Well, now that we've entered the offseason, it's time to start the discussion about next season! The first part of that question is who gets the boot, who stays. I only got 20 possible responses, so I limited it to Sigi plus the 19 players that I think are the "regulars". Once you voted, it would be great if you also explained why you want to give certain players (or coach) the boot, or the Sounders uniform for next season.
I probably should have made the vote public, but, oh well.. My list of keep: Hahnemann, Traore, Yedlin (damn it I spelled his name wrong in the poll and can't fix it), Gonzalez, Evans, Alonso, Zakuani, Dempsey, Neagle, Martins, EJ, Rosales. Those players represent the ones that I think are actually salvageable. Hahnemann I'm including to be the back-up GK and not actually the starter. I'd also like to see Zakuani kept because I still like his potential, but he needs to take a pretty heft paycut for next season to prove his worth again. Rosales is another player that I'd like to see get a paycut. While he is the engine that drives our offense, he's definitely not worth a DP tag. As far as the players that I think should go... Gspurning - he really took a step back and became a liability at the end of the year. I'm not sure if that is injury related or not, but I really don't see him being penned in as the starting GK next season. I wouldn't be opposed to having him come into camp and join in on the fight for the starting GK fun, but the Sounders really need to be looking for a new GK during the offseason Hurtado/Ianni - I haven't been overly impressed with either of them this season. I really think the Sounders need to hit Latin America again and find another inexpensive, but good CB to play next to Traore. Scott - He's workable as a back-up, but every time he's on the field he's a red card waiting to happen. I'm also a little troubled by his age and whether he shouldn't just move into a FO position and be done with his playing career. Joseph - Totally not worth what Chivas gave the Sounders to take him. I would have much rather had Tiffert than Joseph. But then, if we had kept Tiffert, we might not have gotten Dempsey... So maybe it is better to say, I would have much rather had a traffic cone than Joseph and leave it at that. Moffat - I don't think he really added anything to the team and I'm not sure what role he'd have with the team except as a back-up to our back-ups. Burch - Great hair, replaceable performance. If our midfield hadn't been as gutted as it was throughout the season, I'm not sure he would have gotten any playing time. And.. Of course.. Finally... Sigi - I really, really hate that he doesn't have a system.. I know systems can be limiting and people say that the ability to adapt is a good thing, but I really think a lot of the problems the Sounders had throughout the year is that the constant shuffling in players often resulted in the style of play being different. I know some of that was out of Sigi's control due to injuries, but if you have a system, the theory is that your back-ups can be inserted and are ready to play the same role as the person they are replacing. That never happened with the Sounders.. The lack of consistency in how the Sounders play seemed to really have resulted in a disjointed mess. I also think that after 5 years of having one of the best rosters in the league and basically imploding in the playoffs each season is unacceptable. Sigi's had enough time at the helm to take this team the next level, but we're stuck at the "also ran" level and I'm not sure he can get us out.
New young coach, good CD, LB and new creative MF. Adrian will be busy this off-season making trades! I will like to see coaching change but looks like that owners are not searching for new coach at this moment. Guillermo Barros Schelotto and his twin brother will be option. Also Joe Roth should stay away from GM job that Adrian is doing. This is not about making blockbuster and bringing stars. For good movie or series first you need good director. It will be long off-season for us!
