Ranking the allocations - using a letter grade

Discussion in 'NWSL' started by WPS_Movement, Jan 12, 2013.

  1. WPS_Movement

    WPS_Movement Member+

    Apr 9, 2008
    I will post a separate post for each team.
    Alphabetically starting with Boston (and will keep this in the same thread).

    Boston Breakers
    F - Sydney Leroux
    F - Anisa Guajardo (Mexico) (played for Pepperdine, leading scorer there, solid attacker)
    F - Adriana Leon (Canada) (can also be an attacking mid, if needed, but is best up top)
    MF - Heather O'Reilly (attacking mid on this team all the way)
    D - Heather Mitts
    D - Rhian Wilkinson (Canada)
    GK - Cecilia Santiago (Mexico)

    Forward Grade: A (three forwards, best allocation outside of Portland at this spot)
    Midfield Grade: C+ (O'Reilly is good, but they need more in "Quantity" in free agency/draft)
    Defender Grade: B (Mitts is solid but not at her best anymore. Wilkinson is good, but is older now)
    Goalkeeper Grade: B+ (Santiago is better than you think, especially if you haven't seen her yet)
    OVERALL GRADE: "B+" (they can get midfielders in free agency and the draft, and be fine)

    Players Boston should go after: Kristen Mewis (local draft pick) and/or Victoria DiMartino (also local draft pick). Kyah Simon (international from Australia) and Tameka Butt (international from Australia). Leslie Osborne (free agent). Cat Whitehill (free agent). Ines Jaurena (draft pick from FSU), as a quick & young feisty defender to join Mitts, Wilkinson, and Whitehill (since Boston will need to get some youth on defense). Nikki Marshall as a defensive free agent. Amanda DaCosta (who can help generate an attack from her midfield spot). Bianca D'Agostino (midfielder). Add in Taryn Hemmings as a utility player as a reserve (who can play many different spots, including as a defender). Alyssa Naeher or Jillian Mastroianni can be signed as the backup goalkeeper. Jess Lucinski should get signed, as she can be an attacker or midfielder. Only one more forward spot left for either Katie Schoepfer or Courtney Jones (but not both). And I bet Melissa Henderson signs somewhere else (either with Chicago to be with her Notre Dame teammates, or Kansas City, as its not too far away from her Texas home, or even out west).

    Focus most in the draft (in order): Midfield, Defense, Forward, Goalkeeper
     
    LD42 repped this.
  2. WPS_Movement

    WPS_Movement Member+

    Apr 9, 2008
    Chicago Red Stars
    F - Maribel Dominguez (Mexico)
    MF - Dinora Garza (Mexico)
    MF - Keelin Winters
    MF - Shannon Boxx
    D - Carmelina Moscato (Canada)
    D - Amy LePeilbet
    GK - Erin McLeod (Canada)

    Forward Grade: C- (Dominguez is solid, but they need help here badly to compete and win)
    Midfield Grade: B (great defensive midfield, not the best offensive midfield. need attacking mids)
    Defender Grade: C+ (Moscato is solid. LePeilbet was real good in WPS, but has injury problems)
    Goalkeeper Grade: B+ (McLeod is really good. Has had some injury problems in the past)
    OVERALL GRADE: "C+" (they need forwards, attacking mids, and more defenders)

    Players Chicago should go after: Versatile players that can play different positions, because they'll need it. This team will have players missing games due to injury, due to their age, or track record of being injury prone. Chicago still needs help pretty much everywhere, except for a defensive midfielder. If Boxx is hurt, Winters can play there. Chicago will have as good (or better) defensive midfield as anyone else in the league. But they need help everywhere else. Even backup goalkeeper, since McLeod can get injured at any point. Chicago should go after their Notre Dame alumni base (Amanda Cinalli, Jen Buczkowski, Elise Weber, Lauren Fowlkes, Brttany Bock, Michele Weissenhofer). They also need to make a strong sales pitch to Carrie Dew, and see if she'll join, even though she seems like a coastal girl (East or West) in pro league play, since she's an ocean girl at heart. Chicago needs to go after Melissa Henderson aggressively. Get the Notre Dame cult back together. Henderson could thrive here, and be their all-everyone on offense. Chicago will also need to go after a free agent or two from Australia and/or New Zealand. They could use some more World Cup experience from there. Julianne Sitch and Natalie Spilger would give them more added toughness in the midfield and on defense. Two black & blue midwest style physical players to foul people and win some balls. Chicago should now take the approach of "if we can't beat Portland, let's beat them up". It may work for them. Look for Chicago to sign Ella Masar to help them up top (for much needed goal scoring on this team). Chicago won't be the most flashy team in the league, but they can go for the "meanest" and hardest working team, and that'll be enough to draw lots of fans to come see them play, since Chicago style fans love physicality and lunch pail players. Therefore, they need to sign Lori Chalupny again.

