I left the positional breakdown as I have had it for the most part above, but yes based off of some of the articles on the website you could argue it looks more like this. 2013 Positional breakdown 2 GK - Ceus, Pickens 6 Defs - Calderon, Kindle, Klute, Moor, Wallace, Wynne 8 Mids who have defensive duties, if not play defensive positions - Armstrong, LaBrocca, Mastroeni, Mullan, O'Neill, Powers, Sturgis, Thomas 9 Attackers - Akpan, Brown, Buddle, Cascio, Castrillon, Harris, Harbottle, Hill, Rivero
An attempt at a depth chart based on 4-3-3 GK: 1. Pickens 2. Ceus LB: 1. Calderon 1a. Wallace 1b. Klute 1c. Kindle 1z. Moor LCB: 1. Moor 1a. Calderon 2. Sturgis 2a. Klute RCB: 1. Wynne 1a. Moor 2. Sturgis 2a. Klute RB: 1. Wynne 1a. Mullan 1b. Moor 2. Armstrong 2a. Klute Holding Mid: 1 Thomas 2 Pablo 3 O'Neill 3a Sturgis Box-to-Box Mid: 1 LaBrocca 2 Powers 2a Pablo Attacking Mid: 1 Rivero 2 Harbottle 2a Hill LW: 1 Harbottle 2 Castrillon 2a Cascio 3 Harris 3a Brown RW: 1 Brown 1a Harris 2 Mullan ST: 1 Buddle 2 Akpan 2a Brown
Aside from the current defensive numbers, the depth is looking positively adequate compared to last season. I can only assume that by the end of January/1st part of Feb. we will have shored up the defense with another couple of (hopefully) solid options. Do we have a final word on Calistron and the Milionarios yet?
Per depth chart articles posted on Rapids page (Moderator Steve already posted previously) MULLAN is #1 RB (For now) Sorry for bold but this point seems to keep getting lost here.
Or you need to go back and reread the article. It never says Mullan is #1. It just states this: and suggests these two scenarios Also, that is why I put Wynne and Mullan as 1 and 1a. Who takes that spot depends on who wins other spots. I threw Moor in as 1b because they also have confidence in him playing that position as demonstrated last year. Mullan is not the clear #1 choice no matter how badly you want that to happen. He is apparently one of the options though. There are questions all over the field and depending on who outshines at one position is going to have ramifications at other positions.
I've got Pablo in my depth chart as a CB as well as mid. He used to play a pretty mean CB earlier in his career and that may be a better position for him at this point.
Weird, I looked at it/ read it right after it was posted here and it actual had a chart with Mullan listed in 1st slot. Not there anymore, matter of fact all of their ranking charts are gone now. either my flu is worse then I thought or I can now fantasize in my own rank charts. Sorry all for putting bad info out.
So 25 players as camp opens today, 3-5 open slots. Can we agree that the panic a month ago about how many open slots we had was a little overplayed?
One of those spots will have to go to a goalkeeper, so 2-4 spots left for field players. One or two of them ought to be a CB.
Thanks for keeping the list, there's been a lot of changes. The team must be pretty far under the cap. Here's just something to throw out there, giving intentionally high guesses on those we don't know, and adding 10% to the 2012 figures you've listed, and then just totaling the top 20 salaries (maybe Powers would break into the top 20; I haven't counted Brown since he's GA): Code: Wynne 300,000 Thomas 300,000 Buddle 247,500 Moor 220,000 Calderon 200,000 Pickens 195,800 Mullan 167,200 Harris 165,000 Mastroeni 160,000 Labrocca 107,800 Harbottle 100,000 Sturgis 97,900 Wallace 69,300 Akpan 62,700 Rivero 55,000 Armstrong 48,400 Ceus 48,400 Hill 48,400 O'Neill 48,400 Cascio 48,400 ----------------- Top 20 2,641,800 I'm probably low on what will eventually be negotiated as LaBrocca's deal, and probably some other guys. But with such liberal estimates, I must also be high on a bunch of guys (like Wynne, Thomas and Calderon?), too. I think the cap for 2013 is $2,949,187.50. (If they just increase by 5% each year from the $2,675,000 starting point in year 1 of the CBA. I'm too lazy to look it up.) We have a pretty good idea the numbers in the Players Association's list are not a cap number. Even so, I'm guessing the Rapids are still well under.
My opinion on how this may play out for start of season: GK: 1. Pickens 2. Ceus LB: 1. Kindle 2. Calderon 3. Wallace 4. Klute LCB: 1. Calderon 2. Moor 3a Sturgis/Mastro/Klute/O'Neill RCB: 1. Moor 2. Wynne 3a Sturgis/Mastro/Klute/O'Neill RB: 1. Wynne 2. Mullan 3. Armstrong 4. Klute 2 Holding Mids: 1 Thomas 2 Pablo 3 LaBrocca/Powers 4 O'Neill/Sturgis Attacking Mids: 1 Rivero 2 Hill 3 Harbottle/Castrillon LW: 1 Castrillon/Cascio 2 Harbottle 3 Brown RW: 1 Mullan 2 Brown/Harris/Hill ST: 1 Buddle 2 Akpan/Brown Obviously, I left some flexibility with the use slashes If we shore up our defensive liabilities from last season, we may be a playoff team with the above roster, IMO. Now if we shore up the defensive liabilities from last season AND sign a DP attacking player with our extra cap-space, we may just be in teh contender range.
