Servando isnt going to Portland. Servando is not going to get traded, he's here for a while i believe. He's not going to get traded to Portland unless we get a lot of allocation and/or a better player. We gave away Adam Moffat for him, which Adam was a HUGE fan favorite here in Houston. I don't see us parting with him any time soon. I can see a trade happening or not. Houston is going to push. We have the FO and Owners that can make anything happen.
Yeah, good job contradicting yourself. If Servando wants to move to Portland, I'm sure they could make it happen. But if you think it's harder for them to trade away a bench player than it is for them to acquire the star player of the league from a team whose owner is adamant that she will be playing with Portland next season, then you need to get your head examined. It's not Portland's fault that Houston traded away Moffat for him. They're not gonna cut you a deal for Morgan just because it was Seattle who got him.
How did I contradict myself? and who said anything about deal because of Seattle? The Dynamo wanted Servando. It was a salary dump and they got a young player that Dom Kinnear wanted. Hell, at the end of this, i won't be surprised if Servando plays here and Morgan plays there.
By saying he's not gonna be traded because blah blah blah. And then you said the Houston FO/Ownership can make anything happen... Your meaning, as I understand it, was that they could get Morgan. So you were saying they wouldn't be able to trade Carrasco away, but they would be able to acquire Morgan from a team with no inclination to trade her because they can make anything (except a Carrasco trade) happen. I did. It was my attempt at humor. I'm just valuing him for what he currently is. The fact is he was a starter for Seattle and then got downgraded to a bench player there, then got traded to Houston where he continued to be a bench player. Maybe he'll become a starter again, I dunno. But right now he's a bench player.
Mrad - you should've asked, if they'd buy season tickets for the team in Florida with Alex Morgan on its roster...
Carrasco will not be traded to appease Morgan/Portland. Dom likes him and he's young and cheap. If he's traded to Portland it will be for a lot of allocation money, they will have to over pay, and I'm ok with that. As far as Morgan coming here (Houston) I don't really know since I don't follow the league, yet. But I know they're not gonna let Carrasco go just for the sake of their marriage.
I don't think that would happen either. I only think it will happen if it's to appease Carrasco. My problem is just people thinking Morgan to Houston is a piece of cake compared to trading Carrasco. If you think Houston overpaid for Carrasco, you don't want to know what they would have to trade away to get Morgan.
No, I agree, why would Portland just give her up??? But the Dynamo side of the house is not gonna let a young cheap prospect go to help out the Dash side of things. I could see the other side doing it if things were reversed and say Morgan played for the Dash and Carrasco was in Portland. But the Dynamo come first in this organization.
Well your presence alone here means the league is winning if for the simple fact that people will be talking about this will she or won't she business for a while. I hope you stick around for the NWSL season.
I think there's an important question lurking in the recent discussion. Here we have, on the women's side, one of the best players in the world. On the men's side, we have a good player who apparently had lost a starting position in the MLS but may be a long term possible MLS starter. No one, however, is claiming that he is, or is going to be, one of the best players in the world. The two of them are married and currently are on teams in different cities, too far to commute on a daily basis. The teams' seasons overlap. So, how is that going to work? Is this going to be a case of the woman following the man? If so, the stark and clear take away will be that women's soccer, as a sport, isn't anywhere near worthy of consideration as of the same import as men's soccer. It really isn't that serious, because at the bottom of it all the women's place is wherever her man happens to be. This could deal a significant blow to women's soccer. Some of us believe that female athletes are just as valuable as male athletes. That is not, however, the predominant belief in the US, much less anywhere else. Which belief set is the decision-making here going to bolster?
Press in a one for one if she was allocated there. Get past the billboards. That's an even trade at the club level right now. If in the league, Sydney is equal to Mewis, then any 1v1 trade is viable.
I do consider myself to be somewhat of a feminist and take offense to any slight to the women's game but if Morgan was to be traded to Houston, I do not think it will be a setback to the women's game depending on the nature of the trade. For one fact, Morgan might like the city of Houston better than Portland (impossible, I know ). Secondly, given the way Canetti talks about Morgan, one get the notion that they have some relationship and it won't be a stretch to see her wanting to play for his organization. That's not to say she's not also happy with Paulson and co. Additionally, if this was a free market and Houston were to ultimately offer her a better deal than Portland, I do not see how it will be a blow to the women's game. However, given the salary cap, they could still offer her better perks. I guess my main point is that if this trade was to happen and it proved to be a lateral or upgrade of her current situation in Portland, I do not see how it can be bad for the women's game. Now if her circumstances were to be downgraded just so she can be with a hubby, more power to her. I actually think Portland really will be the winner in all this. And I mean this as a compliment when I say soccer wise, Morgan is replaceable especially if you get some one like Press (+others) in return. Status wise, there's not many players in the league that can match Morgan but the fact of the matter is Portland do not need that anyway. If Morgan was on a team such as Chicago or Washington than I say no way should they make this deal. However, Portland does not need Morgan's status to sell tickets.
