TFC can't count on an injury not taking place. We're in a position where the talk can't just be about starting positions. It'll be interesting to see how they intend to fill out the squad with only a week and a half remaining.Originally Posted by menefreghista
My guess is that most of the remaining players in camp will start the season with the team.
yeah i tend to agree with you
Isn't that Attakora's natural position. Did TFC bring anyone in to trial at centre back this off-season? Yourassowsky looked decent at CB against Chicago Saturday. The Cann mess aside, he's now listed as retired, it's a shame that a solution hasn't been found that would give TFC the option to use Attakora at RB.
I think that's a fair statement.
The issue I see with both defenders is their ball distribution and how they would fit in a system that builds from the back. Neither look all that comfortable on the ball and that is exactly what is needed for the system Winter is trying to implement.
Both of these guys excel in a system where the can go in hard, win the ball, and hoof it out of their own end. Not exactly a strength for a team trying to play a possession game.
Looks like management may be in the mode of minding the cap. I'm not sure how cheaply TFC could land Serioux even if health was guaranteed. They way things look now, He'd have a good opportunity at playing time. Perhaps Winter would rather give some Academy players that time?
You're welcome. I agree. I also find it interesting to read what others think of the players. There has been a fair bit of inter-MLS player movement this off-season involving most teams. Looks like Vancouver took advantage of their opportunity to select exposed players. TFC's interim management identified Nathan Sturgis. It doesn't appear that Winter is sold on him though.
Yeah, that's why I was opposed to Cochrane making that type of move in the off season. Based on his scouting reports though, Sturgis is known to have good control and distribution skills. I would think he should be able to fit in...
Perhaps the panick button was pressed over concerns of a need to back-up JDG due to surgery or even because of a perceived need to show fans that action/change is taking place? I think that argument was made much easier because many feel Cochrane overpaid. When you listen to management talk about an orientation towards youth, an early first round pick in camp to assess would look mighty useful about now. Perhaps a player like Sturgis may have been cheaper now too? Maybe we'll get to see Sturgis in the line-up on Wednesday? Good ball control and distribution coming from the midfield is a glaring need.
I thought the draft was considered one of the worst collections of players in recent years? At least that's how I saw it positioned last December and January by commentators. I think part of it was that they didn't feel a college draft pick was going to net them anything useful, so they went with a proven commodity.
that was my understanding too.
Dont forget we 'made out good' on one of the best drafts in years and look how those dudes turned out (re: white, cronin).
I understand the argument. However, it's the scouting staff and management who should be worrying about, and assessing, the talent levels available. If the pundits were any good, they'd have the jobs at the football clubs, no? Other teams seem to be taking advantage of the draft and the fact is that TFC sure collected a lot of late round picks and Supplemental Draft picks, so they must see some value in the process. Our last pick in the 3rd round, Joao Plata, is still in camp. I'm still not convinced that Sturgis couldn't have been landed for less. How about anyone similar? That trade smacks of the same type of thinking that gave away Marvell Wynne without the foresight to try him out at CB, despite a glaring need there, trying him out in every other position, and Colorado's successful experiment with him. How about the move to take Sam Cronin at #2, over Omar Gonzalez, only to later give Cronin away for nothing? Who's to say that Cronin wouldn't have still been available at #4? Sometimes you must take gambles. If you do your homework, the risk is reduced. I've seen a lot of mistakes and players being given up on too early that would indicate sloppiness and panic on behalf of TFC staff. One would hope the new staff doesn't carry on with that tradition. My comments aren't directed at Sturgis personally, I don't recall ever seeing him play.
Had we kept our 1st rounder at least Winter and Mariner could have been involved in the decision of who to take. Instead they have been forced to take on a player that they appear to not be to interested in. Winter was handcuffed unnecessarily.
We got Stefan Frei at #13 in that draft. An absolute steal. Anyone care to complain about that guy? Miloš Kočić was selected #21 in that draft as well. Kočić has been impressive from what I've seen. See my post above for thoughts on selecting Cronin at #2, but San Jose seemed pleased to acquire him. Selecting White at #4 was a brutal mistake. It was probably done partly on the basis of his "Canadian" status, despite being Jamaican. His injury meant that White would likely have been available much later in the draft too. We'll see how he performs for Seatlle.
what im saying is that we were given high grades for who we grabbed.
