Wagman weighs in on the Moreno issue....

[Cweedchop]

http://www.soccertimes.com/wagman/2002/dec27.htm


A good read from Bob Wagman.. Pretty much sums up Hudson's thoughts on Moreno and his injury issues last season..

I'm a big fan of Moreno's and I make no bones about it, but Moreno dug his own grave here at United and Wagman is probably right in saying that Moreno will torch us in the end, but that is why they play the games..

After getting some of this inside scoop, which was in a small way revealed to us last season but not to this extent, I can see why Hudson washed his hands of Moreno..

Good luck Jaime, don't hurt us too bad.....

[Knave]

That article does not make me feel better.

Indeed, it scares me.

[Cweedchop]

Originally posted by Knave
That article does not make me feel better.

Indeed, it scares me.

It makes me feel better in that Hudson doesn't and won't put up with players who mail it in or who feel they should be treated with kid gloves.. Hudson sat back all year waiting for Moreno to take care of himself and he procrastinated all year long.. I especially liked the fact that obviously Moreno is seeing the same doctor for Allen Iverson (by that I mean that Jaime had ample opportunity to get surgery right after the 00' season but waited too long and it ended up screwing up his training and the dominoes fell from there)...

I think Jaime got complacent with Rongen around (with Rongen being one of the guys) and carried that over to when Hudson got here and simply didn't realize he was doing anything wrong.. I could be dead wrong of course, it only seems a logical assumption to me....

[Marco10]

I agree it's a shame that Jaime and Hudson didn't ever work it out. I'd have loved to have seen him finish his career here, but I don't think he'd have ever got back into form on this team. I'm not so sure any other coach would have done any better with Moreno last year either since the problems began before Hudson was even named coach, and his Bolivian acupuncture jaunt was unlikely to be because of anything Hudson did. I think Jaime just flat out lost interest in playing and that makes me think that he might not be exactly the savior Bradley is counting on either. Once you've lost your desire to excel, it's that much easier to fall back and find ways to coast at any opportunity. Jaime has never been a hard worker even at the best of times.

Still talented? Absolutely. A consistent performer over the course of a season? We'll see.

[Th4119]

We can just tell Dema that they have both played for United and to go break his leg or something.

Seriously though, it's unfortunate that Moreno lacked the class and dedication to a team that was paying him 15.8% of their salary cap (and more beyond that) than to try a little harder. I was angry at Moreno during the season, but now I absolutely despise him.

It's a little bothersome to hear how good shape he is in now, but what's to say he doesn't pick up another injury next season and then slacks off again? Between Reyes, ITT, Kovalenko, and Petke, I'd be amazed if Moreno walks off the field of an Atlantic Cup match without a limp, ever.

On another note, Moreno and Mathis should be entertaining to watch up front against other teams, but I'll be surprised if the two start 10 games or more together due to how injury prone they both are.

[sormun]

I am again at odds with the most of you on this one!! I am a Moreno defender. I believe he was the most skilful DCU player, ever. I remember a handful of games when he saved our skin and also, times when was really absent into the game. But, I do not blame him as much as as TR and latelly, the worse midfield ever,the one we had last year.

I kindda agree with him on the injury issue. A very good striker cannot be injuried again and again just because there is nobody in his team to be dangerous enough to share the injury burden. I disagree he lost the drive for the game !!! The true is he lost any hope the rest of the team will mach his skills. One forward without support can do nothing to save the game. But, at times, he did saved games despite, the worse midfield ever on the field. I think, he got really, pissed with the coaches and with his team mates' playing skills. The infussion of young players with no skills and the dismissal of the older players with skills really got to him.

Let's face the truth, a great forward player, doomed by a bad lack to play for an inept coach, like TR. After a long agony, to play for Ray Huston who had no guts what so ever, to reshape the midfield durring the ongoing season.

Conclusion : There were a lot other people to be blamed for the past seasons failures before Moreno does !!! Unfortunately, he is the one to pay!! The real culprits like Ech, Convey, Alegria, Namof etc. are re-signed. I am affraid, we will pay for this injustice.

