IIRC, you have to have at least 3 keepers on your roster in order to use the pool keepers. I believe that once rosters expanded to 30, the minimum went from 2 to 3.
Well we do, so we could just bring in Brian Rowe for an extended look. Or look for an upgrade within the league via trade (in which case either AG or Will would eventually not only be expendable, but one would have to be waived), or sign someone from abroad.
Ask any Liverpool fan and they'll tell you that having even three keepers is not enough. I also hope that MM is not going to be put in the holding midfield spot. He needs to be played in an advanced position, end of story. Why not put Tchani back there? He can't be any less effective than anyone else at this point.
I don't like this either. I'll only worry about it if we see it in a game but I'm not thrilled about it even in practice. Haven't most of his quotes when asked about it been something to the effect of I would rather be further up the field in the attack but I'll do what I have to do. I don't think it'll happen but if Miro starts at DM I could see the attitude in the locker room taking a serious nosedive this season.
I thought the whole idea of the "Black Monday" transition was to get a 'fast' team. Here's to seeing idea through, Bobby.
Considering they're all retired, and Frankie retired due to injury... At least we'd probably be complaining about Frankie's yellow card accumulations as opposed to releasing those guys. (Anyone remember that? We complained about Heyduk's yellow card accumulation skills, then we complained we released him.)
PWNT. That does seem to be the problem, when we get faster, it is usually with people who seem to lack the rest of the package as far as timing and vision, things that generally come with experience. Damned if we do, damned if we don't.
Let me make sure I've done my math correctly; it's be said we're going to sign a keeper so with Arrieta in we're back to cutting someone if we do sign a keeper and the DP even with Will and Tommy on IR. Also going into next season we will have two cuts to make already, one will be the added keeper; Will VS new guy Will wins. After that though we'll be one over still on our current roster for 2013 with no new signings or the draft. There will be a lot of cuts in 2013.
I see this as a good thing. The guys toward the bottom of the depth chart will have to seriously up their game to remain professionals. We've got plenty of room to make upgrades--whether it happens through internal development or replacements. Our reserves, especially Francis, Veeder, Williams, Gehrig, Perry, Horton, Meram, Tchani, & Grossman need to prove themselves worthy of those roster spots. There have been so many years where the Crew have had an incredibly talented B-squad that could garner considerable allocation $. I'm not sure how many of the guys in the list above are that desirable, though.
I don't have any problem cutting Kevan George and Aubrey Perry to make room for a DP and a backup keeper. And Cole Grossman, too, if need be.
I agree, you can bet they are going to go after Chad Barson and Matt Wiet before the draft too. I'm sure they'll talk to Trapp but I'm betting he stays in school. I'll be interested to see how they rate Andy Lubahn; I'm not sure he's an upgrade over either Schoenfeld or Heinemann not sure how many six foot plus forwards they want to carry. Where I think we have an interesting situation is at right back we have Miranda as the present and both Veeder and Perry on the roster as backups and the future. We don't need three backups and four total right backs, I'm sure the three on the roster right now and Wiet could slot in on the left side in a pinch but I don't want any of them to be the main competition for the starting spot there. Wiet's stock could be pretty high coming out of UCLA he could have a lot of teams after him, we've seen other teams trade homegrowns I'm curious if we could see it go a step further with a sign and trade. If Wiet doesn't sign with us he's probably the first RB taken late first early second so he does have value.
Never mind I guess we aren't going to end the season overloaded after all. From what Bliss is saying the league seems to want us down to 30 anyway. I didn't mind much before but if this is the case I don't like bringing in a keeper. If you count the DP we'll have three too many; cutting two fine but if we aren't going to use Will's IR spot don't cut a third player for a keeper that isn't going to stick around anyway.
We signed Chris Birchall? http://www.thecrew.com/news/2012/05/crew-signs-tt-international-midfielder-chris-birchall
Solid move, kind of came out of nowhere. With the injuries and ineffective play he'll certainly be an upgrade in the midfield.
I do think this is an upgrade to many of our wing midfielders BUT what about a keeper and a striker . . . Maybe we can convert Tchani to a keeper now.