Who worked out?
Frei did for sure, Cronin is ok, not amazing, not terrible, he can definitely help a team but noones bowling over other people to get at him, White has had nothing but shit years, He might be able to do something in Seattle but as of right now? No big deal.
None of these dudes were a certain thing coming from the NCAA. This was supposedly from a better draft year. its a gamble either way and cochrane felt he was getting a certain thing with Sturgis. I do agree that he should have left it to mariner and winter but even then they werent a certain thing and he was told to act as if he still had the position. We may not like the trade but he did what was right at the time.
and maybe they assessed the talent level available and felt it wasn't worth it. We'll see. Dichio was sent out, along with Dasovic, to check out NCAA tourneys and scout those players.
Since the draft is a crapshoot (even in the first round), it's perfectly reasonable for Danny or Nick to say "look, I think a pick in that spot this year is less valuable than an average MLS player."
Again, from what I remember reading from the "experts" before the draft, it was a relatively weak draft.
Who knows, you could make that pick and it turns out to be Julius James Part II. The Whitecaps took this guy:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Nanchoff
I have no idea if that guy will be better than Sturgis, although Sturgis was in MLS at a younger age.
The question is, do you take a chance with a crapshoot or do you get a proven MLS player for the pick?
Last edited by rocker; 03-08-2011 at 12:05 PM.
I'm not in disagreement with most of what you are saying here. I'm less interested in pleasing sports writers and more interested in the proper building of a team and organization. Also, it would appear that we may just be arguing different things. Some people believe that the draft has little to no value. I think that in a capped league, the draft gives an opportunity to supply young talent at a less costly rate. Teams in MLS can't survive without a source for cheap players. TFC's academy hasn't been around long enough to fill that role all on its own. A team doesn't just consist of starters and current bench strength might become future starters. There are plenty of players currently in MLS who came through the draft. Sturgis is a former 1st rounder. Of course the draft is a gamble and risk is involved. There's risk in directly signing players too. I'm waiting to see a better decision pattern from TFC staff. I don't recall anyone expecting Cronin to be a star, just someone who was more polished than the others and potentially able to step in right away. I don't think we were in danger of seeing LA take him and he was likely to still be available for one of our later selections. Perhaps former management was fired for lacking the ability to see the value in players that teams like Colorado and San Jose seem to possess? I didn't agree with the selection of White and I wasn't impressed with his play while he was in Toronto. Just another egregious error. Maybe Chris Pontius would have made a better selection? I'm not even arguing that Cochrane shouldn't have been allowed to make a decision on a trade. The price he paid left Cochrane, and TFC, open to criticism and it may even turn out that TFC gave away another first rounder for some one who later was binned or received next to nothing in return. Looking at our line-up, it would be nice to see another defender in the mix. I'll look for Sturgis in the line-up on Wednesday. We definately need someone in the midfield who can move the ball forward at the moment. Here's hoping that Cochrane proves any of his critics wrong.
Certainly plausible.
Assuming that TFC would have chosen Nanchoff, it's impossible for me to say as I haven't seen either play. While the draft certainly carries an element of risk, it doesn't have to be a total crapshoot if you do your homework and know what to expect. Each draft is capable of providing at least a serviceable MLS player on the cheap for a season or two. There is also an element of risk when an interim management team makes judgments about who new management will find useful. In the end, I have only postulated whether the move that occurred could have been done at a less costly price. In keeping in the spirit of this thread, perhaps Danny and company even have an idea for a FA invite at this point.
Last edited by BayernTFC; 03-08-2011 at 01:02 PM.
I dunno. I think Serioux's ok with ball. He used to pull some crazy stuff to evade pressure. Serioux started off as DM
“Years have gone by and I’ve finally learned to accept myself for who I am: a beggar for good football.
I go about the world, hand outstretched, and in the stadiums I plead: ‘A pretty move, for the love of God.’
And when good football happens, I give thanks for the miracle and I don’t give a damn which team or country performs it.”
-Eduardo Galeano
Deleted: Khano Smith (just signed with the Carolina RailHawks)
Update: Sinisa Ubiparipovic is on trial with Sporting KC:
http://www.sportingkc.com/news/2011/...-draws-rsl-2-2Ubiparipovic on trial at KC
In the wake of Jack Jewsbury’s trade to Portland, Sporting are taking a look at former Red Bulls midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic.