Agree. Portland is the one city who's fans go to the games because they love soccer and because they love and support their city. Sure, they love to see the stars just like anyone. But what sets them apart is the game, the team, and the city come first. Portland fans don't just go to the games when Beckham or Solo come into town. They are knowledgeable and will be there no matter who puts on the Portland uniform. So if Morgan eventually leaves to play somewhere else, sure fans will be somewhat disappointed but then the after the game rose will go to the player taking her place and the support will not miss a beat. I can't say the same about any other town.
What incentive does Portland have to do that? No, Sydney is equal to Mewis, Betos, Seattle's 1st round pick in 2015, and Seattle's 2nd round pick in 2015 (that's 4 players for 1). Even if you think Press is more equal as an individual in value to Morgan than Mewis is to Leroux, Houston has to offer something as incentive to get Portland to do the trade. I wouldn't be surprised if it were still 4 players to 1. And that's assuming Houston gets Press. If they don't... then what?
I don't mind Alex Morgan being traded to Houston if the trade was fair. She's worth 5 players and a couple of number 1 draft picks... She's worth more than her husband in the soccer universe.... sorry to offend the Dynamo fans.
Morgan is a good player but I don't know if she's worth what you say she is as a player. She's not better then Sinclair. However....marketing-wise and attendance at the gate - absolutely. She's Gold.
Of course, player value for stars isn't all 100% about their abilities/performance on the field, a lot of it is their marketability. Just look at the Beckham in MLS situation. Was he the best player during his time here? He sure was marketable, though.
you seem to be a fair man/woman, know portland will pull number without morgan as long as they are semi-winning like late season. there is no drop off with exchanging her for press. in fact, pre You can't be for real. in a REAL football world, you'd have to package Press with a couple of #1's and 5 players for Morgan. I've heard it all now. And lets take in account this is a league where players shift just to get closer to home and save money.
Remember back in the day when Newsouth was spouting nonsense about how Nike wouldn't let Morgan leave Portland. I wonder whatever happened to that guy?
The problem with speculating on any of this is we dont understand the ground rules. Im not 100% sure the owners do. The main thing we dont understand is what kind of movement subsidized players will have coming off contract. If u tell me that after the 2014 season all the players originally allocated will get to be free agents then it changes everything. If Morgan has let it be known that she'd like to play in Houston, why trade anything for her. U just wait until next year an add her to Press to form the best front line in the league. Now, on the other hand, if u tell me those players wont become free agents, then my question is what is the purpose of signing a contract for two years?
Sure, but what's Portland's incentive? People keep saying Portland doesn't need Morgan. Yeah, so what? Tell me why Portland needs to trade her. How does it benefit them?
The only problem with swapping Morgan for Press is Press is a part time player. Portland already has one part time in Heath. Do they want to play the first two months without Heath and Press?
When the Los Angeles Glamour (aka L.A. Blues) joins the league as an expansion team in 2015, then maybe the Carrasco couple goes there. They can then market their new hot sauce. Alex can stop writing books about fictional girl soccer players and start promoting "Carrasco Wiz" (hot cheese sauce). They'd sell a ton in southern Cali. Seriously, either Morgan or Press have to be in L.A. Morgan has a house there, and Press would probably prefer to live there. One of them will be in L.A. when they're an expansion team. If the number of allocations increase due to future expansion, then I could see A-Rod getting allocated again and playing in L.A. Maybe Marta eventually signs for one year for the heck of it. Imagine the L.A. Glamour in NWSL with Morgan or Press, Marta, and A-Rod. Not to mention, Chioma Ubogagu, and I'm sure Charlie Naimo would get some defenders on that team. Welcome back Carrie Dew as well. The L.A. Glamour would need a blonde surfer girl on defense for their image, and Dew provides that. Maybe even Allison Falk returns as well.
Maybe I've been too opaque, I'm not opposed to a legitimate trade to help the league, if the involved owners think it is in their interests also. If Houston really wants Morgan, let them set it up, buy out Press's Euro contract whatever it costs, and trade her to Portland, with whatever other consideration Portland requires in order to make the trade -- which might include Ohai, etc., etc. But, my point remains the same. There may be a big down side for women's soccer. Given the disparity between one of the best in the world women and a young MLS not-currently-starting man, there's a good chance it will look like "Here's another woman following her man" that will get magnified because of who they are. It would be very hard to argue that's not the case. But it's true, it's all speculation. Paulson has given no reason to think he'd entertain a trade, and if he is willing to entertain one, I'm betting he'll insist on full value. And not just full value simply as a player, but full value from a merchandising and good will perspective, which would be very high indeed.
@ChrisCanetti with her fiancé a dynamo, any chance we get Alex Morgan down here?— Shane Mize (@Shanemize) December 15, 2013 @Shanemize no, she is on the Portland Thorns.— Chris Canetti (@ChrisCanetti) December 15, 2013