Good bye Moreno, you were a heck of a forward, I have no doubts your exceptional talent will rise again !!! Please do not mind if you will burn us in the future !! WE DESERVE IT !!!

[Cweedchop]

Originally posted by sormun

After a long agony, to play for Ray Huston who had no guts what so ever, to reshape the midfield durring the ongoing season.

Conclusion : There were a lot other people to be blamed for the past seasons failures before Moreno does !!! Unfortunately, he is the one to pay!! The real culprits like Ech, Convey, Alegria, Namof etc. are re-signed. I am affraid, we will pay for this injustice.



Sormun, exactly how was Hudson supposed to reshape the midfield DURING the season with no money to spend? I really would like to know how it could have been done..

Secondly, the tone of the article was not solely blaming Moreno, it merely highlighted Hudson's ongoing frustration with Jaime and his seemingly inability to want to work hard to get fit... There were tons of reasons why United did not win last season and Moreno is a good part of that though certainly not the only reason...

And of course, no response from sormun would be complete without the requisite shot at Convey....

[chivas]

What a filler article that was!! 25 goals next season?? I think it is more likely that Talon will score 25 goals at his birthday party halftime soccer match next year!! As one of the most fouled players in MLS history (Jaime not Talon), I think it is likely that the Metros will be scrambling for another forward 5 games into the season after his ankles collapse.
Hey, I just noticed: I'm not a Big Soccer Newbie anymore. What an honor!

[GrillMaster]

Sormun, Jaime is solely to blame for Jaime's decline (and by decline I mean commitment to the team and to the game). He was too easily distracted, apparently, by events outside of football to maintain even a reasonable training regimen. The spectre of too many bad habits has raised its head for three out of Jaime's six and a half seasons with United. That's perhaps too harsh, because I recall that Jaime didn't start mailing it in until midway through 2001. So let's say 2.5 out of 6.5 seasons. Hardly worth a max salary for a team starved of offense.

It will be a personal victory for Jaime if he is able to play with commitment. A change of environment and coach will certainly help motivate him, especially under an accomplished disciplinarian like Bradley.

Also, his confidence seems to be easily shaken. All we have to do with a fit Jaime is to play physically against him and try to deny him the ball, even if he goes back to the center line to get it. Maybe that's who Reyes will shadow while our new d-mid takes care of Mathis, the only midfielder who has shown himself to be a consistent threat.

I hope Jaime makes a decision whether to focus on football, because it would appear that he fluctuates from year to year, searching for something. It will be too bad for us if he dedicates himself to football. But the probabilities say that he is not worth a max salary over time.

I think he will soon revert to his easy-going ways and place futbol at a lesser priority. In many ways, one becomes addicted to the easy life when remunerated well while developing the addiction. It will be a constant struggle for Jaime to change his ways.

I sincerely hope that Mathis learned from his red card last year, for the sake of US football. If he didn't, we are going to witness a lot of tragic self-destruction on the field next year, since Jaime, and A. Williams too, have shown a wont to be undisciplined.

Of course for us, it will be delightful tragi-comedy.

GM

... hoping for a happy ending for all, including Jaime.

[Serie Zed]

Or Moreno could show up pudgy and slow, head to Bolivian fat farm for a few weeks and then come back and get injured (again) and we'll all be happy he's gone.

[ursula]

It's really sad, reading that article. It shows how tricky it can be sometimes to play on a professional team. Arena says that Jaime is still the best striker in MLS and he's probably right. But if so, one would think that said best striker should have stuck in the EPL as he was talented enough. So now, Jaime has essentially been booted off a squad even though he had the physical talent to dominate and he's down to his last strike (chance) with the metros. Who knows- he may do well because he doesn't get injured this year; but there's no way that United can keep taking chances with him.

Now United is also trying to sign another former EPL striker who didn't pan out, who is also obviously talented enough to torch MLS- Tyson Nunez.

