Re: What players do we protect and who's not coming back? yeah i feel like they are getting like how ronaldinho kind of is and definitely was his last few moments at barcelona. big names who feel they do not have to work hard because the politics of the whole thing. meanwhile, you have players who work their butts off on and off the field like others players - i.e. chioma igwe or klein. players like them who actually run back on defense and care about getting the ball back before the other team counter attacks. those are real, true players that play 100% of the time. being professional soccer players is not about the glitz and glamour they bring to the pitch, it is about if they can play consistently at a high level. consistentcy is the main thing - players like igwe and klein play consistent and at a high level all the time. i know the "national team players" are protected for whatever reason, but you cannot overlook the fact that they do not play more consistently than others for the whole season. lloyd did not even wake up until the last part of the season and by then, it was too late for playoffs.
Re: What players do we protect and who's not coming back? Klein is my favorite player and on a couple of occasions I have told her so because she is always working, hustling back on defense, and making the right pass at the right time. She, IMO is the hardest worker on the Red Stars. She has also covered for Lloyd on an occasion or two, IMO. Igwe and Klein are also very nice. Great kids.
Re: What players do we protect and who's not coming back? Bummer. Salisbury is built to last. Like Lilly, I thought she would play until the mandatory retirement age of 65.
Re: What players do we protect and who's not coming back? Must protect: Defense: 1). Jonsson--No question for me that she was the MVP of the team. She was left out to dry so many times by the team defense, the team record could have been much worse. 2). Dalmy--She's versatile--remember when Emma started her at forward? She was looking really dangerous, until she got wiped out on a tackle...and Yes, Marian, it should have been a red card. I like her height, especially against big forwards like Abby and Christine Sinclair. She's confident and steady. 3). Ostberg--She's not that big, but she carries a wallop. I like her aggressiveness and the synergy she had with Jonsson was vital. I know she's officially a middie, but she was playing defense for much of the last part of the season. Midfield: 1). Rapinoe--one of the most exciting players on the team. Her precision in passing is overlooked. I think she got ahead of herself sometimes but she's only going to get better. I'm not sure what's going on with her fitness, because it seems she gets subbed out a lot. 2). Klein--easily the nicest surprise of the season. She is involved, keeps the ball, and is a good young player. 3). Lloyd--Wow, what to say? Did her early injury have a lot to do with the rest of her season? It wasn't that she played particularly poorly all the time, but it seemed like she just disappeared sometimes. You can't let her go, though, not just for marketing reasons but because of her potential. Forward: 1). Christiane--duh. 2). Tarpley--the weight of being the face of the team seemed to be getting to her as the season went on. Not just the on field stuff, but all the other demands on her time and energy that go with such responsibility. But she's a true professional and kept showing up. Loved the excitement she showed when she got her goal against LA, though! 3). Carney--What an exciting player! Everytime she got the ball with green in front of her was a treat to watch. And her fitness? She went just as fast at 90 minutes as she did at the start. Amazing. As for the 10th player to protect? Pick 'em. Igwe, because of her speed. Dieke was making some nice progress on defense and is tough as nails. Spilger is a crowd favorite because of the flip throw thing, but it's flashy and didn't really lead to anything. Krzysik never really got out of the doghouse. Garriock had some flashes of brilliance, but was out for a long time. I like Masar but how many short, quick forwards can we expect to keep? The decisions are going to be tough.
Re: What players do we protect and who's not coming back? Igwe, all the way! That kid has soccer in her genes.
Re: What players do we protect and who's not coming back? You're right about Tarpley. She is the face of the team. Her picture was everywhere. On every brochure and on billboards by both airports, Midway and OHare.
Re: What players do we protect and who's not coming back? Igwe didn't exactly lite it up. Has potential, but there was something missing. However, I certainly hope we bring back the Santa Clara kids in Dalmy, Igwe, Klein next year. They are very much loved by Red Stars fans.
Re: What players do we protect and who's not coming back? No two situations are the same, but in general there's regular communication between peers (GM to GM and coach to coach). In terms of trade talk activity, some teams have a more proactive GM (LA for instance) and some have a more proactive coach (Chicago). Trades rarely occur if both coaches and both GMs don't all agree on the deal. Ownership rarely gets involved to the point of veto. Players attitudes/opinions sometimes/often influence deals, but generally it's about making the respective teams better positionally.
