I would venture a guess the Rapids are also looking at players on teams that are changing coaches this off-season; like Vancouver or San Jose. New coaches bring different philosophies and systems, and they'll be looking to move guys that don't fit into their plans going forward.
Any player worth bringing in would have at least one option other than the Rapids. Why would any player who has a choice choose Hudson's Rapids? Hudson's team has been the black hole of the soccer universe. Acosta was dangerous before coming in, but lost the ability to find the net on arrival. Ditto for Boli. Martinez got slower and less effective as the season droned on. Gashi went into the witness protection program. Ditto for Blomberg. Wynne was an ineffective teacher's pet. The only incoming players are likely to be homeless players desperate for a gig, SuperDraft future benchwarmer stars, or aging whose-that's and castoffs from third division European clubs. I don't see this disaster getting better any time soon, certainly not under Hudson.
Looks like the Rapids interns who emailed out the season ticket holder list have moved on to work in Georgia's Secretary of State office.
Find an ambitious South American who wants to do well so he can keep moving up the ladder? Or, athletes have big egos...you heard guys talking all the time about "the project" when Pablo was manager. Sell a guy on being big man on campus, leading the club up the table, chance to be a legend? Either way, though, you have to pay. Maybe even pay more to get a guy to come here, Milsap-to-the-Nuggets style.
So Cincinnati get an expansion draft. We can protect 11 players. Who do we all think those players will be?
And keep in mind, if the rules stay the same, all homegrown players are protected on top of the 11 on the list Who I think it will be: Howard, MacMath, Wilson, Smith, Price, Acosta, Jackson, Castillo (if they expect him to return), Gashi, Nicholson, Wynne Who I think it should be: Howard, MacMath, Sjoberg, Castillo (if we think he'll return), Price, Acosta, Jackson, Nicholson, Martinez, Gashi (if he has a no-trade clause), and pick somebody.
Really sad that neither you nor I can come up with 11 that we think that the Rapids should definitely keep. And I'm on the fence about Martinez & Gashi.
Full rules have been published. The only change from last year is that the league is considering last year's and this year's part of the same expansion draft (since normally there are two teams in an expansion draft) so the 5 teams that lost players last yer are off the board for this year: https://www.mlssoccer.com/media-resources/2018-expansion-draft-rules/
Just spit balling, but I'd guess our list would probably look something like this. Acosta Blomberg (int.) Gashi (int., may have no-trade clause) Howard (pretty sure he has a no-trade clause) MacMath Nicholson (int.) Price (int.) Sjöberg Smith (int.) Wilson (int.) Wynne Other guys that I could see showing up on the list would be Hairston, Jackon, and/or Enzo. I could see a situation where Wilson or Smith (or Gashi if he doesn't have a no-trade clause) get taken off this list because they would probably be viewed as prohibitively expensive to pick up their salary.
In this instance, I would prefer that there were an expansion "you must take them" clause we could invoke.
Hmmmmm . . . Generation adidas players who have not been graduated at the end of the 2018 MLS Season and Homegrown Players on a Club’s Supplemental/Reserve Roster at the end of the 2018 MLS Season are automatically protected. Clubs do not have to use a protected slot on them. Clubs don't have to use protected slots on them, but the rule doesn't say clubs can't use protected slots on them. How 'bout the Rapids use protected slots on already-protected players to make more players available for selection? Better yet, how 'bout listing Hudson as a player and leaving him available?
While the attacking end is exciting and sexy to think about, I am wondering how the Rapids will be more stingy in the back. This season it seemed that more often than not they made an egregious mistake that cost and goal or two. And this was with veterans like Danny Wilson and Tommy Smith. I know that defense really starts farthen up field and thus it's more than the back line that is involved. So. how well does Jack Price do with screening for the back three or four? He seems to be a solid distributor, but how often does he break up the opposition's attack? Yes, its more than than going to ground - it's reading the play and anticipating to win the ball. Regardless, even scoring more goals next season, they need to figure out how to stop leaking so many. It looks like there won't be many changes on the back line given that Smith and Wilson will be here for years and of course Ford will be too. Perhaps the only loss there will be Edgar Castillo.
Since Andre Shinyashiki (DU - 28 goals in 19 matches) played on the Rapids' U-23 squad this summer do they have an inside tack to acquire him, or does he go through the MLS SuperDraft?
I figured it's be something like - he seems like a solid prospect, but the Rapids would have to give something(s) up to trade up in the draft I would think.
Another smart-alec thought on the draft rules. The rules say: Five rounds as FC Cincinnati can select up to five players from the eligible pool; they can only claim a single player from any one cluband Once one player has been claimed from a club’s non-protected roster, that club is eliminated from the Expansion Draft and may not lose any further players. Nothing prohibits the Rapids from announcing that it's BOGO Day at the Okie-Dokie Corral: select one and get another free. Cincinnati wouldn't be claiming the freebie, and the Rapids certainly wouldn't be losing anything.
In addition to not being eligible for HG contact despite play for U23’s, Shinyashiki has two other big strikes again him. He’s an international player and he’s a Senior. Separately neither one of those have bode well recently for prospects or teams in the draft. When you have the double whammy - international and senior - that’s almost undraftable unless you’re a “can’t miss guy”. I’ve seen DU play twice Shinyahsiki was good, very good, the best player the pitch by a long shot, but he still didn’t look like a can’t miss prospect. He’ll be drafted, I’m sure, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see him land in the USL Championship directly due to those two strikes. It’s riskier for a MLS club to take a flier on him. If I ran a MLS club that owned and operated a USL club, you bet your ass I’d draft him and stash him away in the USL.
When you say "Senior," I assume you mean in college? Or is it something else. And do these two things hurt his draft prospects because he takes up an international spot without the team drafting him knowing whether or not he'll succeed? I wonder how long it would take him to get a green card? Seems that the Rapids FO has specialized in helping members of their squad get them.
Your assumption is correct. He’s a college Senior. He might even be a redshirt Senior but I don’t believe that’s the case. Spot on. Your assumption is again correct. Those international slots are at a premium so it makes sense MLS clubs would rather spend that one a proven international or one that at least has professional resume. Shinyahsiki spent a year or maybe two at a prominent private / boarding school Montvede Academy in FL. I know it’s tricky if educational years are counted towards earning a Green Card. We witnessed that in the long process with Sjoberg.
Lalas calling out the FO: Agreed. Are you? https://t.co/20XAvRbmlX— Alexi Lalas (@AlexiLalas) November 12, 2018
Rumor is Vines and Bassett are training at Freiburg. Edit: article: https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2018...-bassett-and-sam-vines-train-bundesliga-clubs
Thrilled yet deeply saddened by the quality of MLS play in the play offs Thursday and yesterday. Thrill in seeing how far this league has come, sad to be a supporter of a team that has let itself be left behind.