Wow. What do you think about LA trading Welsh and Fletcher to St. Louis. Athletica sure can use them and I think they have a lot to offer.
Draft Picks??? I wonder who the team is going to call up to replace them. Fletcher apparently hasn't been in the mix since her mediocre performance in the first half of that first game. Welsh, on the other hand, looked good at times and was one of the few players tall enough to provide a threat on set pieces. Trade Info
Maybe Barnes and Frisk now actually get to get on the field as contract players. And Bogus should move from dp to contract.
Re: Draft Picks??? both saw less playing time due to other players stepping up.. This gives Christie a good chance for more playing time.. and Kendal will be good for the Def
I'm a little shocked although it may turn out to be a commendably bold move by the Sol. I can see how Christie Welsh was going to have a hard time getting a lot of playing time and that Katie Larkin seems to be about as effective as her coming off the bench. (Does make you wonder if we picked the wrong one from Penn State as Tiffany Weimer is really bringing a spark to the Bay team Gold Pride) But I'm really flabbergasted that Kendall Fletcher didn't catch on. She was, along with Amy LePeilbet, the rock in the middle of the Pali Blues defense last summer and she played superbly in the games I saw. And since GM Naimo was coach of the Blues, he had a good idea of the kind of player he was getting. Of course, a lot of North Carolina fans also think very highly of her. I was pretty sure we were getting a player who would soon become a fixture on the national team. So what the heck happened?! One bad game, lost confidence, went downhill from there?! Hopefully for her a fresh start is what she needs. Judging by St Louis ham-handed defense on TV last week, she'll get a chance to play.
Welsh: too slow and is not a good fit with the pace of Marta Fletcher: too slow and poor decision making. She did not see much playing time at the Algarve. Her pace and decisions must have also been evident in practice. The problems I see with the Sol attack was evident in the first game. Marta crosses the ball and there are no players in sight. Marta dribbles the ball into traffic and there is no support. Solutions: 1. Larkin or Bock move up to midfield behind Marta. 2. Trade for super speedy Danesha Adams on Chicago Red Stars (currently riding the pine)
I'm pretty sure that Adams is injured. At the very least, she has been injured at some point as an eagle eyed observer during one of Chicago's games (perhaps the 1st game vs SkyBlue) saw her on crutches. As for this trade, I was surprised that LA got so little in return. I suppose if management is happy w/ what they have and think the draft next year would be a deep one they are happy enough.
