That's why I wish we (MLS) had a closer affiliation with this level, much like the baseball or hockey system where each team had an affiliated lower divison team where players could learn how to be a pro. Most of the college kids have no idea what it takes. A year in the NASL or USL would help.
I think this is going to need to happen in the next few years. Our academy is one of the better ones but there are others like that will basically need lower division teams to keep signing players in a couple years. If you, like me, think we will sign the last three we're going after this year that takes us to seven, even if we drop Horton after this year that's six. We could bring in enough guy to fill out a full two teams in the next three years.
I think we are still to early in the HG process as a league to really know the long term impact of these signings. Look at Dallas and New York cutting HG's left and right. Next season we may shed Horton, Speas, and Lampson and then what good (long term development) did the HG signings really have. Ideally the league would do a reserve league with 20-25 games a season. Each team could then schedule local games on top to take it around 30.
I am getting the feeling after reading the latest dispatch blog from this morning that we may be looking to deal to move up in the draft. I could see us trading Duka and our #9 pick to move up fairly high, maybe in the top couple picks.
I would be really disappointed if we unloaded Duka alone for just a high draft pick, let alone Duka plus a first round pick. I do see us trading Duka, but I'd want a veteran player and/or allocation. Our team is young enough to be letting one of our young, talented, and somewhat experienced players go for an even younger, less experienced player. It does kind of sound like something this FO would do. Ugh.
I only find this acceptable, because RW as coach won't play Duka or play him out of position. Thus I would like this for Duka and for our team. I would like Walker Zimmerman as a backup to the often injured and likely to retire/leave team within next 2 years, Chad Marshall. Z could learn alot from Marshall. Plus we lose a somewhat larger salary for a Gen Adidas player.
Duka's really not been healthy enough for us to know this for sure--at least the first part. That was one of the frustrating things about this season. Just when someone got healthy and played a couple of games, they got hurt again. It looks like Duka started most of the games at the end of 2011 and then was hurt and/or away with the U-20s as the start of 2012. By the end of 2012, he had streaks of 5 starts followed by a game off and then 6 starts. Right at the end of the season he did not play--but I though he'd had another injury then. But it does look like that he played when he got healthy--11 out of 12 starts is a fair chance. Now, out of position, maybe. Where would you play him--given our other choices? He's been a frustrating player to me. Shows some good stuff and then.... Maybe that's coaching. Maybe it's something else. But frustrating. This should have been his breakout year. The injury with the U-20s changed that. As far as Marshall goes--his time here is coming to an end, no matter how much we would prefer otherwise. He just was not himself toward the end of the season. It's time to be working on his replacement. I really hope we get two more good years (not "Chad" years but good ones) out of him. But I would not bet the house on it and I would hedge my bet too.
He was injured in the 12th minute of the first game of the season at Colorado. He was then brought back too quickly and reinjured it in his first week back in April. He would have likely helped our U23's qualify for the olympics as a CAM. During last offseason he played in Europe with other Gen Adidas players and played very well as a CAM. If we played a diamond mid instead of two d-mids in a 4-4-1-1, he would be a great fit. Duka likes to play more central and likes to dribble, sometimes to much. But I like having a player that attempts to dribble sometimes to mix things up. But obviously Warzycha doesn't, as he has the same problem with Meram. He will unfortunately never fit into a Warzycha team as Warzycha is to afraid to experiment with his formation and place the players into their best positions. RW will always play with at least two CDMs. That is why the Tchani resigning surprised me, because he is a CM/CAM and doesn't fit with RW. Also, Milo shouldn't be here as he is too expensive to play CDM. Why Balchan and Grossman didn't fit with Warzycha blows my mind as these are the exact type he needs to fit his purely defensive CM scheme. Grossman did fine when he played and I don't know if the team ever lost. I understand players should be able to play in different positions. But they are likely going to be at least a little bit worse in their none natural position. They will also need a little time to adapt and without a full schedule reserve league this must be done during regular season games. Warzycha attempts to force the players into his system and when they don't fit and he doesn't work with them to fit, he blames them for lacking responsibility. The Crew Front Office should force Warzycha to take communication and team work classes during this break, because these are two things he is severly lacking. I can not blame the front office for not getting the types of players he needs, because he refuses to play them and instead will play others out of position. If RW could learn to adapt (ex: communicate, change styles to best fit his players) I would not mind him staying on as a coach, but the 4 years so far does not indicate this. If people did not see the frustration with Duka being taken off at the 60th minute of nearly every game, before he blew up and didn't show up the next game for family reasons. It didn't matter how Duka was playing or whether the Crew were winning, tied, or losing. He was always taken off in the 60th minute. This showed me that RW had decided prior to the game and never adapted to the game. One game Duka took a shot from 40 yards out and I remember laughing because he knew he was coming off and there it was in the next minute. We always joked that Duka should just sprint the entire 15 minutes of the second half because he was coming off no matter what. I agree with this, but hold out some hope because Marshall was playing with a foot issue for a while toward the end of the season and everyone knows the multiple concussion issues. I include Marshall in my top 5-10 Crew players of all-time and will miss him when he goes. Although I never saw him as a captain. Higuain should be captain next year as you can see him actively guiding players during the game.