    Focus most in the draft (in order): Forward, Attacking Midfield, Defense, Goalkeeper
    Need "speed" in the draft. Get some young fast youthful talent on this roster, and do it quickly.
     
  3. WPS_Movement

    WPS_Movement Member+

    Apr 9, 2008
    FC Kansas City
    F - Renae Cuellar (Mexico)
    MF - Lauren Cheney
    MF - Desiree Scott (Canada)
    D - Marylin Diaz (Mexico)
    D - Lauren Sesselmann (Canada)
    D - Becky Sauerbrunn
    GK - Nicole Barnhart

    *Leigh Ann Robinson (defender) is supposedly signing with KC as a free agent.

    Forward Grade: B- (Cuellar is young & talented. Cheney can help here if needed. Need more)
    Midfield Grade: A- (based on quality. Cheney is versatile, and Scott is phenomenal as a DM)
    Defender Grade: A (unbelievable allocation defensively. best in the league in quality)
    Goalkeeper Grade: B+ (Barnhart is B+ all the way. Not the best ever, but gets the job done)
    OVERALL GRADE: "B+" (they need some more scoring and overall attacking players)

    Players FC Kansas City should go after: Former Big 12 players, central players, and Texas A&M players, etc. They will also need to make a play at Melissa Henderson. She would blend in good with Cheney on this roster, and with Cuellar up top. Henderson will of course be one of the most sough after free agents, and someone is gonna have to pay her twice the avg. for a free agent to get her. She is that important of a commodity out there in free agency now. Merritt Mathias is out there, a former Texas A&M player. KC would be a good location and fit for her. Estelle Johnson was a solid defender in WPS. She played for Kansas in college. KC is in the middle of the country. They should go after WPS leftovers (the best they can get) who want to continue their dream of playing soccer. I see where Brittany Timko was not allocated. She's older now, but can still be effective, plus has good height. KC could use her. Timko played in this area (well, for Nebraska) in college. What a great free agent pickup that would be for KC. And they need to focus on getting an international. Whether that's Australia, New Zealand, mid-level European team, etc.

    Focus most in the draft (in order): Forward, Attacking Midfielder, Defender, Goalkeeper
    KC should go for the best they can get overall in the draft, but definitely need some more attackers.
     
  4. WPS_Movement

    WPS_Movement Member+

    Apr 9, 2008
    Portland Thorns FC
    F - Horse Morgan
    F - Christine Sinclair (Canada)
    MF - Tobin Heath
    D - Rachel Buehler
    D - Rubi Sandoval (Mexico)
    D - Luz Saucedo (Mexico)
    GK - Karina LeBlanc (Canada)

    Forward Grade: A++ (Morgan and Sinclair both combine to give this grade two plus signs)
    Midfield Grade: B (Tobin Heath fits this team like a glove, but they need more in "Quantity")
    Defender Grade: B+ (great quantity. Buehler is a tad overrated, and Sandoval is underrated)
    Goalkeeper Grade: B+ (LeBlanc is not what she used to be, but still solid & a rock star persona)
    OVERALL GRADE: "A-" (this is the best allocation, but still has some weaknesses to address)

    Players Portland should go after: Players that fit the "Thornicate" mentality. And of course, former Portland Pilots (duh). It's crazy the Thorns didn't end up with any of these three (Megan Rapinoe, Sophie Schmidt, Keelin Winters). They're gonna need some dramatic help in the midfield now, even though they still have Tobin Heath to chew on and get excited about (at the same time). For starters, the first free agent they should go out and sign is Angie Kerr (Woznuk), who is a strong midfielder, and would work wonders with this team. Of course, she played for Portland in college. I have a feeling that Canadian Candace Chapman will be on this team eventually, when she's ready. She'll join Sinclair. Elli Reed would be a good free agent pickup. Portland should draft Bywaters (UCLA) if they can get her. They could use her prowess and attacking play from her midfield spot. Bywaters would flow her beautiful waterfall of attacking play to and through Morgan and Sinclair. That scenary trio of waterfall, horse, and Canadian mountain, would be a beautiful attacking trio together. Danielle Foxhoven would be the reserve forward, and could fill in and start when needed. Lindsay Taylor from Stanford also gives them another forward. And another former Stanford Cardinal, Allison Falk, would be a good free agent pickup for Portland's defense. But they still need midfielders. Drafting a tall midfielder like Jessica Ringwood (BYU) in the later rounds would be a good draft pick. This is the rock star team of the league. They need to continue to find more rock star players (and Ringwood has the last name for it). It's a very moot chance, but getting Caroline Seger to come over would be an incredible midfield acquisition (but that's a pipe dream at this point). And Becky Edwards will be given the sales pitch that she is the "missing piece" on this roster, as they could use a talented midfielder like herself to complete this team.

