NY Cosmos, MLS & Andre Lewis

[USAF]

Andre Lewis is a highly respected talent entering the MLS. He was a Top 10 draft pick & is seen as a possible star in the future.
MLS wants to have "young" stars to grow the league & will do whatever it takes to achieve this.
NY Cosmos wants to play in the MLS & doing everything necessary to achieve this. They're already proposing a $400 million, privately funded, stadium/business complex.

NY Cosmos will not do anything to pi$$ of MLS, so Lewis will be signed to Vancouver & MLS.

[Me]

His agent was simply ensuring that his compensation was guaranteed. By signing with the Cosmos first he made sure that he sets a floor for his salary and he has a club in the event the Vancouver decided to cut him.

[OJ]

umm.. but he cant have two contracts..

[Me]

The MLS was aware that Lewis was training with the Cosmos and toured Spain with them.

After the MLS combine and prior to the superdraft, he had a guaranteed offer from the Cosmos and none from the League.

He decided to sign with the Cosmos since there was a guaranteed offer on the table and he didn't attend the superdraft.

The League decided that they wanted Lewis and would work something out with the Cosmos for his rights. They told the other teams that Lewis was available, but didn't let them know something had only been worked out with the Cosmos in principle.

Vancouver decided to draft Lewis and it is only afterwards that they found out the agreement for MLS and the Cosmos had only been in princicple and nothing had been finalized.

They are currently working out a loan (possibly transfer), where Lewis stays with Vancouver if "certain conditions" are met, otherwise he is back at the Cosmos.

Basically his agent took the route of getting his player a guaranteed deal since MLS rookie deals are not guaranteed until much further in the season and he ensures if he is transferred to Vancouver the minimum he will get is the amount he signed for with the Cosmos. Smart move by Damani Ralph and his agency.

Normally it would be European clubs instead of second tier American ones doing this, but the Cosmos are a different animal all together.

[Me]

Cosmos to loan Lewis to Whitecaps
By Jeff Carlisle, ESPN FC

The New York Cosmos have stated that Jamaican U-20 midfielder Andre Lewis will be loaned -- and not transferred -- to the Vancouver Whitecaps for the upcoming MLS season.

The Whitecaps selected Lewis with the seventh overall pick at last week’s MLS SuperDraft in Philadelphia, following an impressive showing at the MLS Player Combine earlier in the week. Confusion then reigned however, when Goal.com reported that Lewis had signed a contract with the Cosmos, who play in the North American Soccer League.

The move left Vancouver facing the possibility of having wasted a first-round draft pick on a player who would be playing in another league. But late Friday, the Whitecaps and MLS stated via the league’s website that an agreement had already been reached with the reigning NASL champions for Lewis to play for Vancouver by securing a loan or an outright transfer.

Speaking exclusively to ESPNFC.com, Cosmos COO Erik Stover clarified the nature of Lewis’ impending move to Vancouver.

“We’ve reached an agreement for MLS to send Andre Lewis to Vancouver,” he said. “If the Whitecaps want to keep him after March 1, then we will finalize the arrangement as a loan with MLS.”

Given the relatively high draft pick the Whitecaps spent on Lewis, it’s practically assured he will make the club’s roster, though the amount of playing time he will receive is still in question. That said, it puts Vancouver in the awkward position of perhaps later paying a transfer fee to secure Lewis' rights, a cost normally not associated with drafted players.

The move amounts to a win for the Cosmos. NASL regulations only allow for seven international roster spots, and given the club’s penchant for aggressively filling those slots with veteran players, Lewis likely would have found playing time hard to come by. By going out on loan, the Jamaican stands a better chance of getting the playing time he needs for his development, with the Cosmos retaining his rights.

[OJ]

Thanks I get it..... best of luck to him.