I would be interested in which Portland Timbers are moving up to MLS next season and which ones are staying in D2. I'm currently looking at their roster this season and trying to figure out which players would be best for the Aztex next season. We certainly need help on defense. Any Timber players that crossed you mind at all? Hey! We made Mike Chabala a better player after that loan spell. Call it the Aztex Mojo.
I mentioned on my blog that it's best to listen to Episode 5 of the show while drinking Aztex Amber Ale in EJ's honor: A Farewell To Eddie Johnson And Other Aztex News & Notes
I think our All-time Aztex Roster page on Wikipedia will prove to be our development trophy case as we see MLS, EPL, etc. team names next to our favorite players from past seasons. It's sad to see EJ go, but he's on to better things. I like the quotes on the Aztex website from Adrian and Phil saying that they saw that this was a great opportunity for him to grow and improve. It will be fun to see him in MLS next year, and I can't wait for the fireworks to start flying this offseason with D2 and now, apparently, player transfers!
I really like that idea about making Austin known as developmental team. That sounds like a great way to recruit the best talent and help keep us financially sound. No surprise to see EJ go, and now we all have an inside tip for our MLS fantasy teams.
So what is Austin's plans to reload for 2011? Since they got rid of the PDL team (did that help anyways)? England?
That's a big question for us down in Austin as well. We've had a number of discussions on this, specifically looking at positions (Defense is our weakest area) and individuals. We're going to have Aztex Gaffer Adrian Heath on "In the Mixer" Podcast this week (recording Thursday night), where we'll discuss. Check Friday at our website or iTunes to see what he says. However, the most active discussion is here on BS. From a Forward position, we're in pretty good shape with Randi Patterson, Max Griffin and Jamie Watson all being able to play in front. Jamie can also slide into the Midfield if we need. One of the bigger concerns I have is what do we do if we lose Yordany Alvarez to Houston, where he's on trial thru this Thursday. Oh, and Defense. We need to replay Yohance Marshall (assuming he stays at the Galaxy) and bolster the midline to help Jay Needham.
Now that I've finally read all the info, I see that I was an idiot. There wasn't any trade for anything. He was transferred to Portland for some undisclosed amount, then loaned back to us. I guess I was in shock yesterday.
Great actress. Or possibly the confused look was because the Montreal announce team had sussed out the deal when no one was supposed to know about it.
Of course nothing would make me happier than to be wrong but I will be more than a little surprised if Max is back with the Aztex next season. His first full professional season and he's (tied) third in the league in scoring and D2 Rookie of the Year? Somebody's got to be talking to somebody...
The question is really of available offers versus value added (or loss) with another season of play. We're going to be a club that sells players. The question is, at what time? And perhaps even more importantly, can we find replacements for the ones we sell?
I got an aswer for you concern, I recomend a old Yordanis Alvarez friend, Yeniel Bermúdez he play with Yorda since them was kids, Bermudez was the Cuban Under 23 and defected with Alvarez in Tampa, he played for the Charleston Battery the last two years, he is and strong central defender and can be used with the same sucess as holding midfielder or on the right side of the defense, he is pretty strong and have a nasty shot with he right foot. I pretty sure that is the player that Austin need to rebuild the defense, so someone better go and tell to Heath
And, more importantly, will MLS teams that are already in the league (as opposed to not yet under league player purchasing rules) start buying players from US D2 teams?
I'm not sure I understand what Portland got away with, exactly, with that double-secret mid-season transfer. Once they're putting players on the MLS roster, that's the MLS organization, and surely they have to obey MLS salary & roster rules, right? Unless they get special dispensation for bringing up players from the old D2 team? That surprises me, if it's true. That would be an advantage that another expansion team with no D2 team behind it (like, say, the Philadelphia Union) doesn't get. And though I guess there will be an expansion draft for Portland and Vancouver, that would only affect other MLS teams, anyway. With regard to the bit about how the Whitecaps would have snatched him up first, I've never heard anything about the two new clubs having special rules or priority for signing players outside of MLS. Maybe Portland got an early-bird special on him, but otherwise it's pretty much open market in this case, isn't it? (Just be glad they didn't see that Groupon in August: Buy one striker, get one free.)
For teams 'moving up' like Seattle, and ... uh, well, prior to this year, Seattle, MLS does indeed have some special rules. I don't know all the specific ins and outs of it, but they are allowed to bring some players along with them from their D2 team in a kind of grandfathering, bypassing the standard expansion routes of Expansion Draft (November), Superdraft (January), and Discovery/standard MLS signing process. And how the Whitecaps would've snatched him up first would've been to fight over him after the D2 season, or pull a switch like Portland did, sign him mid-season and loan him back to Austin for the rest of the season. I don't have a specific source on it, but my impression is that the MLS 'season' (and, therefore, the start of when new teams come under MLS player rules) is after the preceding MLS Cup. So up until the MLS Cup, Vancouver and Portland are free to sign anyone they want. I don't remember how things worked with Philadelphia. Since there wasn't a team already I wasn't paying as close attention to them. I suppose it was theoretically possible for them to sign a player before last year's MLS Cup. But would it really have been that advantageous? I suppose they could've signed someone from the D2 and loaned them back to a D2 team, the way Portland did this year. All just random thoughts. Not sure if I really cleared anything up. Especially since I don't have any links with sources on how it all works.
It may not be a lot but any fee paid for a player is added into the total value of the contract in MLS. It's what made El Flaco a DP player for the Sounders even though he doesn't have a DP contract. Why let little things like that erode your cap money when you can sign a player off of a sister USL team in advance? (and not tell anyone except the Impact video announcers ) It's weird though because a player like Paulo Jr was taken by RSL on loan from Miami FC. They can sign him if they'd like to (including the fee they would certainly pay to Traffic for him) and no other team can make a claim on him. I would think the same thing goes for any player in USSFD2. So it's not as if Eddie would have gone to the team at the top of any allocation list.
Yes, his wife is from over there and every winther after the USL finish, hi move to Alaska to stay with the family and play Indoor
I spoke with a member within the Aztex FO this evening, and was able to get confirmation on a few items that have been discussion points since yesterday: Eddie was indeed sold to Portland during the season, after rosters were locked. As soon as the deal was done, Portland then loaned Eddie to the Aztex for the remainder of the 2010 season. The transfer deal did have a cash exchange. Although I'm not sure what the exact amount was, my contact did state that it was a 6 figure deal. This is in line with long term philosophy of the organization that they bring in players, develop the the talent, sell it, and use the funds to finance additional player development. No news on the trial of Yordany Alvarez in Houston. The trial ends tomorrow, but I don't know anything on whether it will result in anything. At this time, there are no other deals in the works, nor are there plans for any other players to go on trial. However, it's still early in the off season, and there's a lot that can happen. With Max getting Rookie of the Year, I would imagine someone may be looking for him.