    Focus most in the draft (in order): Attacking Midfield, DM, Defense, Goalkeeper, Forward
     
  5. WPS_Movement

    WPS_Movement Member+

    Apr 9, 2008
    Seattle Reign FC
    F - Amy Rodriguez
    MF - Megan Rapinoe
    MF - Kaylyn Kyle (Canada)
    MF - Teresa Noyola (Mexico)
    D - Emily Zurrer (Canada)
    D - Jenny Ruiz (Mexico)
    GK - Hope Solo

    Forward Grade: B+ (Rodriguez is inconsistent, but gives them some goal scoring)
    Midfield Grade: A (Best midfield allocation in NWSL, hopefully Rapinoe is there in late May)
    Defender Grade: C+ (Zurrer is good, Ruiz is ok but not great, they definitely need more here)
    Goalkeeper Grade: A+ (they got the best goalkeeper and midfield allocation in the league by far)
    OVERALL GRADE: "B+" (allocation was one of the best, but need more forwards and Def.)

    Players Seattle should go after: Seattle should sign Tina Ellertson. Hope has even tweeted about it. Ellertson is from the Pacific Northwest, so this is the perfect team for her. It'll be like old times in WPS (2009), when Hope Solo and Tina Ellertson played together for St. Louis. The Athletica had the best defense in the league that year. Look for Kia McNiell to also sign as a free agent here. Ellertson will convince her. Ellertson, McNiell, and Zurrer, will form one of the best defensive trios in the league (if not the best). Seattle could sign a quick forward like Sarah Gregorius (from New Zealand) who could break loose on her runs. Look for former Washington State standout Kiersten Dallstream to potentially sign with Seattle. And Kate Deines from Washington. I've always predicted that Seattle would draft Rachel Quon. Unless Portland nabs her first. These pacific teams love her. She's a west coast style defender who can push forward on the attack. She would fit Portland or Seattle's roster more than anyone. If Sarah Gregorius (New Zealand) signs as an international, look for her friend Ria Percival (New Zealand) to possibly join. She's a good young defender, who played for F.C. Indiana for a couple of years recently. Seattle may also want to think about drafting Carlee Payne Holmoe (BYU) in the middle or late rounds. She has an attitude, and she would fit in with this team of Hope Solo and crew with it. But she is a good attacker. And Seattle could use that. This team could be the team of "temper".

    Focus most in the draft (in order): Attacking "defender", Forward, C-Defender, Midfield
     
  6. WPS_Movement

    WPS_Movement Member+

    Apr 9, 2008
    Sky Blue FC
    F - Monica Ocampo (Mexico)
    MF - Nayeli Rangel (Mexico)
    MF - Sophie Schmidt (Canada)
    D - Kelley O'Hara
    D - Christie Rampone
    D - Melanie Booth (Canada)
    GK - Jill Loyden

    Forward Grade: B- (Ocampo is underrated, and is a world class player lite, up top, need more)
    Midfield Grade: B (Rangel is decent, and Schmidt is very sound in her overall game)
    Defender Grade: B+ (very solid allocation here, & nice quantity. Booth is a tad underrated)
    Goalkeeper Grade: B+ (another B+ goalkeeper, which is almost everyone but Hope Solo)
    OVERALL GRADE: "B" (mediocre allocation overall, most squads had better)

