DC United acquires Chris Rolfe for allocation

I'm really excited about what Rolfe can bring to the table. He did have a few bad turnovers, but lets cut the guy some slack he's only been on the team a couple of days.

Besides his excellent finish, he had a few great through balls that gave us better chances in the run of play than we have had all year. I can't wait to see how he gels with the team once he has a few weeks of practices and games under his belt!

 

Congrats on getting Chris Rolfe from us.

He has decent skills, a good soccer brain and should be a good fit for you guys.
We had high hopes for a Magee/Rolfe partnership blossoming, but after the first couple of games, it did not really pan out.
He was really well liked in Chicago, but he went down hill last season.
Perhaps the change in scenery will do him good.

Oh, and since we are picking up a chunk of his salary, this seems like a steal for DC United .

Well, thanks for the allocation money, but we will probably piss it away on a player from some second or third division European league, anyway.

Good luck to Chris Rolfe and DC United (my second favorite MLS team)...except against the Fire.

 

Send in the Rolfecopter

 

that's so awful, I felt compelled to rep it

 

I think when building an MLS team you need to keep in mind that you are going to have several American players on your team and so it's important to find American players who can make a difference. Goalies are, obviously, a strength in the US and we seem to be doing pretty well there. In general you can find American central defenders who keep their shape and play physically. Boswell and Parke are not upper tier in this category but they generally fit the mold. You can find good American defensive mids who excel at breaking up passes and, over time, develop some decent passing ability. Kitchen is this type of player if he continues to improve. In the attack you can find American players who are strong in the air like Bruin or Lenhart. Eddie Johnson is an unusual version of this type of player but should, hopefully, give us an aerial threat in the box. Then you have forwards who don't seem to create on their own but are wholly focused on finding space and then getting the ball in the net without any frills. Wondolowski and Twellman are sort of the pinnacle of this type of player but Rolfe is a poor man's version. Not that I expect him to be a starting forward or be in the penalty box all the time, but I do think he will get us to be a bit more direct and will make smart movements to get open (e.g. the goal against NE).

I think these types of players are a common part of good MLS teams. Yes, you need your superstars and creative internationals to be a champion, but in order to afford those types of players it helps to spend your money (or, in this case, Chicago's money) wisely on effective American players. The question with Rolfe is whether or not his most effective days are behind him.

 

There's no question his most effective days are behind him, but the question is really what can he provide in the absence of Chris Pontius? Pontius had 12 goals in 2012, and was the biggest reason the team had any success. I don't think Rolfe will get there, and therefore will fall short of needs. That doesn't mean he can't help the team, he already has, but he is not enough to put United above the 'also ran' threshold.

 

Look at Albania or hairy chested Bulgarians. They are always quality...

 

That is so awful, I was roflmao!

 

We would be happy at this point with a hairy chested Bulgarian. Better than the crap we have.

 

I never seen his chest but I'd take Berbatov in a heart beat.

 

Ivanov was pretty terrible

 

But his chest was very hairy...

 

i'm not sure i recall seeing it but i'll take your word for it

 

Yes, I should have said "whether his effective days are behind him." He's not going to turn into the Rolfe who tormented us several years ago, but he could still be an effective player (though certainly not enough to save the team).
I agree he's playing the Pontius role and while I like Pontius I think he is an example of what I'm talking about. He's probably more skilled than Rolfe, but Rolfe's game might be more effective, especially on a team with no clear midfield leader.

 

Well I guess this move has worked out. Lol

 

Uhoh, what happened, what did I miss?

 

I had the same reaction at first but I think that Shawn12011 just wanted to take a dig a the negative nellies.

 

So, a random necrothread bump? OK.

 

Song219 pegged it.


And the boards had gotten quiet. Lol