplish – to pose more questions than provide answers!  But I hope it’s helped somebody, somewhere, if they are weighing up which type of agent to appoint.

Max Eppel is a soccer Players’ Agent Licensed by The FA. His company is Max Eppel Soccer Agency LLC and has offices in Newport Beach, CA and London, UK.  For further information click on www.maxeppelsocceragency.com.

CAA only recently jumped into the field of representing soccer players in 2007, when David Beckham came to the U.S. CAA was in association with Beckham’s Manager, Simon Fuller, and was in charge of international marketing for Beckham.  Since Beckham came to CAA, one of the English Premiere Leagues top teams, Chelsea FC, has also become a CAA client.  Chelsea and others are looking to break into the growing American soccer scene.

Gestifute was founded in 1996 by FIFA agent Jorge Mendes.  Mendes is now in charge of the many high profile clients and coaches.  He is looking to find the talented youth players in Europe and is now expanding to America.  Gestifute also represents player and coaches like Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea/Portuguese National team), Anderson (Manchester United/Brazilian National Team), Nani (Manchester United/Portuguese National Team), Deco (Chelsea FC/Portuguese National Team), Ricardo Quaresma (FC Porto/ Portuguese National Team), and 2002 World Cup-winning head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari (Chelsea FC).

This is a great thing for American soccer players and fans.  It shows that American soccer is finally accepted overseas and that foreign teams are looking for talented American soccer players.  Soccer is seen as a global sport that has been played all over the world for centuries, but America seemed to be late in catching on.  Football, not Futbol, has been the sport Americans are known for around the world, but that is beginning to change.  The emergence of Major League Soccer (MLS), an American soccer league, has now given domestic and foreign players an arena to play in.  Many great Americans develop in the MLS and others are now playing at great clubs overseas (Beasley, McBride, Onyewu, Donovan did but went back to the MLS).

Before the last World Cup, the USA was ranked as high as 8th in the World. The USA is now ranked 30th in the world (as of the most current FIFA rankings last month), and many young US players are playing overseas.  I witnessed this first hand as one of my Roanoke Star Premiere teammates, Danny Karbassiyoon, went abroad to London and played for Arsenal FC after high school.  Danny was nasty and had the ability to play at any level, being one of the first American born players at Arsenal.  He is now the head scout for Arsenal in the US.

The MLS may have salaries that are a lot less than foreign leagues, but the money will only increase as soccer grows in America.  The EPL and other foreign leagues pay soccer players just as much as the NFL pays its players.  It would certainly be worthwhile for American agencies to invest in soccer, however an agency would need international “connections” overseas to do so.  The partnership between CAA, one of America’s leading sports/ entertainment agencies, and Gestifute might be the spark that ignites the fire.

The merger between CAA and Gestifute proves to solidify the statement that American soccer is growing.  The international community is now starting to recognize American players and accepting them and encouraging them to play internationally.  With the arrival of Beckham, the MLS has picked up and gained fans and approval by other players.  This merger is a great sign for soccer in America.  I expect other American sports and entertainment agencies to add soccer to their sports divisions.  It is not only marketable overseas, as Americans are catching on and the amount of talented American soccer players will only increase.

The 2008 European championships going on this month have only attracted more attention to the growing sport. Americans and millions more worldwide have been watching the European championships almost religiously. 57 nations attempted to qualify more than a year ago, with only 16 making the final tournament that started June 17^th. After two weeks of amazing goals, saves and exciting games, the Spanish have won the country’s first major soccer title in 44 years. On a Fernando Torres first half goal, the Spaniards passed around the Germans 1-0 to win Euro 2008. Spain joins France (2) and Germany (3) as the only countries to bring home more than one European title.

Futbol, or soccer in America, is more popular now. A record number of American viewers watched as Spain beat the Germans. Living in America, we hear the trade rumors and contract offers from athletes in the NFL, NHL, MLB, NBA almost daily.  We rarely hear anything about soccer trade deals or expensive soccer contracts even though they do exist (Besides David Beckham with the L.A. Galaxy).  Here is the run down on some local and international soccer news that you might not have heard about because you were glued to your television sets watching Spain triumph over the rest of Europe.