Ubiparipovic was available in the inaugural Re-Entry Draft and his MLS experience interested Kansas City, but Vermes said the team learned he was going to pursue options overseas and ruled against selecting him.
“He was leaving the league, so there was no sense in even trying to pick him up,” Vermes said. “Things didn’t work out, and we found out that he was interested in possibly moving to a different team. He called us up and we brought him in. He’s just training with us at the moment. We’re just assessing if he fits in to what we are looking for, but we’ll make that decision at the end of camp.”
EDIT: Apparently he scored for them in a pre-season tilt too.
http://www.bigapplesoccer.com/teams/...ticle_id=26643PHOENIX -- Former Red Bulls midfielder Sinisa Ubiparipovic, who is on trial with Sporting Kansas City, scored in its 6-1 victory over the Arizona Sahuaros in a MLS Desert Cup match on Friday night.
Ubiparipovic, who was waived by the Red Bulls, scored in the 90th minute off an assist by Korede Aiyegbusi in the 90th minute.
Midfielder Irving Garcia, who was cut by the Red Bulls earlier this week, played for the Sahuaros, a National Premier Soccer League side.
Garcia, a former standout at nearby San Luis High School, played the entire 90 minutes as he will try to latch on with another MLS club.
Last edited by BayernTFC; 03-09-2011 at 10:19 AM.
Added:
Goalkeeper - Brian Edwards
Defenders - Kwaku Nyamekye and Yohance Marshall
Midfielders - Jason Griffiths, Roberto Linck and Anthony Donatelli
Forward - Maykel Gallindo (on trial with FCD)
Last edited by BayernTFC; 03-09-2011 at 10:51 AM.
Edited Status: Maykel Gallindo is no longer on trial with FCD
http://www.fcdallas.com/news/2011/02/roster-watch-2011Maykel Galindo
His best showing in preseason was against the New York Red Bull reserves on Monday, with the former Chivas USA man making a last-ditch effort to impress. But the preseason form of Milton Rodriguez, Ruben Luna and now with the arrival of Colombian U-20 National Teamer Fabian Castillo -- well, the writing is on the wall. It took over a month for Galindo to get his legs under him, but once he did he was able to show glimpses of his former self. However, forwards are always judged by one major factor -- can they cause problems for the opponent? If you can answer that question with a yes (and you can afford the player), then the decision is a no-brainer. Unfortunately, while on trial at FC Dallas that was not the case.
i would give him a shot,speedy winger,better then peterson.
haven't quite got his groove back ever since coming back from a long term injury
“Years have gone by and I’ve finally learned to accept myself for who I am: a beggar for good football.
I go about the world, hand outstretched, and in the stadiums I plead: ‘A pretty move, for the love of God.’
And when good football happens, I give thanks for the miracle and I don’t give a damn which team or country performs it.”
-Eduardo Galeano
Update: Christian Arrieta isn't on FCD's 30 man roster. It looks safe to say that his trial has ended.
http://www.fcdallas.com/players
Brian Edwards is in Sweden, with Degerfors in 2nd tier.
Animals Eaten:
pig, cow, lamb, moose, chicken, quail, kudu, ostrich, kangaroo, octopus, alligator, rabbit, shark, springbok, goat, bison, boar, caterpillars, turkey, fish, lobster, crab, oyster, prawn, antelope, camel, eel, squid
I updated the list. Best of luck to Brian. Thanks for the heads-up werewolf.
Edit: Apparently, Danny Earls is back training with Colorado
http://twitter.com/rapidssoccer
- A split #Rapids team trained today; joining them was former defender Danny Earls. Full squad training on Tuesday at #DSGP. about 24 hours ago via web
Blaise Nkufo released by Seattle.
Animals Eaten:
pig, cow, lamb, moose, chicken, quail, kudu, ostrich, kangaroo, octopus, alligator, rabbit, shark, springbok, goat, bison, boar, caterpillars, turkey, fish, lobster, crab, oyster, prawn, antelope, camel, eel, squid
Shocked that nobody wants to take a chance on Arrieta. By my estimation he's a decent MLS player at the very least.
As for Galindo, agreed he hasn't done much since his injury. But he does seem like the FW type that could fit well into a 4-3-3
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