IIRC, original from Ghana his family moved to South Africa amid turmoil in Ghana. He played and loved crickett and was not heavily involved in soccer. His family then moved to Canada to seek opporunities and when those dried up they moved to the US. I don't think it's been an easy journey for the youngster. I believe he is now a dual US - Canadian citizen and has been invited to US U-20 camps.
We're pretty much f**ked if anybody on our back line gets hurt. I'm simply dumbfounded that we have only signed one defender this entire offseason, whist the attacking positions have been staked heavily to the point of absurdity. I don't care what formation you can dream up, this squad is not equipped to be successful. Surely the people running this club can't possibly be this stupid.
So net gain: unknown rookie MF in a position where we have depth plus allocation money, int'l slot and cap space. The later three make sense only when we see what they use them for. Still not liking this. BTW: Like "The League" picture for your profile
Someone needs to remind to Oscar to smile for these things: https://twitter.com/tkhinchey3/status/291984329637236736/photo/1
i think with the potential sales of calistron. the 250 k we get for him could be used to buy a few center backs if not someone from derby and or anywhere else in the world. i'd rather sign someone whose still young but played on a higher level then draft a rookie from America. only difference would be the salary but the quality could be waaay better.
It's such a glaring hole I have to believe there will be another pick up or two for the backline. Otherwise you're 100% right, we're f**ked.
You do realize that moves can still be made. Granted the clock is ticking before preseason starts but i don't think it's out of the relam of possibility trades or signings happen. With all the moving and shaking the FO has done in 24-48 hrs. it makes it even more conceivable that something will happen with the backline. It's frustrating, I know, believe me, but I'm optimistic, maybe moreso than others, they will address the backline. If they don't, you are right, we are f*****.
Perhaps, Zimmerman’s absence from the combine affected his selection. Not selecting either him or Zavaleta make me think that the Rapids have another CB coming in! Not bad! Thus far, Rapids have drafted 2 of my top 6 choices with picks # 6 & #11. Both are good or better players. Both performed well at the Combine. Brown was my #3 forward on the board behind Manneh & Finley, obviously the Rapids thought differently. IMO each of Manneh, Finley & Brown were good choices. Brown is bigger & faster, while Finley cleverer and better work rate. Manneh a project with a very hi ceiling. To me, Brown is a Striker who will challenge Buddle for minutes. He has the potential to become a very good MLS Striker in the Bruin mold. Powers my #1 or #2 CM along with TFC #3 selection Bekker. Powers has good size & strength. His head is always up searching for the quick ball & quick thru ball. He is the link needed between Rivero & Thomas. He, too, will challenge for minutes this season. Now it we could get Opare at # 25 mission will have been accomplished.
Doesn't matter at this point. Whoever we draft with the 25th pick will have a hard time even making the team.
Kory Kindle, LB from CSU-Bakersfield. SoccerByIves take: Want a speedy left back who can get forward and whip in good service? Kindle is your guy. Plenty of scouts are aware of him and he could be a player who skyrockets up the board with a strong combine against top level competition.
Kory Kindle: what scouts say: He fits our scheme perfectly! (There's more on the linked page if you're interested.)
And finally, the Rapids get a defender. I know absolutely nothing about this guy. Can he play on either side? Edit: Just read "Converted from forward to left back and has only played the position for two years". So...they got the most non-defensive defender possible. Sounds like another Zapata but with less skill. Great...
So at this point, we have one potential solid player at LB (Calderon) and 3 question marks for a variety of reasons (Klute, Wallace, Kindle). I think we have more than enough depth on that side now. Conversely, our center back depth is very thin. We're pretending lots of wing backs can slide inward without any problem, and most of those wingbacks don't have much size. And our usual starting CBs are adaptations themselves and on the small side, which does not resolve our matchup issues with teams like SJ.
klute 6'1 great in the air from what i've seen. a center-back who moves up to help attack rio/pique roll should not be on wynne with wynnes speed he should never run and bet he last guy for 1v1 while the other center back acts like brute/sweeper. i see klute fitting this bill very well. when he moves up calderon moves in. kinda like how now when wynne moves up freeman moved in. My take on the draft is every player we wanted got taken up thus the surprising choice in brown. zimmeran takenwe wanted zavelleta the trade snuck up on us from seattle( zakuani kamra) and they ended up with the zmam.