Which is why we have MLS general forums for folks from other forums to talk about what they think is best for MLS. I'm not trying to mod this forum - I just don't want to read how non-fans would love it if Zidane went to Chicago especially when I'm pissed about the prospect.
I have faith in Bruce and if Zidane goes to Chicago I wouldn't be that pissed... BA knows and has worked well with Claudio over the years while we have no idea how Zizou would be w/ the Bulls... Granted Zizou would fill more seats but I would rather have a tight team that is winning first and worry about filling the seats post facto... Besides we need a striker not another midfielder...
Yeah, but....if Houston signs someone from Mexico...does Toronto really need to know about it? DK is right. If he was coming to NY, it's a NY issue. If he's going to Chicago, and you have Chicago fans talking to NY about how good it is for Chicago...it's not a NY issue. I'm not really sure there's a point to this thread anymore, to be honest. We should either keep in on NY, or close it. I can do without- no disrespect intended- JoeW telling NY his opinion on what they should or should not do with their cap.
I'm hopeful that this team can do well with Reyna in the middle, I just don't have as much faith in his hamstrings et al to hold up. Zidane not mesh with whatever team he joins? I'm not worried about that one.
1. That doesn't make any sense. The Red Bulls have been playing 4-5-1 in the preseason. Zidane played at the top of the midfield triangle for France in a 4-5-1 just in this past Cup. Reyna is a holding mid and a two-way central midfielder. By now, everyone knows that. He would fit in perfectly behind Zidane in central midfield along with Kovalenko or even Stammler. 3. Everyone knows that Schopp will not be around in 2008 unless he either takes a pay cut or RB can't find another DP by then. I'm not sure who this journalist is, but he doesn't appear to cover RB. 4. In your earlier post, you explicitly stated that Zidane "turned down" RB. In this post, you are saying that "negotiations stalled." Those two perspectives are miles apart. Just because negotiations stalled, it doesn't necessarily imply that Zidane turned down RB. Your position was highly speculative. It's a bit irritating to see a DC fan come on these boards and try to give all the RB fans pointers and advice when it is clear that he has no idea what he is talking about.
The rumor has moved to Chicago, as should this thread. Just my opinion. BTW - DK, I know you'd prefer to have Zidane over Reyna, but I'd prefer to have them both in MLS. If they can't be on the same team, so be it. I'm happy we got one of the two. Sucks to be Columbus.
Any chances AEG (Chicago) and Red Bull are in a bidding war, I mean, it is hard to imagine that we don't have interest in him.
I am starting to feel a little jipped by Red Bull, if LA has Becks and Chi has Zidane, I would hope we find a way to bring in an international star with our second dp. On MLS Underground it was being talked about clearing salary and using guys as bargaining chips because of the sucess of some of our trialists...maybe we are freeing up cap room for our second dp.
Well, as someone pointed out on another thread, those two teams have something we don't right now: an SSS. The ability to take advantage of multiple revenue streams gives those teams a leg up for now. RB may decide that it's not worth shelling out $10mm/yr on a player while we're paying astronomical rent to NJSEA at the same time. As much as I hate to admit it, that is a reasonable decision, and it may imply that we should wait til next year to make a big signing. However, that raises a question. Who would be big enough, available on a free and be willing to come? Well, Ronaldo is done with Milan in June of 2008, and he would be 31, which is Beckham's age right now. I don't know who else would fit the criteria. On the other hand, if the real thought is that Arena doesn't want any megastars on the team, that would piss me off. Or, if RB doesn't want to commit the funds or just can't negotiate with these stars as well as AEG, that would tick me off also. Lastly, a player like Delgado filling up the 2nd slot for the next 3 years would also make me sick.
Good points, maybe we are freeing up cap room for our 2nd DP...and Figo is still out there looking at his options,he will make up his mind at the end of Inter season... http://www.goal.com/en-us/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=232421
I'd rather Figo choked on his own bile and died before playing in MLS after the crap he said about this year with Inter being his last year of soccer "that matters." For every Beckham who gets it, we have a hundred Figos who think MLS is a vacation and have no interest in winning a nation to the sport.
I'm sorry but when you have a player that is rumored to be going to two different teams then conversation about said player should be allowed in either teams threads!
Zidane coming to MLS with Chicago side? In this morning European soccer magazine news dated 02/16/07. http://www.goal.com/en-us/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=235815
Ronaldinho sacrifice for Man-U C.Ronaldo? Could MLS be in the near future for Ronaldinho after all, due to major Italian league problems? http://www.soccer365.com/EUROPEAN_NEWS/Spain_News/page_181_137136.shtml http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8652_1865053,00.html
its basically echoing that wash post blog...nothing new there. Goal.com reads the same BS we all do, they just have the luxery of posting it on a very popular domain name
I can't imagine that RB would let a name like Zidane go to Chicago. You knew Becks would go to LA but to let Zidane go, to me, would mean that they are waiting for next year.
No disrespect taken. Nor do I intend my post to either be taunting or telling y'all what to do with your cap. My post was intended as informational. Assuming Goff is correct, your team (along with Chicago) did begin negotiations with Zidane so that's a useful confirmation. And there was an active thread on your forum about Zidane so info that he's supposedly negotiating with Chicago is I think useful there. And of course, I completely agree that it's completely appropriate for your mods to decide which threads belong in this forum or don't. USMNT--you said there is no indication that Zidane turned down any proposal from Red Bull. Goff does say that negotiations stalled. So that implies that either Zidane asked for something that Red Bull wasn't willing to offer. That doesn't sound plausible to me--your owners (from the loan of Schopp to the buses to RFK last year to exploratory conversations with a lot of big names) have shown a real willingness to spend dollars and go the extra mile. Or Zidane turned down an offer from Red Bull and walked away. DK--yes, Sarachan could be right and both Steve Goff and John Dyson (who have independently reported this) could be wrong. Or Zidane could ultimately conclude not to sign. But I suspect that if conversations with Zidane are happening as Goff and Dyson report, than Tim Lieweke of AEG is the guy doing the talking, not Guppy or Sarachan. And Sarachan's qualifying phrase was "as far as I know." In any case, it will be interesting, however it plays out.
I think that to the Red Bull parent company, the marketing benefits of Zidane's pictures with the huge Red Bull logo spread around the world would squash Arena's desire, assuming he would even be against it. Somehow I have a hard time accepting that anyone who knows anything about soccer and the need to market it in the USA would object to having Zidane on his team. As for Figo, I would caution everyone to refrain from jumping down his throat about remarks he made unless you're doubly sure he made such remarks. Much of what has been attribute to him saying apparently he didn't say. Back to Zidane, I believe that Red Bull has been after him all along. I think that Zadine signing with NY would be bigger news around the world, including the USA, than Beckham's signing with LA. And I think the group that gave us Pele, Shakira, and natural grass for the first game under their name is the kind of group that both wants the publicity and has the deep pockets to make it happen. I also think it would make sense to sign him this year. The rent at Giant Stadium is high but they are already committed to it anyway. The increase in attendance would more than pay for itself. Also, it would force a huge jump in season ticket sales for next year because of the limited capacity of Red Bull Park. And please, for those of you who type in bold that ZIDANE IS RETIRED, don't say it to me. I lived through the PELE IS RETIRED 70's. And this time, unlike Pele, Zidane wouldn't come to play on a patched-up dirt field like Pele did, and there was no Beckham-like players in the league yet. I think the odds are better now that Zidane would return than they were in the 70's that Pele would. Plus Pele didn't have a headbutt as the one last thing that everyone remembers to want to overcome (although Zidane being French that might be a badge of honor ).