The issue i see here is that they aren't really putting the investment down. They also should consider the impact of CBA negotiations on their stated goals. The MLS Union (like pretty much every other sports union) did the predictable thing when it came time to give something up at the table: make the conditions for new players coming into the league worse while making it better for the guys with seniority.
TFC by losing Aleman and some of their other prospects is really no different than the rest of the league. FCD lost a kid who was starting for River Plate six months later. The current structure doesn't give you enough tools to keep the kids in your academy. As a result TFC is walking around with pieces of paper that say "hey kids, why don't you sign this contact with no upside or monetary consideration?".
Just noticed that Columbus signed Julius James.
It's actually a contract extension. He's been with them all year starting 15 games.
http://guardian.co.tt/sport/2011/07/...nsion-columbus
My bad.
I should have put the re in there.
Vancouver to make a major player announcement tomorrow.
Kurt Larson's suggestedd Hargreaves
thats what im hearing,jus another reason to hate them.
I doubt that was ever going to happen
Note to self: If you want a DP contract - make a youtube video of youself training
From the twitters:
New York Red Bulls sign former HSV goalkeeper Frank Rost (also former Bremen & Schalke).
Huge upgrade from Sutton, this will be a big boost to NY. I would love to see their salary cap details though, they surely have to be using allocation money to support their roster
Well I guess that leaves out the possibly of trading Frei to NY.
You and me both.
I refuse to believe hes coming cheaply
Since noone wants Gargan and the only way to get quality is to trade quality and we definitely need a quality CB. Its just something quite a few people have thrown around, was never definite but still an idea.
With all the talk of trading Frei going around it seemed Red Bulls were the ones with the highest need for a keeper. If we could have gotten a decent defender back why not?
At this point being at the bottom of the table who gives a crap who we are rivals with if we can upgrade our roster.
yep and its not like hes going to be in this league forever.
Not much point in having a great keeper even if your defense is pourous like a sieve
The "problem" with MLS is that it's "too easy" to get a quality MLS level keeper, so you wouldn't be trading a starting CB for one of the best MLS keepers when you can already get by on adequate MLS keepers.
Why not? Everyone constantly assumes that if you have a good thing going you might as well trade them because they'll be gone to Europe soon enough. If we listened to half the people on this board Nana would be in Europe already and Frei would've been in Europe already too. Oh and same with Marvel Wynne, and probably at some point someone suggested Peterson would go to Europe too.
I say if you have a good thing going for you why in the world would you trade that away? He's a great leader, he fits in our system and could very well be a captain for years to come on this team.
You can always sell Frei if he does decide to Europe. It's not like you are missing out if you don't trade him.
Yep.
Sounds like a recipe for creating problems IMO. In the end TFC just needs to go out and bring in more talent. Trading is not going to narrow that gap. We're lucky enough to actually have stability at the goal keeping spot. Let's not screw that up.
If you really want to talk tradable assets: Alan Gordon and Maicon Santos. Both can score and will be second fiddle to Koevermans. No point of having two decent backup target men when we are suffering in other spots. Probably won't bring in a lot, but it will be more than enough to upgrade some spot where we're struggling.
I don't think either of Gordon or Santos are going to get you a starting CB by themselves though. The real assets are Tony Tchani and the first round picks we have next year (as has already been pointed out elsewhere). I could see one of Santos or Gordon getting swapped for a winger or a fullback, but not for a starting CB, and that's only if they think they don't have enough cover on wing with Soolsma, Plata, Martina, and Peterson (and arguably Yourassowsky and Zavarise).
The next question is whether they intend to still play Santos in the AM position in the point forward 4-3-3. If so, you might see someone in the mid (like Tchani or Sturgis, maybe even one of the kids) get moved for that CB.
Santos would be my guess. We free up more cash and get an international spot back. He is too lazy to be an effective AM in this system so I figure he'll be gone. We may see Peterson and his high salary go too.
Maybe that is how we would be able to sign this Hatchi fellow that Molinaro keeps speaking of. Speculation If course but it's a possibility. Getting Hainault as well would be great too. We'll see.
I definitely agree that trading is only a good way to strengthen an already strong team. I also dont necessary "listen" to people on the board when they say they are going to europe. Fact is Frei has a european passport and talent, where the other guys werent likely. Lets be honest here, if you had to group all those guys, Nana, Peterson, Wynne and Frei, who do you see going?
Regardless, we can agree to disagree but fact is most likely you are only going to get quality for quality and Frei is one of our most quality assets. I dont want to trade him, especially with the unknown Kocic in net but if we had to im sure we'd get a decent trade in return.
Right now as i see it we have only certain assets that are tradeable or 'in demand'.
I definitely agree with the sentiment that you cant build a team through trades however it couldnt hurt for us to trade for a few stronger pieces (definitely where Mariner comes in).
In my opinion our most 'tradeable' pieces are the following
- Gordon (although oft injured), Santos
-Tchani (hate to see him go), Peterson (tho a bit expensive), Sturgis
- Frei (not a popular idea but honestly he'd get us something decent)
-Nana (maybe, hard to say when he hasnt played and wont resign)
- Borman (dont think hes got high value but do think he can be coupled with something)
I dont see our international forwards being put on the chopping block as they have been inconsistent and count as internationals.
Even then itd most likely have to be a package of a first round pick and one of these guys for a CB even then thatd only sorta address our probs right now.
Martina. Two nice goals, a bunch of chances in the box, but still generally ineffectual for us. I can see another team taking a shot on him. Ditto with Dicoy Williams, Danleigh Borman. Sturgis is well regarded by lots of MLS fans.
I don't think we need to train Tchani. Not sure we shouldn't, as his competitiveness flags a lot for a guy his age (though his upside, after working with a guy like frings, could be huge).
If it boiled down to trading one of our surplus strikers (did I really just type that?!), I think Gordon is the logical choice, because his role is identical to Koevermans. Santos is 3 years younger, and he can play behind Koevermans in the starting lineup based on his skillset, which would leave Gordon as the odd man out on the bench. Perhaps Gordon packaged with a 1st round pick would be enough to acquire the coveted CB that this team desperately requires.
On another note, if Williams and Attakora are close to returning to the lineup, I think they can form a very reliable tandem as a central defence pairing.