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“Ultimately, Beckham’s stint in MLS will only be a true asset to the league if, once he leaves, the divide between his compensation and that of his peers is not so stunningly wide. The longer he remains the great exception in terms of impressive pay, the longer other young MLS prospects will set their sights and hopes elsewhere.”

Something occurred to me while reading this quote from Andrea Canales’ column on MLS salaries. That which was put in place to save the league might now be destroying it.

Yes, destroying is a strong word, but destruction can occur slowly over time. Just as erosion can chip away at the hardest rocks, MLS is sliding down a slippery slope into what might be irrevocable problems. The financial polarization between players is on the tips of many tongues – even superstar of the moment Jimmy Conrad – but what hasn’t been pointed out, is that the biggest problem in the equation is the alarming disappearance of the middle class player.

Just like in the U.S. economy, there are ever more rich people and even more poor people, but fewer and fewer middle class. This is creating all sorts of problems more fit for discussion in the Wall Street Journal than TIAS, but there is a correlation to MLS.

There will always be imperfect players willing to play for peanuts due to their minimal or complete lack of other athletic and non-sporting options. Now with the Designated Player Rule, MLS has the ability to theoretically attract the biggest star players. That accounts for the very rich and very poor, but what about the middle class?

What about the player who is capable of playing at a solid level in MLS, yet is leaving to play in another league? Conrad came back, but few others are. Middle Class players aren’t going to sell a bunch of jerseys or bring in sponsor deals or ad dollars, but they will represent the team and their jerseys with pride, creating a backbone for quality soccer. Middle Class players aren’t going to score the goals all the time, but they’ll help set them up, maybe even by unselfishly subtracting themselves from a play.

For every star player, there is one who helped the star shine. The age-old question: Where would Michael Jordan be without Scotty Pippen? Similarly, where would the NBA be without all the Scotty Pippens? For the NBA, the question might be more relevant than ever. The NBA is full of stars, but has few Pippens or Steve Kerrs, or just about anyone from that Pistons team in the eighties, who will trade the accolades and the awards for winning. Stars like Kevin Garnett are floundering without a sidekick, and they are calling for them, preferably several of them.

It’s a similar situation with MLS, though due to some different controlling factors. MLS middle class players aren’t endangered quite yet as they are in the NBA, but they are beginning to migrate to other leagues. MLS needs to stop this exodus and work on bringing these kind of players into the fold from other leagues.

Let Dempsey go. I know it hurts, but sometimes you have to let a bird fly. This isn’t about him or his fellow all-stars. This is not about great players, but good solid players. This would have been about Dempsey a few years ago, as it would have been with Onyewu. Now it’s the Michael Bradleys and Jay DeMerits. Those are the players MLS needs to keep or go out and get, the players who might be great stars one day, but right now are simply solid role players who increase the team competence on the field.

MLS doesn’t need to pay them more money, but they do need to pay them just enough to keep them here, something they have yet to do as a corporate directive.

Take a look at Yanks Abroad’s list of American soccer players. Take a quick glance through the players and their teams. For every Clint Dempsey, there’s at least one player playing abroad who you either haven’t heard of or at best you barely know. Instead of them going to play in the third division of the Swedish league or a relegated team in the EPL, doesn’t it make more sense (in most occasions, yes of course there are exceptions and none of this is failsafe) to pay them a competitive salary to keep them here? We don’t need to match the millions Fulham paid for Dempsey, but MLS would be wise to dip just far enough into the trust fund to attract the middle class.