Birchall is more of a central midfielder. I don't think he has the pace to give us what we need outside. I wonder if this is a move to move Milo to forward or even worse move O'Rourke back to center back for Marshall (bad sign if so).
the following players likely have no real future on this team (+ denotes international): +Francis -Grossman -Heinemann -Horton -Mendes +Renteria +Tchani -Veeder -Gherig -Balchan Is it too early to get rid of Tchani? The only players i would mind too see leave this summer are Francis, Emilio, Mendes and Balchan ((which wouldnt ever happen anyway considering his draft pick just last year, but this injury is going to severely hurt his playability status))
The only one I think you're very wrong on is Balchan. He showed potential last year he's got a lost year now but I'm going to stick my neck out and say he'll be back training maybe playing a little this year and all the way back next year. Veeder is still young but Perry is probably better. Horton is young we'll see how the loan goes. Tchani is not an international he has his green card I think he's a backup at best but he certainly shouldn't be on the wing.
OK, time for an official update. Sorry for the time away. Hard to get enthused for this bunch. I count us at 33 spots, with Heinemann on season ending IR, Hesmer soon to join him, and Balchan also on the IR, but not season ending. That 33 is really 32, if one doesn't count Arrieta. As for the Birchall signing, he's a decent pickup, but it doesn't inspire any confidence in our brain-trust. We said we needed some depth at DM, with Danny oft injured and Urso sucking. Heck, why don't we actually try playing Tchani there, instead of at RM where he clearly isn't suited? As for speed, Birchall's other (over) stated asset, per Crew FO, is his speed. Which is decent enough. But if we want some speed outside, why don't we play Finlay out there, instead of up top. Link for the signing and Hesmer to IR. http://www.thecrew.com/news/2012/05/crew-signs-tt-international-midfielder-chris-birchall Anyway, here it is, near as I can figure. If you got corrections, they are welcome. I. On Roster = 32 GK = 3. Hesmer (season ending IR soon); Gruenebaum, Lampson D = 8. Miranda, Marshall, James; Mendes, Vukovic, Williams, Veeder, Perry D/M = 4. O'Rourke, Francis, Balchan (IR), Gehrig M = 9. Gaven, Mirosevic, Duka, Tchani; Anor, Urso, Grossman, George, Birchall M/F = 4. Speas, Finlay, Meram, Horton. F = 4. Renteria, Vargas, Heinemann (season ending IR), Schoenfeld II. International Slots = 9 of 8; Jardy says 8, but didn't say who had a GC. Renteria, Miranda, Mirosevic; Vukovic, Francis, Anor, Vargas, George, Birchall Jardy apparently tweeted we have a spot open, but didn't say whom. I don't really consider Twitter (or tweets) reliable sources. Doesn't mean he isn't correct, but until he gets specific, I'm assuming 8 of 8. Birchall is an international also, I have to be wrong, but I'm not sure who is the one who isn't counting as an international, or why. ----------------------------------- Now my shots at who goes where. I'm still a little fuzzy on the new rules, but I know the 20 guys making the most money go on the On-Budge roster (with the exception of GA's, and maybe Homegrowns?), and the 6 guys making the least go on the Off-Budget Apprentice roster. When salary info is out, I'll have a better idea. And there are certain age restrictions as well. I. Senior Roster/On Budget (SR): Players under Contract. 