    Players Sky Blue should go after: Anyone and everyone they can get. This is gonna be a non-superstar but balanced team. They still have a chance to mirror the 2009 Sky Blue team. It'll be a lower scoring team that will take pride on good defense and sound goalkeeping. Loyden will have to be consistent and strong overall in net, for Sky Blue to be a winning team. They are not going to "outscore" teams. Sky Blue desperately needs to make a play at Casey Nogueira. Yes, Nogueira will want to play with Tobin (in Portland). But Portland already has Morgan and Sinclair. Sky Blue needs to give a sales pitch to Nogueira, and tell her that she'll be a reserve forward in Portland, or a lesser heralded attacking mid type of player for Portland (and Nogueira is better up top). Nogueira could be the all-everything goal scorer for Sky Blue, and has a better chance to get back in the National Team picture by signing with Sky Blue instead of Portland. But is Nogueira more of Tobin's pet friend though? I guess we shall see. Sky Blue will also need to make a run at former players Brittany Taylor, Kelly Parker (who wasn't allocated by Canada), Allie Long, Meghan Schnur, Keeley Dowling, Kendall Fletcher, and Carrie Dew. And they can make an offer to international Laura Kalmari (from Finland) who played for Sky Blue in WPS. They could desperately use an attacking player like Kalmari. And will Tasha Kai get back in the picture, and join Sky Blue again? Is it "To be, or Not to be", for Tasha Kai?

    Focus most in the draft (in order): Forward, Midfield, Defense, Goalkeeping
     
  7. WPS_Movement

    WPS_Movement Member+

    Apr 9, 2008
    Washington Spirit
    MF - Diana Matheson (Canada)
    MF - Lori Lindsey
    MF - Guadalupe Worbis (Mexico)
    D - Ali Krieger
    D - Alina Garciamendez (Mexico)
    D - Robin Gayle (Canada)
    GK - Ashlyn Harris

    Forward Grade: F (They didn't get anyone, & listing an "N/A" here is not good enough on the field)
    Midfield Grade: B+ (Matheson is a good little player, Lindsey is solid, Worbis is decent)
    Defender Grade: A (Krieger is outstanding, Garciamendez could be soon, and Gayle can run)
    Goalkeeper Grade: A- (Harris is a great goalkeeper in league play. Her momentum will continue)
    OVERALL GRADE: "B" (They still need some attacking players, and plenty of them)

    Players Washington should go after: The level of success for the Spirit will be based on whether they can get enough goal scoring. They need to have Lisa De Vanna on phone line #1, right now. Lianne Sanderson on phone line #2. And they need to think about drafting Kristen Mewis (Boston College), and/or Caroline Miller (Virginia), and/or Tiffany McCarty (Florida State), as those are the best attacking players in this draft. Stephanie Ochs may still be out there at forward as a free agent. Washington can also make a play for Casey Nogueira. They can try to win the Melissa Henderson sweepstakes. They will need some goal scorers, and that's "plural" at this point. Look for Washington to sign Beverly Goebel, Joanna Lohman, Carolyn Blank, and possibly Sinead Farrelly, to round out their midfield (and Blank can play as a defender). Depending on who (and how many) they get at forward, the Spirit may have to convert Matheson up top (which I believe she played some forward in college at Princeton). And getting another speedy defender like Kandace Wilson would be a great pickup for them. I always thought, the less potent your offense is, the faster (and fit) your defense better be.

    Focus most in the draft (in order): Forward, Forward, Forward, Defender
     
  8. WPS_Movement

    WPS_Movement Member+

    Apr 9, 2008
    Western New York Flash
    F - Abby Wambach
    F - Veronica Perez
    MF - Carli Lloyd
    MF - Blank Allocation
    D - Jodi-Ann Robinsin
    D - Bry McCarthy
    GK - Pamela Tajonar

    Forward Grade: A (Wambach and Perez are great. Abby will put plenty of butts in seats here)
    Midfield Grade: B- (Lloyd is solid. Perez can play here. Blank Allocation will have zero YC's)
    Defender Grade: C (I like McCarthy, have speed here, but they need some veterans here bad)
    Goalkeeper Grade: C- (Western New York will need to think about drafting a Goalkeeper)
    OVERALL GRADE: "B-" (It certainly feels like they got shafted in quality and quantity here)

    Players Western New York should go after: Adrianna Franch in the draft, even if they have the #1 overall pick. Wambach, Perez, Lloyd, McCarthy, and Franch would be a good team to build around, but they would still need more. If Veronica Boquete comes back to this league at any point (mid-season or in 2014), then she should sign with the Flash. Vero and Abby would challenge Morgan and Sinclair for best duo in the league, and it would be a fun dual when those two teams lock up. But the Flash need more defenders. They need to try to convince Caitlin Foord to come over from Australia (and Tom Sermanni can convince Foord she needs to be in this league). The Flash need to think about Rebecca Smith from New Zealand, who was a great player for Duke, and has plenty of World Cup and Olympic experience. The Flash need some veteran defenders who have played at the "highest level". They should also sign Toni Pressley. A physical defender who can also start an attack. McCall Zerboni (one of the best overall players in WPS in 2011 for the Flash) should be signed. She can play multiple positions. Katy Frierson would be a great midfield signing. Alex Sahlen (daughter of owner) may actually see the field (as of right now) with this allocation.

