Eric Hassli traded to FC Dallas?

[DangerRed]

i'd rep this more if i could.

...as for dunfield, this is a guy i've constantly gone to bat for. people are so quick to associate him with mariner that they can't see anything else. i've pointed out that he was consistently our best midfield option last season (even moreso then torsten frings and at a fraction of the cost) in terms of forward passes delivered AND completed. this was a guy who worked his ass off every single day, and was proud playing to play for this team, even when the rest of you were laughing in his face. fuck me, even after he busted his ass against vancouver i still heard criticism.


we want a stable roster, we want "core guys" then let them come back, give them a shot, and let our coach determine whether or not they fit into his vision of our team this season.

Sorry but this kind of commentary completely ignores any consideration to technical ability, skill or impact on end-game results.

To say that Dunfield is a great footballer is patently ridiculous. By no technical, skill-based standard of observing the game is he good. He would be routinely beaten, was tentative or mis-timed with his challenges, provided inconsistent service to up-front and tracked back sometimes.

We've had plenty big-hearted, well-meaning losers at this club, who loved it, looked like someone died after a loss, and then picked themselves up all over again to lose the following weekend. That's not success.

However many dollars we're paying him, it's that many dollars too many. He's not at this league's standard, plain and simple. If you don't understand why he came here and why still is here, take a look at his history, then line it up against Mariner's. Non-bloodline nepotism?

Anyway, my bet is Nelsen/Payne will still shed him.

[Oldtimer]

I think Dunfield will be kept, but probably as bench strength. He can cheer the boys on from there.

It was telling that depth-quality players (and in MLS you always need a few of them due to the cap) under Mariner played a starring role.

[ag futbol]

We've had plenty big-hearted, well-meaning losers at this club, who loved it, looked like someone died after a loss, and then picked themselves up all over again to lose the following weekend. That's not success.

Agreed. Who couldn't like all the guys we had from year one? They were great people, but unfortunately they were the biggest losers we had ever seen. The other thing is that more often than not I've found people have made character judgments about players on our squad that we later found out weren't at all true. It was just what they seemed like to us, looking from the outside in.

Basically what I'm saying is, it's all a bunch of crap. We're not running a country club here, these guys need to win, I don't care if they like each other or have certain character traits.

[Oldtimer]

Character does count. Winning teams have players with character. However, being outgoing and everybody's pal is not needed. Also, everyone needs footballing skills commensurate with their cap hit, including Dunfield, regardless of how nice they make the locker room.

[billyfly]

Shouldn't we take the "?" out of the thread title?

[ag futbol]

Character does count. Winning teams have players with character. However, being outgoing and everybody's pal is not needed. Also, everyone needs footballing skills commensurate with their cap hit, including Dunfield, regardless of how nice they make the locker room.

I've seen plenty of teams out there who win trophies who are filled with players who can't stand the site of each other. I've also seen teams that get along well make it to the top.

Can good character give a push in the right direction? yes. Is is required to win? no.

Character often gets mixed up with personal accountability, which is really what's required. Players have to take responsibility for their roles within the team to get things done. That's really what matters.

Looking at it from the outside we often latch onto people who fit our cultural stereotypes who we assume have "character" and therefor accountability. It's an extension of the perception the public has about professional athletes and the nature of sports. Everything gets put into a neat little box, but it ignores so much about what happens around the game.

[Alonso]

some of best strikers in MLS produced at 34-35. Like Juan Pablo Angel, Thierry Henry. Jaimie Moreno. DeRo. Robbie Keane will be 33 in July. Hell, even Jeff Cunningham potted 10 goals at age 34.

Strikers with Danny K's skill set that doesn't rely on pace (IE poacher types) can last a long time, even at old age. Best example? Pippo Inzaghi.

Giving up on Danny K, thinking that he's washed up, when there is no evidence to contrary other than big question mark about whether Danny K will come back fully fit after ACL injury is nuts. Rarely you will find a pure finisher like Danny K in MLS, and odds you hitting gold finding another like Danny K is extremely slim.

Agreed.

Many people here talk about known and unknown quantities... This is the greatest possible example. We have lighting in a bottle here. Best to keep it and see where it goes rather than trying to catch another bolt of lighting (which hardly ever happens).

[T-boy]

I think Dunfield will be kept, but probably as bench strength. He can cheer the boys on from there.