20/18-20, club's option. Salary Cap at $2.81 million. Team can opt for only 18 players, but will still be charged a min amount per open roster spot below 18 towards the cap. DP's count $335,000 if not paid down via allocation $$. In season DP's count $167,500 against the cap. #. Position. Player, Nationality, Age, DOB, Roster Notes, '11 Salary Base/Guar. 1. GK Andy Gruenebaum, USA, 29, 12-30-82, $65,000/$66,667. 2. D Chad Marshall, USA, 27, 8-22-84, $250,000/$320,000. 3. D Sebastian Miranda, Chile, 31, 8-26-80, International, $110,000/$115,000. 4. D Carlos Mendes, USA, 31, 12-25-80, $98,175/$101,300 5. D Julius James, Trinidad & Tobago, 27, 7-9-84, Green Card, $62,794/$72,169. 6. D Shaun Francis, Jamaica, 25, 10-2-86, International, $42,000/$42,000. 7. D Nemanja Vukovic, Montenegro, 27, 4-13-84, International, $???/$??? 8. M/D Danny O'Rourke, USA, 28, 5-31-83, $121,000/$133,500 9. M Eddie Gaven, USA, 25, 10-25-86, $209,633/$209,633. 10. M Milovan Mirosevic, Chile, 31, 6-20-80, International, $???/$??? 11. M Dilaver Duka, USA, 22, 9-15-89, $90,000/$223,000. 12. M Chris Birchall, Trinidad & Tobago, 28, 5-5-84, International, $???/$??? 13. M Tony Tchani, Cameroon, 22, 4-13-89, Green Card, $90k/$194,000. 14. M Bernardo Anor, Venezuela, 23, 5-24-88, International, $42,000/$42,000. 15. M Kirk Urso, USA, 21, 3-6-90, 1st round Supplemental pick, UNC 16. M/F Ethan Finlay, USA, 21, 8-6-90, Creighton, 1st Round Pick, $???/$??? 17. M/F Justin Meram, USA, 23, 12-4-88, $42,000/$66,375. 18. F Emilio Renteria, Venezuela, 27, 10-9-84, International, $120,000/$121,875. 19. F Olman Vargas, Costa Rica, 26, 4-15-85, International, $???/$??? --------------------------------------------------- 20. M/D Rich Balchan, USA, 22, 1-18-89, $42,000/$58,875 (short-term IR) --------------------------------------------------- Just going on PT w/out the salary info. Got a lot of guys who don't contribute much in the top 20 (Francis, Anor, Meram, Urso) or who likely have low salaries (Schoenfeld), but since Aaron was starting when he got hurt, I put him here. Have to see the salary info to be certain. ----------------------------------------------- II. Exempt Roster/Off-Budget (ER): Spots 21-24. 4/4 filled. GA players. $42,000 Min. No age restriction. No MAX salary? Up to two Homegrown Players can be singed to GA contracts. No limit on # of Homegrowns. 21. F Ben Speas, USA, 20, 1-17-91, Homegrown/UNC, $???/$??? (GA?) 22. D/M Josh Williams, USA, 23, 4-18-88, $42,000/$42,000. 23. M Cole Grossman, USA, 22, 4-10-89, $42,000/$42,000. 24. F Aaron Schoenfeld, USA, 21, 4-17-90, ETSU, trialist, 2nd R. Supp Pick (Montreal) I'd put Gehrig here, but his salary from last year was too low, so I went with Schoenfeld and Grossman instaed. Aaron was starting until he got hurt, and Grossman still makes the 18. Again, determined by the salaries and possibly age. ------------------------------------------------------- III. Apprentice Roster/Off Budget (AR): Spots 25-30. 10/6. $32,600 Min. Players making $32.6k must be under 25 in 2012 (Do not turn 25 in 2012). Spots 29-30 can be left open and the club can receive $35k per slot in allocation money. No indication of a MAX salary here, so players on this roster could make MORE than $32.6k as long as they meet the age requirement. 25. M Eric Gehrig, USA, 24, 12-15-87, $32,600/$32,600 (turns 25 in 2012, not in-season) 26. GK Matt Lampson, USA, 22, 9-6-89, Homegrown, $???/$??? 27. D Aubrey Perry, USA, 20, 1-20-91, 2nd Round pick, $???/$??? 28. D Korey Veeder, USA, 20, 10-13-91, $32,600/$34,475. 