Per Garth, contracts have been signed with an American in Germany and an Argentine midfielder. Big surprise, right? Waiting on "player passes". Also agreement has been made with a Columbian defender. Let the speculation on this one begin.
He was on Bill Riley's show (althougn Riley wasn't there, but Spence Checketts was). Now go to the bathroom.
LMAO Thanks. I need to remember to turn the radio to 700 on Tuesdays. Anything else of interest from Garth?
He talked about the draft. Nothing surprising. Said that we should be able to get an impact player at 3. Said that into early 2nd round, alot of players who would be starter material after a year or two. He seemed to indicate that the draft is weak on the top-end, but a little deeper in the middle.
Re the Colombian defender, DC United signed one guy (Gonzalo Martinez, who played for Millionarios most recently, is 31, and played for the Colombian NT in 2001 and 2002) and one other is reportedly ready to sign with MLS but the team is undisclosed. Jair Benitez, currently with Deportivo Cali, played right back for the Colombian NT in the 2007 Copa America and is 29. Could he be our guy? (not sure which of those guys is Benitez ) Thanks to BS poster EstebanLugo for posting the general rumor in the MLS N&A rumors thread. Someone with connections, time to ask?
Hmmm. In my mind I was sure that this would be a central defender. A left back, and now maybe a right back. This could be right, though. Maybe a central defender is still to come - I assume that we wouldn't be relying on our draft pick to fill this spot. I guess another option is Sturgis or Besagno, although both make me nervous without having a solid veteran player there as plan B. PS - Any guy that gives Beckham a shove like that is alright in my book.
After doing some research of Spanish online resources (using my vast Spanish skills - aka Babel Fish) I found this interesting article... http://www.elpais.com.co/paisonline/deportes2003/notas/Enero152008/depor02.html Sounds like 5 Columbians coming to MLS: Gonzalo Martinez - defender, 31, Millionarios (DC) Ivan Trujillo - forward, 25, Deportivo Cali (KC) Luis Cabezas - forward, 21, Deportivo Cali (rumored NYRB) Jamilson Olave - central defender, 26, Deportivo Cali Jair Benitez - right back, 29, Deportivo Cali So I think Olave, and Benitez could both be options. I don't know anything about them, but I'd bet on the central back over the right back. Another article here on BS about Columbians coming to MLS https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?t=644029&highlight=cabezas
benetiz sucks... he cant take a hit or flys like 16 feet.... the fact that he has ever wore our yellow shirt brings a tear to my eye.... Olave.... he is great defender, fast , strong but a bit of a brute and sees red at times which is prob why he doesnt start at cali none of the players u mentioned are starters and werent taken into account this season by their teams, sorry to break it to you guys only good player going to MLS is Gonzalez but at 32 he doesnt have much time left
I guess there is a possibility that it isn't one of these players, but I expect that it likely is. Hopefully the price is low (although using an int'l spot is a big "cost"), and we can use them as backup.
id expect either of these player to start if they do come... that is the main reason they are coming... that and the dollars Olave is very strong, but if he can control his temper he can be a class CB. And deportivo cali is known for great defenders in the past 3 years we had 1 go to Inter Milan Nelson Rivas who is also a brute and Cristian Zapata to Udinese and now Juventus wants him. Benetiz.... well most the guys on the colombian forum hate him because he is good but is no where near NT quality. He is good at almost everything but the air and it is very fustrating that he takes a little hit and falls to the ground and wants the game to stop for him.
Regardless, I bet he lasts longer before his first red card than the comparatively calm Richie Kotschau did last season!
All time classic moment in RSL history... That and Pope coming completely unhinged when on of MLS's resident idiots fell for a Ruiz dive and tossed Pope.
I gotta say it... sorry, I can't help it - it's my nature ... I'm actually thinking the FO is doing some good work this offseason - they seem to be getting realistic solid candidates to fill some holes. The 3 Argentines - good move (this was JK right?) Cordoba - seems like a decent move Olaves - same as above Ian Joy - seems like a good/within budget buy Are they the best players in the world? No. But this is MLS and we aren't in LA... We're also cash strapped having put a lot of capital into the stadium project. These seem like the kinds of moves they should be making - are there any gaurantees? No, but I'd rather see a 26 year old Columbian and some Tier B league players than old, battle worn (out) names. ------------- Note - the fact that we will have several Latino players seems to blow the "latin bias" theory out of the water.
Season One? I think that was Ruiz' strike partner, Eddie Johnson. Either way, it was a stinky moment in team history.
Is Olaves our guy? I'm a little skeptical. But I sure hope it is him rather than the other rumored Colombians coming to the league.
MLS Rumors is reporting that LA is looking to move Chris Albright http://mlsrumors.blogspot.com/ What are your thoughts on a draft and trade situation? I think it would add some depth at right back and give us a defender that can go forward and is good in the air. Not to mention the fact that Albright would be ready to go day one.
Has he recovered from his injury? I would be too concerned about getting another Eskandarian (who never seemed to recover his pre-injury form).
This would intrigue me. Adding Albright on the other side would suddenly have our defense in very good shape.
I pulled this from the LA site: Albright, 28, will be entering his 10th season in MLS in 2008 and his seventh with the Galaxy. He appeared in just five regular season games in 2007 before suffering a torn right hamstring on May 20, ruling him out for the remainder of the season. The Galaxy right back had recovered enough from his injury in order to participate in all five of the club's postseason friendlies last year. A member of the U.S. National Team at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, Albright has made 172 career appearances in MLS and has earned 22 caps with the National Team. It seems that he is match fit, plus there are still 2.5 months to rehab his hamstring before the season opens at the end of march.