http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartosz_Bosacki the possible target according to Goff http://blog.washingtonpost.com/soccerinsider/
Pretty good player. Scored two goals I believe against Costa Rica in World Cup 2006. Would be a quality addition and would definately help with your defensive woes. Quality stuff as a Polish fan.
I see where he is a center back. Would make Erpen even more tradeable (for wingback help), unless the thought is that Boswell is gone.
We don't have defensive woes. It's a hiccup. This is MLS; a uniquely American sport. Every week is a new season. Have a beer. He'd be nice to have, if that's who it is and I still remember Ivanov, so I'll just reserve my joy until he becomes the rock of DC. Summer is hot as balls in America. I've seen many a European melt away in the late afternoon sun. Erpen is not going anywhere. He shouldn't be the scapegoat for our defensive woes. The team could use a seasoned center back with international experience. More competition = less focus on bobbyboswell.com and more focus on starting and playing.
I feel like we need 3 legitimate centerbacks so this is a great move. There are yellow card accumulation issues and the possibility of injuries, Having a veteran to push both Boswell and Erpen for a spot could be priceless. Plus maybe we could score on a corner kick someday.
Agree that Erpen shouldn't be the scapegoat here, but I think he's shown that he is far better in the center than on the wing, and if Bos stays then I'm not sure it makes sense to continue to carry Erpen's $115K. At least, I'd listen to outside back offers.
Sure, I'm jumping the gun, but... I guess this could be the start of DC's storied Bo Bo Defense. Heh.
If this is the target (and I bet Goff is correct), than it has several implications... 1. We're definitely committed to a 442 (or at least a back 4). It makes no sense to add Bosacki and have Boswell (even if Erpen was released--and I don't think he will be) if you're playing 3 in the back b/c no way Boswell and Bosacki could play at the same time in a 352. OTOH, having Erpen, Boswell and Bosacki would give us 3 good choices for 2 spots. 2. Regardless of what happens next year (ie: Erpen doesn't return, Boswell goes overseas--whatever), there is this summer. No Euro callups for the Copa--I'm thinking there is a very good chance that Boswell is called up to at least 1 tourney this summer. How'd you like to have a 442 with Erpen and McTavish as your starting center backs and then one of them gets a card or a nick? 3. I know people keep talking about a left back. With a 442, we certainly need to add at least one more outside back we feel comfortable subbing in late in tight matches or starting sometime. But if we go with a 442 and use the pinched diamond/narrow diamond, than Gros doesn't have a starting spot unless it's at outside back. Yes, we can play a wide formation (and we've done that by putting Casal and Moose and DeRoux on the field at times) but that means less support for our D-mid, less ability of Gomez to push up. For now, I think we play the pinched diamond and then put the speed on the field in the second half (Casal or Moose or DeRoux). They help with the tired outside backs, they spread the field and they're using their young legs against tired defenders. It's a good strategy and also shows the other team 2 different looks (narrow diamond, wide diamond). 4. I like that he's a good corner target. Just as an aside, Bosacki also spent a few seasons with Nurnberg in the Bundesliga. I wonder if he overlapped with Sanneh at all?
The question with the diamond is can we play with just one d-mid. If so then we can have something like this: ----Emilio--------------Jaime --------------Gomez ----Gros----------------Fred --------------Olsen --Namoff--Bosacki--Boswell--Erpen --------------Perkins I think that's our best XI...assuming Olsen can get enough support to hold the fort back there without Carroll or Simms to help him out. Note we could play this even without Bosacki by replacing him in that formation with McTavish, if it's really true McT can play good enough CB (I'm not convinced yet) or by moving Erpen inside and playing McT outside. In the second half, we could sub Gomez for Casal or Moose and then move Fred inside. If we need defense, sub Gomez for Simms or Carroll and have them play next to Olsen. Meanwhile the other two guys who can't always go 90 (Jaime and Olsen) also have obvious subs (Kpene/Addlery and Simms/Carroll).
you know as a coach I have watched new youth coaches, unfamiliar with the game become obsessed with formations and positioning. And a lot of people on these boards subscribe to some orthodox notion of how formations are played and where everyone has to be. You can play 3 in the back with essentially 3 central defender types, it just changes the expectations on your wingers...you can play 3 in the back with 2 central defender-types and have it kind of unbalanced and your wingers playing differently on either side of the field. Hell, the difference between a 4-4-2 with Josh Gros in the back and a 3-5-2 with him this year is 10 feet on the kickoff and his instructions for how to play...they're just numbers, just shorthand
As this guy is a veteran and a national team player, does this mean United plans on using their DP slot on him
I agree that there is an overemphasis on formation. But without really knowing a lot more about Bosacki, if we tried to play both Erpen and Boswell as the outside defenders in a 3-5-2, we'd get spanked. They'd be dealing with speed coming down the sidelines and that isn't their strength. Additionally, the assumption that our wingbacks would help out on defense--right now, Gros is the only candidate who has seen up to it. So instead, we're playing with 2 central defenders and put our wingbacks as outside defenders. Effectively those outside defenders are our wingbacks except they play a lot more than 10 feet back on the kickoff (especially when we have the ball).