29. F Aaron Horton, USA, 19, 5-19-92, Homegrown, $???/$??? 30. M Kevan George, Trinidad & Tobago, 21, 1-30-90, 2nd Round pick. $???/$??? Gehrig the head of the class here. He saw significant action with the Senior Team last year. He does seem to violate the age restriction this year, but MLS is notorious for not being clear, and his salary prevents him from being in a higher spot. So unless unless he gets a salary bump to $42k, there is no other roster he can be on. I'm putting the 2/3 of the Homegrowns here, but that could change when salary info is released. ------------------------ IV. Injured Reserve/Disabled List; 31-33 (currently 3 players) 1. M/D Rich Balchan, USA, 22, 1-18-89, $42,000/$58,875 (short-term) 2. F Tom Heinemann, USA, 24, 4-23-87, $42,000/$42,000 (season ending) 3. GK William Hesmer, USA, 30, 11-23-81, $152,500/$163,500 (season ending) ----------------------------- V. International Slots. 8 of 8. Teams start w/ 8, they can be traded. Julius James (Trinidad & Tobago) and Tony Tchani (Cameroon) have Green Cards, and do not count as International Players. 1. F/M Emilio Renteria, Venezuela, On Budget Roster 2. D Sebastian Miranda, Chile, On Budget Roster 3. M Milovan Mirosevic, Chile, On Budget Roster 4. F Olman Vargas, Costa Rica, On Budget Roster 5. D Nemanja Vukovic, Montenegro, On Budget Roster 6. D Shaun Francis, Jamaica, On Budget Roster (probably) 7. M Bernardo Anor, Venezuela, On Budget Roster (probably) 8. M Kevan George, Trinidad & Tobago, Off-Budget/Apprentice Roster 9. M Chris, Birchall, Tinidad & Tobago, Senior Roster Again, Jardy tweeted we have a spot open, per Birchall, but didn't say which player had a Green Card. Until he does, the list stands. ------------------------------ VI. In = 12 1. D Carlos Mendes, USA, 30, 12-25-80, $98,175/$101,300 2. GK Matt Lampson, USA, 22, 9-6-89, Homegrown, $???/$??? 3. M Milovan Mirosevic, Chile, 31, 6-20-80, International, $???/$??? 4. F Olman Vargas, Costa Rica, 26, 4-15-85, International, $???/$??? 5. F Ben Speas, USA, 20, 1-17-91, Homegrown (UNC), $???/$??? 6. M/F Ethan Finlay, USA, 21, 8-6-90, Creighton, 1st Round Pick, $???/$??? 7. D Aubrey Perry, USA, 20, 1-20-91, 2nd Round pick, $???/$??? 8. M Kirk Urso, USA, 21, 3-6-90, 1st round Supplemental pick, UNC 9. M Kevan George, Trinidad & Tobago, 21, 1-30-90, 2nd Round pick. $???/$??? 10. D Nemanja Vukovic, Montenegro, 27, 4-13-84, International, $???/$??? 11. F Aaron Schoenfeld, USA, 21, 4-17-90, ETSU, trialist, 2nd R. Supp Pick (Montreal) 12. M Chris Birchall, Trinidad & Tobago, 28, 5-5-84, International, $???/$??? ================== VII. Out = 11 1. D/M Josh Gardner, USA, 28, 9-14-82, $49,200k (SR) (Exp. Draft, Montreal). 2. M Dejan Rusmir, Serbia, 31, 1-28-80, Int. $159,996/$170,496 (SR) (waived) 3. M Santiago Prim, Argentina, 20, 5-11-90, Int., $32,600k (AR) (waived) 4. F Andres Mendoza, Peru, 32, 4-26-78, Int., $500k/$595k (DP) (option declined) 5. F Jeff Cunningham, USA, 34, 8-21-76, $140,000/$152,500 (SR) (option declined) 6. M/D Kevin Burns, USA, 25, 3-26-85, $42,000/$42,000 (SR/ER) (option declined) 7. D/M Ben Sippola, USA, 21, 7-13-89, $32,600/$32,600. (AR) (option declined) 8. GK Alex Riggs, USA, 22, 3-17-88, $32,600/$32,600 (AR) (option declined) 9. M Robbie Rogers, USA, 23, 5-12-87, $140,000/$140,000 (OOC, signed w/ Leeds) 10. M Emmanuel Ekpo, Nigeria, 23, 12-20-87, GC, $200,000/$222,250 (Senior Roster) 11. Conditional 2013 Supplemental Pick to Montreal for Schoenfeld's rights.