    I think it's only fair to have 33 picks in the draft, instead of 32.
    Western New York would get two first round draft picks, where as everyone would get one.
    Each round would have 8 picks, except the first round, which would have 9 picks (WNY with 2).
    That way it makes up for the lost allocation spot.
    Western New York could then get Franch "and" another first round pick.

    Focus most in the draft (in order): Defender, Goalkeeper, Midfield, Forward
     
  9. Dundalk24

    Dundalk24 Member

    Jul 20, 2007
    PA/OH
    You're an easy grader. Although we're not really ranking the team brass as much as they were flying blind in this process. It was a lottery that depended on the discretion of others. If WNY receives the top pick in the draft they'll look much better. I doubt Megan Rapinoe will return that early. It's almost as if Seattle has to plan their season as if she wasn't going to be there at all. If they don't her late arrival won't matter much. I like Washington's allotment more than I did initially but likewise not having Harris for part of the season is an irritation when they could be focusing on other needs.
     
  10. WPS_Movement

    WPS_Movement Member+

    Apr 9, 2008
    These are still world class players, so I wasn't going to rank them (or any group) lower than a "C-".
    Washington gets an "F" at forward, because they didn't get one.
    They got screwed there, so now they have to scramble to get (multiple) forwards.
     
  11. Dundalk24

    Dundalk24 Member

    Jul 20, 2007
    PA/OH
    The thing is when you've only filled out a third of the roster not getting a player at a certain position isn't really that distressing. In fact if you make up for it with an exceptionally high quality haul in other areas it might even seem worth it with the draft/FA still to come. So for me the quality of the players is more important than the overall balance or positional spread of the first seven players named to your team. When I mentioned the paucity of quality forwards in the allotment you yourself said this was not a big deal and took the time to post an exhaustive list of potential forwards that will join the league through free agency or the draft.
     
  12. WPS_Movement

    WPS_Movement Member+

    Apr 9, 2008
    The letter grades issued in this thread are based on their rosters officially "right now".
    Of course a team like Washington can turn their forward grade from an "F" to at least a "B+", by getting De Vanna and Sanderson, etc. Yes there are forwards out there, but until they are signed officially, your roster is what it is. There's no guarantee you will sign the quality level that you need. So the grades are based on "right now", and not predicting on who the free agents will be.
     
  13. Cville K C

    Cville K C Member

    Nov 3, 2008
    Collinsville, IL
    Club:
    Saint Louis Athletica
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I don't know if I can really give a letter grade since most would around B or C+ anyhow. My initial gut rankings would be:
    1) Portland
    2) Seattle
    3) Western New York
    4) Washington
    5) Kansas City
    6) Chicago
    7) Boston
    8) Sky Blue

    But to be honest, only Portland stands out. The rest are so close, I could probably flip the order and wouldn't be that uncomfortable with it.

    A lot of people think Chicago did the worst, but I can see the makings of a decent team. I worry about their age with Dominguez and Boxx, but Winters is certainly solid, LePeilbet should be fine, and McLeod can be very good.

    Admittedly, I don't know as much about some of the younger Canadian players, nor as much about many of the Mexican players, except for veterans like Dominguez, Worbis, and Tajonar, and college stars like Noyola and Garciamendez, plus Perez because she played for St. Louis in WPS.
     
  14. MRAD12

    MRAD12 Member+

    Jun 10, 2004
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Let's see who the the free agents will be and where the will be signed. That's where the battle will be won.
     
  15. kernel_thai

    kernel_thai Member+

    Oct 24, 2012
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Based on allocation
    Portland B
    WNY B
    KC B
    Chicago B-
    Boston B-
    Seattle C+
    Sky Blue C
    Washington C -

    Portland (B) - Yeah theyve got two great scorers and good distributor in the middle. Buehler is one piece on the back line but LeBlanc may or may not be the GK she was in 2009. They need alot of defensive help to go with the the one-two punch

    WNY (B) - may even be better up front than Portland. Perez is much bigger scoring threat than Heath so at the end of the day Wambach/Lloyd/Perez cancels out Sinclair/Morgan/Heath. Plus, its much easier to find a scoring F to pair with Wambach than a scoring midfielder for Portland. They probably need a starting GK and if they cant find one all bets r off. McCarthy is a piece but they really need defenders.