If Beckham and Angel are being brought in at 31, this guy could do it if his health is good. After all he is a central defender. There's already a bunch of defenders in MLS at or beyond that age : Suarez, Marshall, Brown, Vanney, Pope etc... The key is to make sure this guy is physically fit. I'm assuming that if he played for the Poland NT in the WC one year ago, he's probably adequate to MLS standards.
Could someone update me on DC's cap situation? Bringing in a $200K player, without releasing a big salary player, would that make it impossible for DC to bring in a DP?
You betcha. Not sure what this really brings us yet. Too much to think about this early in the morning. Twentysomething up and coming depth vs. proven veteran depth?
Well if he comes in and plays horrible, at least we'll get a good banner out of it. "Sacki the Bosacki!"
Why do I keep reading the assumption that Boswell will be gone next year. If he thinks he's good enough to head to Europe, he'll be following in Carroll footsteps. The way he's playing right now, I doubt he'll be leaving MLS any time soon, let alone United through the summer months (i.e., not getting called up for the Nats). As for the Pole, if he's better than any one of our two center backs, then bring him in. But if he's going to have to fight with Erpen for the spot, I'd rather see United build defensive depth with young Americans... like a certain defender who plays in Puerto Rico right now.
If he wants to come and play then it sounds like a good deal. I am no Erpen fan but dumping him would be stupid as then we would still be just as thin in the back line. they need to dump midfielders if they need cap room.
DC United's Current 18 Player Senior Roster Salary $ (only the salary $ of these players impacts the Salary Cap/Budget - the 10 developmental players' salaries are exempt from the Salary Cap/Budget): * Base Salaries: $1.840M * Guaranteed Salary (Base Salary & Items Like Signing Bonuses Amortized over Life of Cotnract): $1.965M * Note - Allocations $ can be used to defray salary cap hits - since mls.net is still way behind is updating its Master Allocation List, there is no way to know if alloaciton $ were used to knock down salaries of players like Emilio or Fred (both of whom's salaries were 20% or more higher than Goff reported when they were signed). For now, I assume that no allocation $ ewre used to knock down salaries as DCU is still under the cap even with a Bosacki acquisition. * There seems to be conflicting reports on whether the actual salary cap is a base salary only number or a guaranteed salary number. I have seen a MLS reporter or two say that it is just based on base salary. In every other major pro sport, guaranteed salary (including amortizing the signing bonus over the life of the contract) is used for salary cap purposes (otherwise, teams would just sign players to low base salary - high signing bonus contracts). Since MLS is a single entity that signs all players contracts, it is possible that it only wants base salary used but to be conservative in terms of saying how much salary cap $ are available, I would assume that a team's guaranteed salary $ is the measure to be used against the salary cap. * The salary cap is between $2.1M and $2.2M (I have yet to see an exact number from any reliable source - while Goff is the master of providing the MLS salary list, Soccer America seems to be the most reliable over the years in terms of knowing the cap limit). In terms of the actual cap - split the difference and say it is $2.15M. * DCU's current cap space is $185K (based on guaranteed salary) or $310K (based on base salary). * If Bosacki is signed for $200K, he would fit regardless of which $ amount is used to measure the team salary cap since: - a player needs to move from the current 18 player roster. The likely candidate is Walker and his $31K salary. By dumping Walker, the available salary cap $ are $216K (based on guaranteed salary) or $341K (based on base salary). Either $ amount is able to handle a $200K salary for Bosacki.
Right, but at that point, a DP is out of the question, as DC would be slam up against the cap. They'd have to release ~$400K worth of player to get the space to sign a DP. Given MLS' structure, I think smart teams operate on a 2 year plan. If that's what Payne is doing, I'll tell you exactly what a 32 year old defender brings us. If he's good, he can help us win some hardware before next year's rebuilding of the attacking core of the team. Let's face it, at this moment, Gomez isn't signed, and Moreno may or may not accept a supersub role and a supersub salary. DC only has one proven wide player, Gros, and he's proven at the "solid MLSer" level, he's not an MLS star. Brian Carroll, for some reason, has decided to suck so far this season. What if that continues? Olsen's had alot of leg/foot injuries, and in my experience those players tend to age very quickly once they start going downhill. Isn't this Boswell's last season? If not, it's his next to last, and for a guy who hasn't signed the offered contract extension, you have to think he will leave on a free or might get sold if he has a year left. I think DC's roster is going to be very, very different next year. So Payne may be looking at this guy as a one year solution to a one year problem, and if contributes anything beyond that, it's gravy. I have a Chicago Bulls, 1998 feeling about this team right now. I hope it ends the same way.