I voted to get rid of Gspurning, Sigi, Burch, Ianni, Traore, Hurtado, Joseph, Zakuani and I'm undecided on Moffat. Gspurning needs to go I feel, just because he doesn't seem in it like he was last year. His inability to catch a ball with out it bouncing almost screwed us on quite a few occasions and he can't really seem to control his back line. As somebody who has played a lot of soccer in his life, I have to say I don't understand his decision making as a keeper. He holds his line a lot of times when he should come off of it, and when he does come off he doesn't really commit to getting the ball. Burch could be okay to keep around for depth, but he's not really a good LB, and he's not a good LM. Last night Portland took advantage of the weakness he brings to the team. Ianni and Zakuani only because they're injured more often than not and taking up valuable cap space. I think they are both good players, especially Zakuani, but the last two years they just have been taking up room more than anything. Traore and Hurtado can also be summed up the same way. Too many times this season they were the reason that we lost. They would play a decent game most games, except for about 10-15 minutes where it would be one boneheaded play after the other. Some games though they just didn't show up at all. Traore obviously doesn't have the ability to stay fit for a full season anymore either. Joseph I personally like as a player, but he is way past his prime. Moffat I'm undecided on. He has some good attributes to bring to the team and I would be interested to see what could happen with him having a full season here. Sigi needs to go. It's obvious that as the league has grown and matured, Sigi has not. He doesn't have a style supposedly, but you never seem him really try anything new. I don't know if it's him or his conditioning coaches, but from year one here he has had a hard time fielding a consistent squad for even half a season. I think it's ridiculous that every season come September you hear the announcers remarking how "this is only the 'n'th time the Sounders have been able to field there full squad." Also, when you're in a do or die situation, you don't bench the players that could be a difference maker and hope you can make it to half time in a draw. I have to think ultimately it's the coach that is the problem when you look at players such as Dempsey and Montero, and how they are relatively ineffective under this one guy while very effective when not. You even see the same from EJ when he is with the USMNT.
oops, I voted for players I wanted out rather than in Out-Sigi, Traore, Burch, Leo, Joseph, Moffat, Martins, Rosales GK-Crossing fingers and hoping Gspurning fixes whatever's wrong in the offseason and keep an eye out in the summer transfer window for a replacement GK if he doesn't. CB's- Agreed. I'd like to see the Sounders try and find a CB that can anchor the backline. When the defense was bad it just looked like they were confused and rudderless. Need to try to find someone like a Collin or Bernandez and pair them with Ianni or Hurtado I guess. Burch/Leo- Try and find a more well rounded lb to replace Leo and Burch. You can probably save some salary $ in the process. That said, I wouldn't mind at all if they both were kept. Burch can still provide some depth and I thought Leo had a decent season defensively, but just doesn't provide anything going forward. Moffat- Rose is only a slight drop off at lower salary. Joseph- time to hang it up Rosales- Love him, but even at a pay cut we need someone with a little more speed and width on the right. Martins- Because I'd rather keep EJ and pick up a more attack minded CM to pair with Alonso like say a Valeri or Cahill. We struggled too often to create good scoring chances. One of our forwards needs to be sacrificed and I just think EJ and Demspey are slightly a better pair than Martins and Dempsey. Sigi- Thank you for 5 solid years under your watch. In my fantasy world, EJ and Dempsey are our forwards. Zakuani returns to near pre-injury form and stretches the defense on the left. Creative mid + Alonso in the middle. Evans on the right as a true midfielder with Yedlin getting instructions to bomb forward at every opportunity while Evans covers for him. All in all this should create more space for EJ and Dempsey in the middle.
I voted to keep the goalies, Burch, Ianni, Scott, Yedlin, Evans, Alonso, Dempsey, Neagle and Martins I voted to let go of Sigi, Gonzalez, Traore, Hurtado, Rosales, Joseph, Moffatt, Zakuani (sorry) and Johnson I keep Burch and Scott primarily for their versatility, Ianni because I couldn't think of a solid reason to get rid of him, and Yedlin, Evans, Alonso, Dempsey, Neagle and Martins because they were key, usually solid players or hold the most potential. I kept the goalies because I think they are solid, despite Gspurnings late season hiccups. I wonder the background story for that. Let go of Sigi because, well, starting Shalrie at forward highlighted someone who doesn't have the answers. Gonzalez, Rosales and Joseph because time is not on their side and their salaries could be used elsewhere. Traore and Hurtado left me with no confidence in them. The Moffatt trade didn't seem beneficial. Zak because I'm doubting if he will ever regain his form (and his rap video has gotten on my nerves) and Johnson because he strikes me as a cancerous cell - he's a great header and has been vital the last two years but I still really question how his "pay me" antics impacted the morale of the team.
I really, really hope that the Sounders beat the crap out of South America this off-season. We had a ton of success doing that in the inaugural season and it seems like ever since we've been going after more and more Europeans... So far the Europeans seem to not be worth what we're paying them and I think we can get better quality for less salary in South America. Which brings me to liking GBS as Sigi's replacement. He seems to be doing fairly well with his team down in Argentina and with his ties to S. America, he could work out in the player acquisition front as well.