    KC (B) - They start with best defensive spine in the league. Barnhart is a solid GK and Scott and Sauerbrunn would have been the first two defensive players I would have picked. Add Sesselman and they r gonna be tough to score on. Cheney is valuable because of her versatility. They can see what other pieces they can get then plug Cheney in the area of need. They do need speed however both outside and in the front.

    Chicago (B-) - Chicago also did well on defense. Boxx, LePeilbet and Moscato r all solid. Without a front line stud (yet) they may look to go 4-5-1 and pair Winters and Boxx. MacLeod is a pro GK. If LePeilbet is OK they should be tough to score on but they need offense badly.

    Boston (B-) - Boston got an interesting assortment. Lots of people r high on Santiago. Mitts is solid on defense and can still get forward. O'Reilly still takes everyone to the BL even tho they know it's coming. Leroux can really flourish here. She will be really tough in front of the goal with Mitts and O'Reilly feeding her. Her speed will also allow her to make her own chances.

    Seattle (C+) - I dont really get the love for Seattle. Yes they have the best GK. Rodriguez and Kyle r both good second option scorers but to put up any serious totals they need A-Rod to step back up. Rapinoe, prolly their best player, misses the first half of the the season. Noyola is kind of Rapinoe light but Rapinoe impacts on both ends of the field and I dont see Noyola doing that. Then when Rapinoe shows up u basically have two best middies playing the same spot. They also need to bring in solid defenders to put in front of Solo.

    Sky Blue (C) - Schmidts a good Mid and should supply some scoring. If they end up having to to move O'Hara forward to help the offense it sets back her WNT development. Rampone will be solid on defense and Booth will help if she's healthy. They still need a lot of help up front and a solid defender to put in front of Rampone and Loyden.

    Washington (C-) - Harris is a solid GK but may not play at all this season. AWK reported her contract with Duisburg runs until June 2014. Matheson and Lindsey r both nice offensive middies but neither is ur primary scorer. Garciamendez, Booth and Krieger make a good foundation on defense but if they dont have their GK it could be a long season. They really need scoring help and pace up front.
     
  16. Dundalk24

    Dundalk24 Member

    Jul 20, 2007
    PA/OH
    :eek:


    May be better up front than Portland? Please tell me you're confusing Perez with Dominguez. The former has a grand total of 6 goals with the MxWNT. I saw Perez play in the Pac 10 (all her matches against Stan/UCLA) She is not as good as Heath by just about any measure. (college or international). But it's not an ideal comparison because we're talking about a forward vs a mid. I can think of at least 7 or 8 Mexican players I would have chosen from their allotment ahead of Perez. I think WNY was the weakest of the intl allotments from Can/Mex. I notice you're from Washington this hasn't unduly compromised your objectivity re: Perez has it? ;) (I'm a bit surprised she wasn't allocated to the Reign). Anyway I can't imagine too many people would choose Abby/Carli/VP over Sincy/Alex/Tobin. The first two (Sinclair/Alex) would be legit top 2 picks if there were a straight draft process and I sincerely doubt many would take VP ahead of Tobin ... maybe ardent Huskie fans. ;) Anyway I'll do my allocation grades by tomorrow and you can skewer mine.
     
  17. kernel_thai

    kernel_thai Member+

    Oct 24, 2012
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    Really, Ive seen Perez play a few times and liked her game. Course I havent seen her play with the MEXWNT except getting dominated at concacaf where no one looked good. I see Perez as the player who will set up Wambach and grab a few goals for herself. Lloyd gets most of her goals outside the offense. So that gives them 2.5 goal scorers plus whoever else they play on the front line. Now if ur right and Perez sucks out that's different matter. Portland will likely get almost all their scoring from Morgan/Sinclair cause it hard to find scoring Mids here. Maybe Portland will get an International to help them.
     
  18. toad455

    toad455 Member+

    Nov 28, 2005
    can someone explain WNY's "blank allocation"??
     