• Following the Italian’s disappointing showing in this month’s European championship, the Italian Football Federation has announced the removal of Head Coach Roberto Donadoni.  Donadoni signed a two-year contract extension before the European Championships, but the contract had an escape clause for both sides, based on the team’s performance in Euro 2008.  The Italians lost to Spain in the quarterfinals on penalty kicks, but had a poor showing overall in the tournament, which ultimately led to Donadoni getting fired.  Marcello Lippi, the man who led Italy to the World Cup title in 2006 but then retired, is assumed to be taking Donadoni’s place.
• One of the greatest players in the world, Brazilian Ronaldo de Assis Moreira, also know to the world as Ronaldinho, was at the center of trade rumors for the past couple months.  It seems that ‘Dinho has been on the trading block for the past year now, to almost every team out there.  The 28-year-old Ronaldinho and his agent were offered deals by Chelsea and Inter Milan, but the Brazilian star seems to prefer A.C. Milan because of the preexisting Brazilian talent on the team (Kaka, Emerson, Pato, Ronaldo).  As long as Ronaldinho’s price tag drops, I believe we will see him in the red and black of A.C. Milan next year (Barcelona started offers for Ronaldinho at $60 mill).  Right now, Manchester United and Inter Milan seem to be having a bidding war for his contract but nothing has been offered officially by either side.
• Just like David Beckham, French Star Thiery Henry announced to the media that he would consider coming to America to play in the MLS in the future. Henry has a contract overseas that runs out in two years (Henry in the USA?).  After France’s early exit in the first round of the European championships two weeks ago, Henry went to Manhattan for a celebrity charity soccer match, set up by former USA captain Claudio Reyna. It was in New York that he discussed the option of playing in the MLS.
• Millions all over watched his penalty kick miss that would have sealed the UEFA Champions League crown against Manchester United for Chelsea. Frank Lampard is now on the trading block to leave the London club. Lampard spent seven previous seasons with Chelsea and is now talking about switching leagues to play for Inter Milan. Lampard has one season left on his contract with Chelsea but is looking to evacuate early. The EPL star is rumored to be signing a four-year contract with the Italian team and receive up to £6 million in wages per season. Inter Milan is also talking about purchasing Ricardo Quaresma and Barcelona/ Portuguese star, Deco.

This would mean that football teams may only be allowed to field 5 foreign players in their starting 11, with the other 6 being from the home country. However, there may be a tweaking of the rule for the English Leagues, as ‘home’ may branch out to the whole UK.

One of the reasons for this rule is to ensure that the countries such as England benefit from their own league. Despite having the richest, most competitive league and three of the four Champions League semi-finalists, they failed to qualify for Euro 2008.

This rule has already been implemented in other countries, such as Australia, where the A League only permits 3 foreign players on their entire roster.

So taking the most popular league in the world, the English Premier League, the question is how will the clubs be affected? One just needs to look at their closing day teams to see what clubs would need to make changes. [How '6+5' would hit the Premier League]

As you can see in the article above, only 7 out of 20 teams would have been able to keep their original lineups. There is no surprise then that the big clubs are opposed to this rule, as it will cost them significantly in adjusting their squads.

So just what will be the implication of this rule to players and agents alike?

Firstly, it will provide more opportunities to local players. Instead of being forced to lower division clubs, the players will most likely be moved around as the club must play at least 6 a game. However, the restriction for these players will be greater as the opportunities abroad will be limited.

Agents will have a tougher time selling their players abroad, but as previously mentioned, on a local scale an agent will be able to shop players around more and possibly prolong their career.

In regards to salaries, there is a possibility that at the higher end of players, they will increase. With a decrease in spots available, clubs will be scouring to secure the best and pay for it.

The intentions of FIFA are good. It should mean the leagues will be closer in competitiveness. However, agents should not be too disheartened to the restrictions imposed. There is plenty of upside for players with this rule. A club is not going to look abroad for an average player who has been dropped by a top flight club. However, an agent can use the 6+5 to their advantage by seeking the increased opportunities on a local scale.

Here in the USA, the MLS mid-season Transfer Window is rapidly approaching and I have been busy preparing for what always promises to be a hectic schedule. The Window is open from June 15^th – August 15^th.

In terms of what an Agent does immediately preceding this time, I can of course only speak from my own experience. Here is an overview:

• Confirm that all the Representation Agreements between Agent and player are up-to-date.
• Speak to the players and ensure they are happy where they are, or, if there are grievances, listen carefully and present them with realistic career advice.
• Ensure that all Resumes are current. If not, obtain the relevant statistics and add them to the document. Nothing looks worse than presenting a club with a Resume and then not knowing, for example, how many games one’s client has played this season, or how many goals he has scored.
• Make certain that all the DVD’s are readable and that any links to YouTube, etc., are correct.

Relating back to the technology point made above, one of the biggest and most beneficial changes I have noticed in my time as an Agent is soccer’s increasing willingness to embrace new ways of making the placement process more accurate and more efficient. By accurate, I mean that clubs no longer have to rely on making a judgment based purely on the examination of a player’s physical and sporting statistics included in his Resume and then invite him for a trial or even sign him only to discover that he perhaps was not quite the player they supposed him to be. And as to efficiency – I mean that with the advent of the internet and email there are now so many ways to get a DVD or video clip in front of a Chief Scout or Manager in hardly any time at all. Only last year, I was mailing DVD’s all around the world. This year I have uploaded most of the video clips onto a central website, and from there I can burn DVD’s and deliver them to the clubs almost immediately or send them the password and login information and they can view it for themselves instantly.

Several clubs with whom I deal will not look at a player without video footage, as they simply don’t want to take the risk. Because of this, it is very important to ensure one’s DVD library is current and well-stocked.

Technology adds a much-welcomed element to what used to be a laborious process. It can certainly add a frenetic element to being an Agent, but then, if you’re not willing to have such pressures in your work life you shouldn’t consider becoming an Agent!