[sormun]

Originally posted by Cweedchop

And of course, no response from sormun would be complete without the requisite shot at Convey....


OK. I will see you on the 10th...You are saying that once the season starts the coaches have their hands tied, they can do nothing to change the roster. I think that is too extreme !!!

[Th4119]

Originally posted by sormun
OK. I will see you on the 10th...

Them's fightin' words!! ;)

[Cweedchop]

Originally posted by sormun
You are saying that once the season starts the coaches have their hands tied, they can do nothing to change the roster. I think that is too extreme !!!

I have never said anything like that.. In fact, I started a thread stating specifically that United is in a position to pick and choose their roster at will...

What I was saying was reffering to last season that Hudson could not make any significant changes due to having 3 maximum salary players (Pope, Moreno and Etch).. Hudson went into last season knowing that nothing could be done unless he traded one or all of the big 3..

This season, obviously, is much different and he can make the changes accordingly.. And he has already.. He has added an All-Star quality midfielder (Kovalenko) while dumping possibly the worst player in United history (Alevanja) and a player with great promise (Mapp) but apparently a lackluster work ethic in practice...

[shawn12011]

As with all these moves I still feel that we are going to be bit in the a$$. I have very little faith in Ray and the braintrust and this article continues to add to my worries. I think that trading Pope, Moreno and Mapp will bite us. I hope I am wrong but as Col. Potter would say "I am getting a quezy feeling in my gizzard."

As for sormun as his belief that Convey had much to do with the poor state of this team, maybe we should buy him a Soccer 101 book and sit down and analyze some game tape.

[chivas]

As Potter would also say: HORSE HOCKEY! Jaime Moreno as the best striker in the league??? I think NOT. He has a mediocre foot at best. There are 30 guys with harder shots than Moreno. His skill comes from body-on-ball control. The only people Williams and and Moreno will "torch" next season are the Metros fans, who will be "lookin' for some blood" once they see how well were doing, and how well they're not.

[Funkfoot]

Maybe Jaime will have a great year for the Metros, maybe not. The question DCU was faced with was, could they count on him to have a good year for US? I think it's clear to most of us BSers that no matter how much skill he has or had, we just couldn't count on Jaime performing at a high level for this team.

[Th4119]

Originally posted by Funkfoot
Maybe Jaime will have a great year for the Metros, maybe not. The question DCU was faced with was, could they count on him to have a good year for US? I think it's clear to most of us BSers that no matter how much skill he has or had, we just couldn't count on Jaime performing at a high level for this team.

That and the fact that Tyson Nunez is better than Moreno.

[Funkfoot]

Don't count your Tysons before they hatch! But it would be nice to get him...

[DigitalTron]

I agree with Sormun to the extent that Moreno was very skilled even last season, and that his presence was the single biggest variable we had. While he didn't play many games, and almost never scored or contributed to a score even when he did appear, the defensive pressure he commanded opened up a lot for other players, and our offense was generally more productive without needing to encorporate Pope as a center forward or Reyes as a right winger just to generate some offense. Consequently, our defense looked more solid with Moreno playing. Without Moreno, our very solid defense was forced to contribute much to the attack and were correspondingly caught out of position or undermanned very often.

But while I agree that Moreno was seriously slacking under Rongen and didn't even try to get his act together until very late in the offseason when Hudson was hired, I cannot blame that on anyone but Moreno. Heck, if he didn't like Rongen and knew Rongen was gone, then one would expect him to train harder in anticipation of a new manager, not mail it in.

Bradley is an Arena man. They seem to have an uncanny knack for handling players of all personalities. Additionally, Bradley's other strength's are motivating players, dealing with injuries, keeping his back line organized, and getting his entire midfield to play defense. Given these constraints, I do expect Moreno to excel under Bradley, but that's no guarantee he'll be healthy.

Mathis is a total game-breaker, pure and simple. If Bradley gets Moreno to play up to his ability, Moreno is too.

Best of luck to Moreno, but I wouldn't mind if he missed a few DC United games.