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Jermaine Jones assigned to New England Revolution by blind draw
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/soccer-dirty-tackle/jermaine-jones-assigned-to-new-england-revolution-by-blind-draw-023254661.htmlFollowing months of speculation and flirtations, 32-year-old U.S. midfielder Jermaine Jones, who scored an important goal against Portugal at the World Cup, has made the move to MLS. And he ended up with the New England Revolution in one of the most absurd ways possible: a blind draw. This is not a joke. I mean, it is ... but it isn't.
From MLSsoccer.com:
The Revolution were not the only MLS club interested in signing Jones after his contract with Turkish side Besiktas expired in June. The Chicago Fire were also openly chasing his signature, and remained adamant about their pursuit. In the end, they lost out only by the luck of the draw.
Per the Revolution's press release, "Jones, as a designated player of a certain threshold, was not subject to allocation ranking for dispersal to an MLS team. The Revolution and Fire expressed an interest in Jones, and had the available salary budget and a designated player slot to accommodate him. Following a blind draw between the two clubs, Jones was assigned to the Revolution."
And yes, that blind draw was just as bizarre as the term makes it sound. According to MLS employee Ben Jata, the names of the two clubs were put into envelopes and Jones' new home was decided by the one that MLS commissioner Don Garber picked. Seriously. This is actually how a professional league decided the fate of a veteran player with experience at the game's highest levels.
From MLSsoccer.com:
The Revolution were not the only MLS club interested in signing Jones after his contract with Turkish side Besiktas expired in June. The Chicago Fire were also openly chasing his signature, and remained adamant about their pursuit. In the end, they lost out only by the luck of the draw.
Per the Revolution's press release, "Jones, as a designated player of a certain threshold, was not subject to allocation ranking for dispersal to an MLS team. The Revolution and Fire expressed an interest in Jones, and had the available salary budget and a designated player slot to accommodate him. Following a blind draw between the two clubs, Jones was assigned to the Revolution."
And yes, that blind draw was just as bizarre as the term makes it sound. According to MLS employee Ben Jata, the names of the two clubs were put into envelopes and Jones' new home was decided by the one that MLS commissioner Don Garber picked. Seriously. This is actually how a professional league decided the fate of a veteran player with experience at the game's highest levels.