Max Eppel is a soccer Players’ Agent Licensed by The FA. He runs his own California-based company, Max Eppel Soccer Agency LLC. For more information please visit www.maxeppelsocceragency.com.

“Lacuna – a gap or missing part, as in a manuscript, series or logical argument; hiatus”

Welcome to the first in a series of articles on soccer I have written for www.SportsAgentBlog.com. I am delighted to have been asked to participate and I hope you, the reader, find them informative.

I am an English-qualified lawyer who is also a soccer Players’ Agent Licensed by The FA (England). In 2007 I decided that there was a real opportunity with the development of soccer in the US. I moved out to Irvine, CA and immediately put my passion for the sport to good use by setting up my own company, Max Eppel Soccer Agency LLC (“MESA”). Despite being English, I am very much a fan of all things American and am proud to be a part of soccer’s maturity here in the US. The benefits of being from another country are also that I am able to provide an objective view of the state of the game here. So whilst my articles do not pull any punches, I hope people appreciate the spirit in which they are written – that of a committed fan and businessman who hopes to see soccer’s metamorphosis from past-time to being the 5^th major sport here.

One of the main reasons for setting up my business here in the US is to assist in the growth and development of the game of soccer. It cannot be understated just how important youth development is to the realization of that goal.

MLS clubs are now, for the first time, being compelled to run U14, U15, U16, U18 and U20 teams with the pay-off being that they retain the rights to the players they develop. Previously, the clubs had relied almost entirely on an American Football/Basketball/Baseball-style SuperDraft wherein 50 young players were drafted each year by the MLS clubs from the US’s universities. Whilst this system has been excellent in the other American sports, some commentators feel that it has not been quite as effective as far as the MLS is concerned. Their reasoning is that some of the players emerging from the SuperDraft seem, in their view, unprepared for the rigours of professional soccer, as reflected by 2 pertinent quotations taken from leading soccer magazines, which were printed in the same month:

“Every year, it seems, the MLS SuperDraft loses relevance, as the league adds other ways and means for teams to obtain players…” ¹

and

“The utter inadequacy of the college game as preparation for life in the professional ranks is now beyond dispute”. ²

One must also consider the knock-on effect both for the MLS and the US Men’s National team, the latter of which has struggled of late because of the quality of the players coming through from the youth ranks. Similar problems also exist around the world. The big debate raging in England is trying to ascertain how the country, my home country, which gave the game to the world and has such significant finances and infrastructure, can also be struggling to produce excellent youngsters for its national sport.

This, therefore, is the lacuna to which I refer.

And what of the solutions?

The MLS has recognized the flaws in the system and the implementation of the internal youth policy as well as the relaxation of the strict salary-cap rule (via the Designated Player Rule) will go some way to assisting with the improvement of the standard of play in the MLS. In addition, the fact that in the past top players were generally not paid more than $100,000 per year meant that most young quality foreign players looked elsewhere for more financially rewarding contracts.

What is most exciting both from my standpoint as a Players’ Agent and indeed as a lifelong fan of soccer is that the market is now, in my view, more than ready to handle such changes. As the MLS moves closer each year towards stability and profitability, it is my opinion that the clubs will be able to free up more of their budgets to invest in youth development which is such a vital aspect of the game.

What, you may ask, is an Agent’s role in all of this? The answer is two-fold – to assist in both the clubs’ attempts to create success this way (though doubtless many Youth Academy Managers will take issue with me on this point) and to scout out new raw talent that the clubs may have overlooked. Accordingly, it is my view that Agents can help to bridge the lacuna between finding the young stars of tomorrow and preparing them for a life in the professional ranks of soccer.

A further point of note for MESA is that there are signs that there are plenty of US players good enough to play abroad who have not played at university, notably DaMarcus Beasley (currently at Rangers FC, Scotland), Freddy Adu (who recently signed for Benfica in Portugal) and Landon Donovan (who spent time in Germany’s Bundesliga). It seems that this trend will continue to grow as the American game comes more into line with the rest of the world.

My job is to be open-minded and that includes embracing the SuperDraft. This article is not meant to discredit the process because some very, very good players have been produced by it; the aim is to explore all the options and ensure that the future of the US game is secure. I am extremely positive about the way the game is developing here and am determined to offer the skills and expertise of both me personally, and my company, to ensure the lacuna becomes a thing of the past. That goal will be achieved via the provision of excellent youth players both in and out of the SuperDraft. I hope in time to see the US Men’s National Team competing with the world’s best, such as Argentina, Brazil, France and Italy (and perhaps even England one day!). If there is a ready-made pool of young talent coming through then such aims are far more likely to be achieved.

Max Eppel is a successful soccer Players’ Agent Licensed by The FA. His company is Max Eppel Soccer Agency LLC and is based in Irvine, CA. For further information click on www.maxeppelsocceragency.com.

[2] World Soccer, January 2007 issue, p.19, Reach for the Stars, by Paul Gardner.