Talk about us trolling Columbus! First we take Sigi and Evans from them, then we would go after GBS. Personally, I want an experienced coach with a good track record (they're a dime a dozen, right?).
MLS is a hard nut to crack. Not many international coaches succeed. I'm hoping GBS's time here as a player would help bridge that gap.. That being said, who is better than Sigi that is available? Kreis? I wouldn't be opposed to him, but NYCFC is looking to give him a gigantic money sombrero and I don't think we can compete with stupid money that they have available to them. Bradley? Possible, but his style is tough to swallow for many fans in this country.
I think it's become obvious that Sigi's style doesn't gel with the front office's. You look at the players that have been recruited for him and the way he implements them and you can just tell that he had little say in their signing.
Quite frankly, I think the way he has employed certain players is a big middle finger to the FO. LeToux and Fernandez come to mind.
What this poll doesn't take into account is salary. Moffat at Neagle's salary is a keeper. Moffat at Moffat's salary is a joke. Looking through the salary charts I would say many in our starting 11 are overpaid, and then there are the huge salaries for Moffat, Ianni and Zakuani. Given that I think that if i was in charge I'd keep Hahnemann as backup keep, Yedlin, Scott, Burch, Alonso, Evans, Rosales (if he takes a very big pay cut), Dempsey, Neagle and EJ. I would trade Obafemi to save cap space and hopefully get a decent starting CB in return. I presume EJ will be making Oba-like money in 2014. Also you keep the low-priced players: Bates, Caskey, Estrada, Ford, Gavin, Remick, Rose, and Zavaleta. My roster leaves some huge holes, obviously. Would need to find or trade for two centerbacks, a new left back assuming Remick is nowhere near ready, and, most importantly, an attacking midfielder in the Diego Valeri, Javier Morales style.
Here's the salary list as of september via the players union website. Dempsey and Martins both count $368,750 against the cap. Alonso 210,000.00 Bates 35,125.00 Burch 75,000.00 Caskey 46,500.00 Dempsey 4,913,004.00 Estrada 48,400.00 Evans 167,296.00 Ford 46,500.00 Gavin 35,125.00 Gonzalez 135,000.00 Gspurning 210,000.00 Hahnemann 60,000.00 Hurtado 190,000.00 Ianni 150,000.00 Johnson 150,000.00 Joseph 60,000.00 Lund 35,125.00 Martins 1,600,000.00 Moffat 150,000.00 Neagle 48,400.00 Remick 35,125.00 Rosales 200,000.00 Rose 46,500.00 Scott 50,000.00 Traore 120,000.00 Yedlin 50,000.00 Zakuani 135,000.00 Zavaleta 65,000.00
We need to trade some of the attacking firepower(EJ, SZ, or LN) for a legitimate athletic defender with or two. Also we need someone that can properly evaluate NCAA talent to help draft some quality. The drafts have been dreadful and this must change. Finally a style of play that will suit the crap turf and the player personal.
For me, the only no-brainers to retain next season are Alonso, Yedlin, and EJ. Evans (who I must say has really rehabilitated my opinion of him this year) and Neagle maybe, though I worry about Neagle's utility. He kinda stunk it up when he wasn't playing forward. Still I say keep him for depth. I don't think I'd fight for anyone else. Hahnemann maybe as a backup keep. I just don't know what to do about Dempsey and Martins, but I don't think it'd be the end of the world to lose one or both of them if it meant we invested in one or more midfield players capable of applying defensive pressure and providing an attacking outlet. You know, besides Alonso, without whom we are reliably sunk. Folks we should let go: Sigi Gspurning (lost his own confidence and that of the team, even if he was hung out to dry regularly) Hurtado & Ianni (expensive for what we get) Zakuani (frequently injured, unlikely to ever regain pre-Mullan speed.) Joseph (no, just no.) Moffat (maybe there's an upside here that I'm not seeing, but doesn't seem worth the cap hit.) Rosales (is losing speed every year, and I'm hoping we have a coach with more ideas next season.)