  19. Dundalk24

    Dundalk24 Member

    Jul 20, 2007
    PA/OH
    Help? Reading this sounds like you think Portland needs more offensive help than WNY which to me seems a bit like reality turned on it's head. Really beyond Alex and Christine they don't need another primary scorer. Sure they need contributors who will chip in goals now and then but they need some possession players and midfield structure to take advantage of their strength up top. VP gets pushed off the ball really easy and she doesn't really have a great presence in the box. So at this level she's probably better suited to being a mid. I really doubt she'll be a big scorer in the NWSL. She's deceptively speedy and can thrive in a possession style quick passing system. But I don't think she can hold the ball very long fending of bigger defenders around goal. Style wise she seems like a miniature version of Heath really as opposed to a Rapinoe. I'm not sure she's best suited to play in a more direct style offense which might be a concern on a team with Lloyd and Abby.
     
  20. MRAD12

    MRAD12 Member+

    Jun 10, 2004
    Chicago
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    As a Chicago guy who has been in Seattle since April and have seen pretty much all the Sounders Women home games last season, let me tell you who my favorite player was on the Sounders.
    No it wasn't Hope Solo, nor former Red Star Megan Rapinoe, heck not even the gorgeous Alex Morgan. It was Veronica Perez from a pure soccer standpoint. She can flat out play. Total skill on the ball, excellent passing vision, and a low rocket shot.

    It was Solo we came to see, Rapinoe we came to admire and Morgan we came to adore, but it was Perez that dazzled us with soccer at Starfire last summer.
     
  21. Dundalk24

    Dundalk24 Member

    Jul 20, 2007
    PA/OH
    Late withdrawal of Klingenberg from the USS funded allocation pool. They didn't replace her. So maybe WNY will receive the first pick in Friday's college draft.
     
  22. kernel_thai

    kernel_thai Member+

    Oct 24, 2012
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    U mean am a losing sleep over Portland getting goals...nope. But if u just compare WNY offense with Portlands I wouldnt be surprised if WNY scores more goals. Even if u think Sinclair/Morgan can outscore Wambach/Lloyd/Perez, it is still easier for WNY to find a front line player to add more goals to the total than it is for Portland to find a high scoring AM. WNY is quite fortunate to have a proven scorer in the midfield.

    I would expect VP and whoever the off forward is to get some easy goals as the defense keys on Wambach. I would so expect her get assists from the wing as Wambach doesnt need a quality pass to score. Im not naming VP all NWSL but I think she's a quality role player.
     
  23. Dundalk24

    Dundalk24 Member

    Jul 20, 2007
    PA/OH
    Why is that? What is your evidence for this?

    Or course that's beside the point as Portland doesn't need a high scoring AM.
    Proven where? I know what she's done so far and I've seen her play. She's going to have to prove it to me. Maybe she will. But I'm not as bullish on her having quite the impact that you believe she will. When I watch Worbis play for instance she looks more dangerous to me on the ball and I would hasten to add Cuellar even though she has yet to play in a professional league.

    Do Alex or Christine need quality passes to score? Because actually I think at this stage they can create their own chances a little better. Abby's a great scorer in large part due to her movement and positioning without the ball. Something she probably does better than anyone in the world. Having good passers is key to that. Some thought she was on the downswing when paired with Arod for almost two years. I think VP is a fine passer, especially the short passes in traffic, she's not an O'Reilly end line player though. You talk about things you "expect" with these teams but these expectations seem to be painting the optimum scenario. I'm a bit uncomfortable talking about expectations from the teams until I see how the rest of the rosters look.

    But more to the point ... straight up who is the better player? Tobin Heath or Veronica Perez? Not asking for who's better in what situation or with what players, just who do you think is the better of the two?
     
  24. kernel_thai

    kernel_thai Member+

    Oct 24, 2012
    Club:
    Seattle Sounders
    If the argument is which team will score more goals, then I would be very surprised if Sinc/Morgan can outscore four players from WNY.

    What's my evidence that it's easier to find goal scorers than central players? Just look at the roots of the wnt pool. Rampone started as a forward and a good one. O'Hara was a Mac Herman winner at forward. Krieger was a goal scorer at Penn St. Heath was a forward at UNC til Pia asked AD to move her back. O'Reilly was a forward. Cheney was a forward. Lloyd prolly was a forward but I dont recall. All this country produces is kids who want to kick the ball in the goal. Then they get moved back. Press was tried at AM by Pia and plays Midfield for her club team. Look at the U20 team. They built there starting back line with two forwards and a mid.