FYI, making these lists is problematic for fans, because free agents can not be protected and the list of free agents hasn't been publicly announced. Developmental players are all free agents as well. Timelilne and expansion details will be announced by the League soon.
Wow that makes it even more interesting. I guess I assumed most of the players signed multi-year contracts. Now the twitter message that Mark Washo (Freedom GM) sent out yesterday makes more sense: "Sonia negotiating 2010 off contract in my office with Coach Gabarra- Sonia's back in 10'!" I wonder if any other international players only signed one year contracts as a type of trial. I guess if they hadn't negotiated for 2010 then Sonia would have been available in the expansion draft.
No, if a player is a free agent, she is available to ALL teams, so she is not part of the expansion draft.
Should I stay or should I go now I think these lists are more of a wish list for fans, at least that's how I viewed it. As has been pointed out, there is obviously more to this that figuring out who you want. There's also the prospect of trading. If you don't particularly want Player A but Team B has a player you do want and they need a player like Player A, maybe you still protect Player A in hopes of a later deal with Team B. The permutations in this horse trading are endless and, like poker, based as much on knowledge of key individuals and their psychology as much as on "absolute" value of the players. This is why I do not envy you the task of making it all work.
So are they one season contracts, which means they are basically over in August or are they one year contracts, in which case most of them wouldn't be over until January through March? I guess I'm trying to work out in my mind how long a team would have if they wanted to re-sign somebody to negotiate with them without having to compete against the other teams. Plus I guess I'm trying to compare to men's soccer leagues where they play nearly year round in most countries. Actually, I thought most of the contracts were probably one-year deals except for the top players, but I forgot about the free agent part of it and just assumed that the team they were with would get first shot at negotiating. Which I guess shows what I am by assuming...
I remember reading that Cristiane signed a one-year contract. Does this mean that she will be a free agent?
I don't see Chritiane going anywhere. From what I've heard/read she likes Chicago, the team and the other players like her. She fits in with the chemistry.
In the absence of a collective bargaining agreement, all personnel matters including contracts and contract status are private.
Thanks for helping me understand this better. So there are national team players that were allocated, players that were drafted (both through foreign and domestic drafts), players that are free agents, and players from development programs? I'm assuming that each of these categories have their own specific r&r concerning contracts. By the way, I want to thank you and all the Red Stars staff for their work this season. I know the results weren't what everyone had hoped for, but the experience was fantastic. My three kids and the friends who alternated coming with me all enjoyed the park and the games. After the WUSA went away, I had always promised myself that I would support a new league. So glad I chose to be a season ticket holder.
Thanks very much. All developmental players are free agents after the season. Full rostered players can have contracts with options (team, player or mutual option) or contracts without options. If an option is not picked up by the end of September, the player becomes a free agent. If a contract does not have an option and expires, the player is a free agent. We have a few free agents in addition to any options we decide not to exercise.
Seems like something of a Catch-22 situation to me: it sounds as if the best way to protect a player who wants to stay with your team is to not sign her to a contract, so she's a free agent and can sign with whomever she wants. But if she does sign a contract with you, then she's at risk unless she's one of your top nine (or ten or whatever the number ends up being).
If you feel comfortable that she's going to sign with you eventually and are willing to A) take the risk of losing her and B) having another team bid up the signing figure, then yes, you're better off NOT signing her until after the expansion draft, so you don't use up one of the ten protected spots.
You Chicago Red Stars are so lucky! when I was little, a couple of my friends used to say to me: " I wish my mom/dad was as cool as your mom/dad" Now, I understand better what they meant. As a FCGP fan: " CRS, I wish my CEO was as cool as your CEO" Thanks Peter Wilt not only for the Red Stars but also for engaging all fans of the league by taking the time and explaining this process.
Peter Wilt is a beloved figure by Chicago soccer fans. When I heard that Mr. Wilt was going to head this organization, my trust in it's success went up 1000 fold. He surrounds himself with talented people that have character and personality. He did that with the Fire and he's doing it with the Red Stars. He knows many fans by their first names and fans are loyal to him. Peter Wilt gets it when it comes to putting fans first, and this filters down to his staff. I've already renewed my season tickets for next year and I have a feeling that we will lead the league in season tickets sold again. Yes, we Red Stars fans are lucky and grateful for the leadership that we have. We just need to turn it around on the field next year.