They just traded for Cuellar? When did that happen? If Press thought about signing with this team after Sweden, they are pretty unbeatable, if they can cover enough points to get 4th place. You just can't get more than 1 goal against them when Solo has that back-line jellying. They should be fun to watch the rest of the season. Isn't Cuellar and Noyola a NTer for a NTer? Who is the American?
Yes, Seattle has been busy lately: - Seattle cuts Tiffany Cameron - Seattle signs Jessica McDonald - Seattle signs Megan Rapinoe, Stephanie Cox, and Kennya Cordner - Seattle trades Noyola, Krzysik (rights), & 2nd round pick to FCKC, for Cuellar & a 3rd round pick. - Seattle trades Lindsay Taylor and a 4th round pick, to Washington for a 2nd round pick. All draft picks traded away and received, are in the 2014 draft. Seattle is much better today than they were two weeks ago.
The combination of Press and Cuellar (goal scoring), Cordner's top notch speed creating havoc, Rapinoe and Fishlock (plus Nairn) in the midfield, Winters as a DM, Deines and Cox on defense, Elli Reed pushing forward as an outside back, with Solo in goal. That's a team that could indeed win a championship. A-Rod would only be gravy.
You do know that allocation slots are the USA team players with residency contracts, right? Do you really think Rapinoe is on the bubble?
No, she's not on the bubble, but there is the issue of whether or not she's going to get one of the allocation spots next season if she decides to return to France. If that's the case, I don't think she should be allowed to take one of those spots over a player who wants to play for the league full-time. Same with Heath.
The money for allocated players comes from ussoccer. Like it or not, she will be an allocated player as long as she has a residency contract. That will be for many years. A better plan might be for allocated players to be allowed to be offered wages competetive with Europe and not have it count towards the salary caps. Then she might stay here for the season. Seattle is so far getting a great return on their investment in Rapinoe. A winless team hasn't lost since she showed up.
The reign got flat out screwed when they were allocated Rapinoe. Any gains they might have gotten upon Rapinoe joining them are wiped out from not having her for the first half of the season. That, coupled with Solo's injury and A-Rod's pregnancy left them at a distinct disadvantage compared to teams that got all of their allocated players. To the point that the Reign's season is basically over at this point.
Yeah, you are right they should have been allocated Heath who hasnt showed at all and two Mexicans who were withdrawn before the season started instead. Then you could have traded for uh, nobody. And I'm not sure what AROD getting pregnant and Solo having surgery has to do with Rapinoe. Maybe Hope should have gone elsewhere also?
Heh. I didn't say the Reign were the only team to get hosed by the allocation, just saying I'm not sure how one can say they are getting a "great return on their investment" with Rapinoe. Any gains they might have for the remainder of the season are more than wiped out by not having her for the first half of the season. Throwing on Solo and ARod was just me piling more on the pile of crap that befell the Reign to start the season.
No matter how many times you point out Heath and the MexWNT players, it does not change the fact that the Thorns made out like bandits in the draft. Goalscorers are at the biggest premium in this league and they got two of the best in the world. The fact that the front office failed to fill in the rest of the team around them correctly does not balance it out. I am not going to call it a conspiracy, but I am tired of people pointing at Heath and saying it was just as bad for the Thorns as it was for the Reign or anyone else. That is like saying "So what if you have to ride a bike to work, my Mercedes didn't come with gold trim".