It was telling that depth-quality players (and in MLS you always need a few of them due to the cap) under Mariner played a starring role.

I totally agree! Players like Emory, Hall, Dunfield, Amerikwa, and Weidemann are all ok at DEPTH level in the MLS. But last season they all ended up being all in the first team at the same time. That should never happen again. I'd be quite happy if Dunfield started the odd game to give Frings and Cesar a rest, but otherwise he should just be a backup if we need to close out a game in the last ten minutes with an extra DM in tough midfield games.

[gdg_9]

I totally agree! Players like Emory, Hall, Dunfield, Amerikwa, and Weidemann are all ok at DEPTH level in the MLS. But last season they all ended up being all in the first team at the same time. That should never happen again. I'd be quite happy if Dunfield started the odd game to give Frings and Cesar a rest, but otherwise he should just be a backup if we need to close out a game in the last ten minutes with an extra DM in tough midfield games.

^THIS^

Guys like Dunfield are a vital part of an MLS team like TFC.
In addition to coming off the bench later in games, they are also needed for some of the extra games, such as Voyageurs Cup games and early CCL qualifiers.
There are just too many games to rely on your regular starting 11 to play them all - especially for older guys like Frings.
And with the Salary-Cap, your depth players must come cheap.

As long as Dunfield, Emory, Hall, etc. are on good contracts and are used properly in suitable depth roles, they can be a valuable contributing member of the club.
It's when they are forced to play in too many situations over their heads that it becomes a problem.

[brad]

I totally agree! Players like Emory, Hall, Dunfield, Amerikwa, and Weidemann are all ok at DEPTH level in the MLS. But last season they all ended up being all in the first team at the same time. That should never happen again. I'd be quite happy if Dunfield started the odd game to give Frings and Cesar a rest, but otherwise he should just be a backup if we need to close out a game in the last ten minutes with an extra DM in tough midfield games.

^THIS^

Guys like Dunfield are a vital part of an MLS team like TFC.
In addition to coming off the bench later in games, they are also needed for some of the extra games, such as Voyageurs Cup games and early CCL qualifiers.
There are just too many games to rely on your regular starting 11 to play them all - especially for older guys like Frings.
And with the Salary-Cap, your depth players must come cheap.

As long as Dunfield, Emory, Hall, etc. are on good contracts and are used properly in suitable depth roles, they can be a valuable contributing member of the club.
It's when they are forced to play in too many situations over their heads that it becomes a problem.

QFT.

My opinion has long been that the biggest impact on the quality of the MLS is the inability to have any real quality in depth. It means the quality of play declines heavily for most teams as few as a few of the starters are out. But even more, it means that competition for places is limited - and this is a critical part of any team.

[Oldtimer]

I've seen plenty of teams out there who win trophies who are filled with players who can't stand the site of each other. I've also seen teams that get along well make it to the top.

Can good character give a push in the right direction? yes. Is is required to win? no.

Character often gets mixed up with personal accountability, which is really what's required. Players have to take responsibility for their roles within the team to get things done. That's really what matters.

Looking at it from the outside we often latch onto people who fit our cultural stereotypes who we assume have "character" and therefor accountability. It's an extension of the perception the public has about professional athletes and the nature of sports. Everything gets put into a neat little box, but it ignores so much about what happens around the game.

I won't disagree with you, I've seen what you've seen, I'm just taking it from a slightly different angle. I coached for many years, and personal accountability is a big part of what I would call "character," so I think we are just defining "character" differently. By "character," I don't mean being funny, the life of the party, chums with everyone or anything like that. I mean:

* personal accountability for one's own work rate and performance
* leading by example, not just words
* integrity in dealing with team-mates and the coaching staff
* ability to inspire others to perform

I've seen and had players like that, and believe me, if you have 2 or 3 guys like that, it becomes much easier to coach and motivate that team, because they are already 90% of the way there. Do you absolutely need it? No, but it helps.

It's nice when everybody gets along, and I think that helps as well, but I agree that it's not absolutely necessary. Also, we get the feeling that everyone was chummy at TFC last year without really trying all that hard, which was actually counter-productive. But that is because there wasn't enough of what I would call real "character," starting from the coach on down.

Without actually being in the locker-room, it appears that Frei has that kind of real character, Dunfield looks like he might have it as well (although his footballing skills aren't strong enough to be a starter in MLS). Hassli (to get back on topic) most definitely didn't.