    WNY may also have a player to be named later. They r one USWNT player short. U have to figure Sermanni will add a 24th player after the February camp and WNY will get her unless it's someone already signed by another club.

    Im not really sure why u dont like Veronica Perez. She scored 12 goals in 14 games for the Sounders last year. Then she went to Iceland where her team won the league. She may not be good enough to start for the US but she is certainly a starter in this league whether allocated or not. See if Seattle wouldnt have picked her up if she hadnt been assigned to WNY.

    Tobin Heath, who I like as a UNC fan, has been a real disappointment to me. She has a ton of talent yet rarely impacts a game. If they play her on the wing her pace avails her better in this league than on the national team. She needs to get crosses and corners. If they move her in the middle, where I like her, she should get a lot of assists but is a bit of a defensive liability. Do I prefer TH or VM? Well Heath has a ton more upside but potential doesnt win games. Portland needs to surround their stars with role players who will get them the ball in good spots. I still believe Portland was better with Rapinoe. She doesnt provide the scoring Morgan does but she gets the ball to Sinc, she majorly impacts the defense and as I said, it's not that hard to find an off forward who can score. She wont score like Morgan but ull have a more balanced team.

    If ur determined that VP is a lousy player then Im not gonna convince u otherwise. Personally, if WNY finds a starting GK, I think they have just as good a chance as Portland, especially if they get that third allocated player.

    That u dont think Carli Lloyd is a scorer is a little surprising. Where's the proof? She was the third leading goal scorer on a team that is designed for the forwards to score off play from the wings. She can get her own shot and does much more than I like. She good with her head and crashes the goal. Can Carli Lloyd score? A better question is does she do anything else?
     
    CANAmerican repped this.
  25. Dundalk24

    Dundalk24 Member

    Jul 20, 2007
    PA/OH
    Was this really the discussion we were having though?

    My disagreement started with this statement, "may even be better up front than Portland. Perez is much bigger scoring threat than Heath so at the end of the day Wambach/Lloyd/Perez cancels out Sinclair/Morgan/Heath."

    Historically the US has produced forwards with athleticism and speed but not necessarily always finishing ability. Yes a lot of forwards also move back to be attacking mids. Veronica Perez is one such forward who has only recently just done that. This is a very new position for her. This is one way to find an AM. Convert one. Attacking mids aren't hard to find at all. It's DMs and CMs that are more elusive. Carli Lloyd is more of an attacking mid but is playing at CM for the UWNT. Don't be surprised if she's moved up on WNY much like Cheney in KC. The college draft and free agency seem to be a bit deeper in the midfield. There's not a lot of scary striker firepower out there really.

    But it also brings me back to my point: does Portland need a high scoring AM? Heath isn't all that bad anyway. I mean if she can score against the Germanys and Swedens she should be able to contribute goals in the NWSL.

    Or they'll just be compensated with cash that won't count against the cap (which would be great for them actually)

    The W league was in flux and not exactly consistent high end competition. Beyond a couple good teams the quality of the rosters thin out dramatically. How did she do against the Pali Blues? I look at some of the other top scorers and I don't see any of them remotely contributing that much in the NWSL. They had a handful of national teamers blow in and out for a couple matches but that's about it. She started in the midfield in Iceland. Which is good because she's playing against the bigger players in her new position. She had one goal in seven matches there. I think that's probably about what we can expect from her in the NWSL. Keep this in mind I'm not just looking at stats. I've seen her play enough that I know what she does well (or not) and the type of player she is and what she provides to a team.

    I'm not sure if you answered or not. If so I'm not sure what it was. I would choose Rapinoe over Heath too. But we're talking about Perez and Heath. Heath has been put in positions and roles that VP has not. She's not a defensive stopper (she doesn't need to be really) but she is good at applying pressure in the opponent's third. Perez is not a defensive hawk either. Neither are going to play CM or DM so it's not really an issue I don't think.

    I certainly don't believe she is a lousy player. I just don't rate her as highly as you do. I'm not "determined" about it. It's just my impressions, my opinion. When I look at the Mexican players allocated I probably put her down their depth chart a bit more. She's not a bad player by any means I just feel there other players in the league allocated and yet to be taken that I would have ahead of her.

    Wait back up. Carli Lloyd is definitely a scorer. I'm not sure where I said otherwise? If she wasn't allocated with Wambach we wouldn't even be having this discussion. We were talking about how in your eyes Wambach/Lloyd/Perez > Sinclair/Morgan/Heath.
     

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