There's a lot of unknowns at this point since there have been so many changes. A lot will depend on where Calderon's strengths are--will be a LCB or leftback. I suppose if he can play both positions, we'd see a lot of different combinations to start. Then there's the issue of Wallace's knee and whether that's set him back. I have a hard time seeing Klute behind Armstrong and Kindle starting the season as the first choice leftback. I have no idea what they have in mind for Pablo. So it will be interesting to see what happens there. Harbottle's a real mystery, too. I guess camp performance will be very important for him.
I am so ready for them to start practicing and even more for them to start playing some games that are hopefully webcasted. With so many new faces it is hard to know anything definitively. At this point I feel safe in saying that Pickens is the GK. Thomas is the d-mid. Rivero is the CAM. Buddle is the Striker. That's about it. It is a good thing having guys who can play a lot of positions, but man does it make the waters murky for outside observers.
Adding Dillon Serna. Also still considering LaBrocca/Avila deal done. Still not including Castrillon move, but that is seeming more likely. Down to only 2-4 roster slots. Will get two more in supplemental draft but no guarantee they make the final roster. There probably will be some invitees to camp as well. Important notes. Brown and Powers had signed contracts with MLS prior to the draft. If the wording in the story about players at camp is correct, Kory Kindle had not but I doubt that will be much of an issue. ***Base salary is in parentheses. Internationals marked with *. I ordered them according to 2012 base salary. If new deal has been done I have replaced salary to ???*** 2012/2013 Offseason Roster Tracking Wynne (???) Mastroeni (???) Moor (200) Thomas* (???) Pickens (178) Mullan (152) Wallace (63) Akpan (57) Rivero* (50) Castrillon* (50) Armstrong (44-HG) Ceus (44) Hill (44) O'Neill (44-HG) Cascio (44) Klute (34) Casey (400) Harris (150) Larentowicz (200) Buddle (225) Smith (148) Sturgis (89) Edu* (120) Calderon* (???) Freeman (105) Harbottle* (???) Marshall (90) LaBrocca (???) Cummings (82) Brown (???-GA) Zapata* (65) Powers (???) Wahl (65) Kindle (???) Palguta (63) Serna (???-HG) Nane (44) Joyce (44) Unfilled in 2012 Unfilled in 2012 End of 2012 Positional breakdown 3 GKs - Ceus, Joyce, Pickens 9 Defs - Freeman, Klute, Marshall, Moor, Palguta, Wahl, Wallace, Wynne, Zapata 9 Mids - Armstrong, Larentowicz, Mastroeni, Mullan, Nane, O'Neill, Rivero, Smith, Thomas 7 Fwds - Akpan, Cascio, Casey, Castrillon, Cummings, Edu, Hill 2013 Positional breakdown 2 GK - Ceus, Pickens 6 Defs - Calderon, Kindle, Klute, Moor, Wallace, Wynne 11 Mids - Armstrong, Harbottle, LaBrocca, Mastroeni, Mullan, O'Neill, Powers, Rivero, Serna, Sturgis, Thomas 7 Fwds - Akpan, Brown, Buddle, Cascio, Castrillon, Harris, Hill
Good news for all those thinking Smith was done here. He has a chance and is a non-roster invite like I was thinking he would be along with 5 others, 3 of them GKs. http://www.coloradorapids.com/news/2013/01/luna-smith-among-preseason-non-roster-invitees
Luna wasn't able to accomplish much for FCD, a team that (also) wasn't very good last year. He's young, and I suppose has some potential, but I wouldn't expect much. I'd like to see him have some success in the reserves OR get loaned out to USL/NASL (I'm convinced that USL/NASL are pretty similar in quality, despite what the "pyramid" says)
I agree. Luna has a ton of potential, but has never seemed to recognize any of it. He's a decent reserve for our front-line.
So about those folks who have been writing about how Jamie Smith was rudely told to go away by RFO. Guess we need to take any unsubstantiated stories about RFO with a grain of salt.
I just listened to Ives Galarcep's interview with Paul Bravo. Paul stressed how hard it was, personally and for the club, to get rid of Conor, Omar, and Jeff-- but said that he thinks they've acquired good replacements. It's all part of moving toward a much younger, and more attack-minded team. Bravo also said that the team is "not done" yet on acquiring players-- but nothing is "imminent." In a couple weeks, he said, there could be some news. FWIW, Ives had a lot of good things to say about the Rapids.
Just listened to it too. He clearly was an Omar fan. Said that trading him was like "slitting his own throat." Clearly could have chosen a better metaphor, but definitely conveys that it was hard to come to the point of trading him. I don't think anybody has posted a link, so here is a link to the podcast. http://www.soccerbyives.net/2013/01/the-sbi-podcast-episode-2-with-special-guest-eriq-zavaleta.html
You can now also subscribe to it in iTunes by searching for "SBI Podcast" Not sure yet if it's available on the other podcast services like Stitcher, etc. Probably is.