I did not object to RW taking Duka off early most games. It *was* in Duka's best interests coming off the injury he had. Even though he didn't like it. And I'm not too mad with a player, especially a young one, who doesn't want to come out. But it seems he was petulant about it. And that doesn't work in the pros. You have to learn how to manage your frustration and turn it into a positive. Sigi would not have put up with it either. You can get away with that stuff in youth soccer and even college if you are good. Pros don't care how you are "feeling". It's do the job--or not. Duka reminds me a bit in attitude (though not in guidoness) of Sztella. He's been at the Nats at a high level and thinks he's a bit better than he is. That hurts his game. Funny thing is, I think if Duka *had* run like crazy the first 15 min of the second half, as you noted he should have done, he might have gotten *more* playing time. I say this somewhat in a vacuum, of course, as I'm trying not to discuss coaching but instead the player, and I don't want to turn this into another coaching discussion, while realizing that of course coaching has an effect on a player. But some percentage of it is on the player, and that's what I'm focusing on here. With Marshall, I quite agree--he's not exactly the captain type. Nor, as much as he is a leader, is Eddie. Too quiet. Hopefully Higuain can be--but I'm not sure how much the language barrier is an issue at this point. GBS overcame that, but it took a bit. My guess is Chad gets the armband in 2013, though.
I can't see two predictors thinking the same thing being right but what would people think if we did draft Kekuta Manneh? I say go for it, there won't be a can't miss college striker left in the draft by the time we pick; let's take the kid and see what he's got.
I am not as high on him as others I guess. He reminds me of a center back who is playing as a forward.
He is going to be a CB or CDM from what I have read. Toronto needs someone to at least push up the ball from the back. Terry Dunfield ain't cut it.
As much as it pains me to say this... we NEED to draft a defender. ...Not a forward. ...Not a midfielder. I am going to the draft to watch this debacle but in my heart I wish we would trade all of our draft picks to get quality players that can actually start a game. Otherwise we will be having the same conversation yet again next year when we cut 12 players because they dont pan out.
I think it depends on who gets him and how they want to use him. It's like Wenger, I think he's a fine forward but not a great one. Both have a really nice defensive game but can do damage in the box offensively. On the right team I think both would ideally play a defensive mid spot without being a destroyer type. A guy that can breakup attacks when they come, link the offense with the defense and still be a weapon on the other side. Kind of what we're hoping Trapp can do.
I kind of agree but Defenders always look thin in the college ranks. How likely is it that our defenders will come for outside the US? 50%? Our real needs seem to be on the wings. Some speed at midfield wing and two wing defenders. . . If someone says we have Josh Williams I am going to give them such a frowny face.
Zavaleta will be a stay at home CB that regularly goes forward on restarts. He is an often savage tackler when riled. Zavaleta would be a great replacement for Marshal, but he will likely be off the board before Crew can draft him (barring trade). Trapp will be your box to box MF, linking everything together, receiving and passing, receiving and passing, effortless with either foot. I see these two as very different players. Zavaleta only played up top for Hoosiers because they had no one else to post up in the final third.