Union Off-Season Player Rumors & Movement 2013/14

Nobody likes a tease.

 

I'd pay him at least as much as Le Toux is getting. Considering all the space that's opening up from Soumare and Adu, we should have the room to give him, Williams, and Okugo raises.

Honestly, it's not as though Jack is playing poorly. He's finding the right spots, but he is overthinking things and it shows in his finishing. Compare that to a Mwanga who hid throughout the game rather than trying to turn his career around. We all complain about the midfield here, so it seems logical to extend that to Jack. You have to think if you have a true #10 feeding him the ball rather than Keon or Casey, Jack would turn things around.

 

I agree with @Dills and @Tyr on McInerney. It's counterproductive to offload young, talented players out of frustration with a middling season (which most of us are shocked even occurred, given preseason expectations). He's still finding space, and still creating chances, but a combination of confidence issues, poor MF play, and some near misses (whether narrowly off-target or outstandingly saved by opposing GKs) have kept Jack off the scoresheet. He's a player to build around, not to discard because of a slump.

CJ Sapong is a beast of a player. Fast, strong, and a natural #9. I'd love to have him on the Union. But the point being is that young players like Sapong and McInerney are gonna have ups and downs in their young careers. After scoring 9 goals last year, he's only notched 4 in 2013, and spent a portion of this season on loan in Orlando. Despite getting one more MLS appearance than McInerney, he's tallied less than half the goals, on a much more talented team. I wouldn't be too down on the 24-year old Sapong, and I certainly wouldn't be down on 21-year old McInerney. Players like Wayne Rooney, Robin van Persie, Mario Balotelli, David Villa, etc... they - GASP - also have slumps. At age 21, Falcao had a 16-game stretch where he only scored one goal, and three on the entire season. This is where I insert the disclaimer that Jack Mac is not RvP or Radamel Falcao. Just preaching patience, and that the best players, not only in the MLS, but in international futbol, take time and patience in developing, and they all go through slumps.

Personally, I think this team needs to retain a lot of its core, add one or two new players as transfers, and be smart with their high draft pick(s). If it were up to me, you keep the following (the * indicates as likely starters/top preferences - this also serves as a power ranking of sorts):

Okugo*
Jack Mac*
Williams*
Zac MacMath*
Jeff Parke*
Gaddis*
Connor Casey
LeToux
Carroll
Hoppenot
Cruz
Fabinho
Marfan

Others could get cut, be transferred, or could be retained given the right salary. This doesn't include young players who are in the academy/on loan/etc.

In terms of additions, somebody mentioned Steve Zakuani a page or two ago, and I think he'd be a phenomenal add. Seattle has a surplus of talent (and salaries), and Zakuani's found himself on the bench a ton. He'd add some speed and creativity as a natural winger, and is still young enough to rely on for the long-ish haul. A younger, DM would be valuable, too, as Carroll can only play so much longer. That Chivas pick would look awfully good to snag Steve Neumann, and whether he slots in as a number 10, or as a strike partner with Mac, it's a smart pick.

The Union have other draft picks and young prospects that could come into play for depth and development; but I think you're taking some positive steps forward with something along these lines. Consistency is very important. You don't need to shake things up at every bump in the road.

 

I would like to see midfielders whose first instinct is not to push the ball wide and send in a cross. Creativity and passing skill are needed.

But, that's also a tactical problem with this manager.

 

They are too quick to pass back and to slow down play. We never seem to take advantage of a fast break.

 

I think your list makes a lot of sense and with this at the core, we would still have quite a bit of salary cap room to play with next season. I'm very curious to see what the offseason will look like for this team - if they can keep their talent in Philly and add a few pieces - but I want to see this group currently find a way into the playoffs and fight to stay alive on the bubble. That would give me a lot more confidence in their hopes for next season to be a contender.

 

As much as I love Gaddis, he does this waaaaaay too much. I see him pass to Parke or Okugo far more than to a midfielder.

It's almost like they've been... told... to play that way.

Or that the team has slowly started to realize that the midfield sucks.

Madness.

 

I've always figured that if he was on his natural side, he'd have the confidence to make more long, marauding runs. He's good at taking a player 1 v 1 on the attack.

 

Donny Toia, the former FCT player who was going to go on trial for the Union in the preseason, played for Chivas LA in a reserve match. He had an assist.
http://www.cdchivasusa.com/news/2013/10/chivas-usa-pega-terremotos-3-2-liga-reservas

 

I agree. As a 32 year old in a non-speed reliant position, Carroll has at most 5-6 years left in the league.

 

Ha, well I certainly didn't intend for it to sound like I thought he was finished. I've enjoyed Carroll's steady play this season as a holding MF. Even without speed being as much as a liability for a CDM, though, I'd have to imagine you're going to want a young player (Gilberto being a fine candidate - reminder courtesy of @Dills) to groom and ultimately spell Brian as he competes in his 11th, 12th, 13th (?) seasons in the league. I was strongly of the mindset early on that Okugo was that player, but his play at CB would make it difficult to shift him after such a strong season.

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On another topic, I was just idly wondering over the past couple days who's going to be the next high profile star to make his way to the MLS. Names like Ronaldinho, Lampard, Kaka, Klose, etc. have been thrown around for some time, and even if it's not them, I wonder who it might be.

In that vein, I also wonder whether Philadelphia will, at some point, be able to draw one of these players. I know the warm weather of LA and Miami will draw some, and the glamour of the NY teams will lure others; but I have to think that Philly will get one, sooner or later. The food scene's great, it's a large metropolitan area with lots of attractions, relatively easily accessible by plane, train, and automobile, and within reasonable traveling distance of places like NYC, DC, Boston, etc.

I LOVE PHILLY, WHY DOESN'T KAKA?!

 

With all the personnel treatment/drama involving Adu, Soumare, and Kleberson.......... not to mention LeToux & Califf. I think it's gotten a lot harder to draw a big name in the near future.

 

http://www.mlssoccer.com/sideline/n...referral&utm_content=News&utm_campaign=Unpaid

If philly wants to be viewed as anything more then a mid table team then they push all in to sign him. He would become the best player on the team and provide vital service to the rest of our midfield and forwards.

A move like that shows the team is serious, probably gets more season tickets sold and really really really addresses the most glaring need the team has.

 

Xabi Alonso would be an absolute coup for the team. Deadly service. Experience at all levels. A true asset to any team.

Which is why of course we won't sign him. More than likely he'll be pushed in to the Red Bulls or possibly even New York City FC.

 

werent we sold that line of goods about another "cant miss" phenom?

 

My sarcasm meter is broken today, are you referring to Adu, or Kleberson? And I would argue that Xabi is better then both of them by a wide margin at this point.