The problem I'm running into is that if we only keep the players I'd want to keep, we wouldn't have anything approaching a full squad. Keep Alonso, Yedlin, Dempsey, Evans, Dempsey, Neagle, and Martins. Gspurning, I don't really rate very highly. His reflexes aren't spectacular and he doesn't organize the back line. Hahnemann should stay as a backup. Our center back situation is a mess. Ianni is the only capable player and he's injury prone. Keep him, ditch Hurtado and Traore. Scott, thanks for your service but we don't need a red card machine. Gonzalez and Burch are adequate. Gonzalez is a little expensive and he's getting up there though. Moffat and Joseph are way overpaid, but who would take them? Zakuani and Rosales can stay if they take a huge pay cut. EJ should go. It's going to be tough to manage the locker room with Dempsey making more than the rest of the team. Keeping Eddie would send the message that "pay me" crap is acceptable. He doesn't work well with Martins anyway.
So it looks like there was a press conference today, but sadly Mayers blog now requires a subscription sadly. Hopefully, a transcript surfaces somewhere. Sounds like a lot of interesting stuff was discussed. Here a few of the choice quotes from Adrian. Looks like Martins will return Hanauer indicates Obafemi Martins will be back next season, adds he's looking forward to a full year from him and Dempsey.— Joshua Mayers (@joshuamayers) November 11, 2013 EJ might not Asked Hanauer about Eddie Johnson not coming up a lot. He admitted EJ is unlikely to play out final year of contract at the salary he's at.— Joshua Mayers (@joshuamayers) November 11, 2013 And not shocking at all Hanauer said he'd be lying if he felt the locker room this season was the best it's ever been.— Joshua Mayers (@joshuamayers) November 11, 2013
Here's the transcript from Don Ruiz. http://blog.thenewstribune.com/socc...ll-on-sounders-2013-season-and-2014-planning/
For keepers I went with: Burch - Would be our only left back, is serviceable decent on set pieces Traore - Brings important veteran leadership Scott - See Traore Yedlin - Not the best Right Back but performed so much better than expected as a rookie. A player to build around. Evans - JK seems to have a positive influence on B-Rad. He adjusted to switching from CM to RB under Klinsy and has really become a visible leader on the team. Alonso - As @scott47a lists El Corazon de los Sounders, in every sense. Moffat - Does not strike me as a plug and play type player, however, given a full offseason and preseason to gel I think Moffat will ultimately be worth it. Dempsey - Allowed to play more the way he does for the Nats and in Europe he should be our veep, otherwise I see this marriage as a waste. Neagle - Super Sub up top and spot starter, needs to be used right. Martins - Seemed a bit soft hopefully in a full off season he heals up because he seemed strong up top, and appears to have a very positive attitude. Johnson - Should have added to my wouldn't mind if he stayed. Needs to keep his head on straight, but needs to be happy with his pay. For the bench I would consider Zavaleta - Have not seen enough either way to have an opinion Remick - Have not seen enough either way to have an opinion Bates - Have not seen enough either way to have an opinion Wouldn't mind if they stayed Hahnemann - Great backup, great leadership. Lund - Have not seen enough either way to have an opinion, but doubt we ever will he fills a spot for now. Rosales - Great Leadership. Lethal when everything is flowing, slow and out of place when they are not. Zakuani - So much potential, my heart breaks for him. Afraid he will never make it back to anything close to the way he was. Gonzalez - Some good minutes, but I think we can do better. Preferred they not return Gspurning - Seems to have lost all confidence. Gavin - Remind me why we signed him. Hurtado - Five years of a back line that cannot clear the damn ball is quite enough. Ianni - Five years of a back line that cannot clear the damn ball is quite enough part 2. Sigi - With a heavy heart, but enough is enough the playoff results have to be better. I would under no circumstances consider keeping Joseph - Old and broken, try to get him on board as a coach for the U-23s or academy though. Rose - Young and broken, the second coming of Jaqua, although he can get off his feet. Caskey - Regressed and is unlikely to un-regress. Ford - Takes the spot of the young keeper we should be developing, and does so with an oft injured body.