RAPIDS SIGN AMERICAN DEFENDER CHASE HILGENBRINCK The Left-Sided Player Comes Home to the States After Starting Career in Chile COMMERCE CITY, CO. (Thursday, January, 24 2008) – The Colorado Rapids announced today that they have signed defender CHASE HILGENBRINCK McDONALD, who will report to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park this weekend for the beginning of training camp. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed per team and league policy. “Chase will use his speed and experience to help us continue to bolster our defense that gave up the third fewest goals in the league this past season,” said head coach Fernando Clavijo. Hilgenbrinck has spent his entire professional career in Chile after going undrafted in the 2004 MLS SuperDraft. He signed with Huachipato of the first division and was then loaned to Naval. After his contract expired with Huachipato he signed with Ñublense in the second division. Hilgenbrinck helped “Los Diablos Rojos” gain promotion to the first division in 2006. The Quincy, Illinois product played his college soccer at Clemson University. Hilgenbrinck started 58 of the 74 games he played over four years, and scored three goals while recording 10 assists. While with the Tigers, he played on the same backline as US National Team defender Oguchi Onyewu. In other roster moves the Rapids declined to extend the contracts of midfielder JOSE CANCELA and defender TONY SANNEH. Chase Hilgenbrinck McDonald – Defender Height: 5’10” Weight: 163 DOB: April 2, 1982 in Quincy, Illinois Last Club: Ñublense, Chile Transaction MLS Colorado Rapids – Sign defender Chase Hilgenbrinck McDonald. Declined to sign midfielder Jose Cancela and defender Tony Sanneh to new contracts.
Ok, signing fresh American youth with some proven experience...that is good. But another left sided defender after trading for Burciaga? I'm confused. Hopefully he can in the middle as well. Cancela and Sanneh end their short Rapids careers but Jovan's continues to drag on.
All I can say is, I completely agree. Seems odd we sign this kid after trading for Burciaga - <begin thick sarcasm> Clavijo in his infintiely genius ways must have a "plan" Can't wait to see <end thick sarcasm>
“Chase will use his speed and experience to help us continue to bolster our defense that gave up the third fewest goals in the league this past season,” said head coach Fernando Clavijo. Looks like Clavijo intends on using Burciaga as a left midfielder instead. So we're looking at: Burciaga----Erpen----Cooke Hilgenbrinck-Petke-Ugo-Kimura Or something along those lines.
This has the makings of being Clavijo's annual take a player on a pre-season trip signing? Martin Morales Yherland McDonald Chase Hilgenbrinck I hope Chase is different, but based on what the team has and what the team needs this doesn't make sense.
If we do end up trading Pablo - maybe our midfield will look more 4-3-3 ish ... like this ... -------------DP----------------- Clark-----------------------Herc ----Burciaga----O'Brian----Cooke Hilgenbrinck----Petke---Erpen----Ugo Or with Erpen up and Kosuke in like you said.
When the Rapids go out to purchase players from foreign countries, they don't shop uptown. They go rummaging around in the bargain basements of the soccer world. McManus and now Hilgenbrinck are not exactly household names, are they? Could they be this year's Roberto Brown and Yherland McDonald? The RFO has hinted that some players don't want to come here. Perhaps we're not the only ones in the world who consider the Rapids to be a pretty sucky organization.
I'm thinking we are going to have no goals against this year and our line up will look like this: HilgenbrinckMcDonald/Burciaga/Ugo/Petke/Gargan/Erpen/Prideaux/O'Brien/Keel Hughes/Bouna These 11 will form a wall in front of the goal and not move while the opponents sit back and rip shots off at them. FC is a freakin defensive genius.
Its a poverty mentality. You hear FC bitching about not having resources all the time, so he thinks poor. My parents did this. My mom paid $19.50 buying me Sears Huskie's jeans while all the other kids at school got Levis for $20.00. They only bought crap Fords when a car that would actually run didn't cost more, they just perceived it to cost more. Think poor and you are poor. FC believes he has no resources, so why even try to go after European markets, when you believe all you can afford is Uruguay, Haiti and Equidor. This is the difference between crap and greatness. Greatness has the ability to make something even when your given nothing. Clavijo doesn't want greatness, he'll do for having his freakin contract honored. Sorry, Chase, by the way, welcome home and welcome to the Rapids.
I think the Rapids want to blame Colorado as a location for players not wanting to come here. When in fact it's the organization. Would players want to go to Manchester if there wasn't a Man U there? I don't mind the dumpster diving. I just wish the team were wiser about it. Alain Nkong was a dumpster dive, that we cut twice, and who is now won a title in Mexico and is on the bench for Cameroon. Dedi was a dumpster dive that didn't pan out for personal reasons, but he was solid for us. Aitor, remember him, was a bargain hunters dream, but we cut him. Cooke, was a dumpster dive. There's nothing wrong with these players other then the fact that only one of them is still with the team. Meanwhile we still have Niko and Kirovski.
On paper, I don't mind the lineup, but I don't think Cooke will be as useful in the midfield in a 4-3-3 because he'll have to pinch into the middle more and take on more defensive responsibilities. He's also not fast enough to take Herc's spot in your lineup, and usually a 4-3-3 requires quick wingers flanking the lone forward up top. That, and I don't think Clavijo's aggressive enough to try a 4-3-3, especially with only one D-Mid on the roster in O'Brien, if the Pablo trade rumors become truth.
You're right - and where I have cooke is completely wrong. Man we've still got some big holes to fill!
I really don't know much about Chase, other than what was in the press release. In 2004, no coach in the league thought he was worth anything (that's what being undrafted means I would guess), but he went and played in Chile where he presumably matured and grew his pro game. Maybe he is just a "bring a new player on a pre-season trip," but we'll see. I think the major question is: WHO WILL SCORE GOALS???? Having the third most stingy defense is great, IF you have guy who can score. Currently, we can presume that H Gomez will be back and 100% (and NOT relegated to the bench maybe). We know he can score with a little help from his team mates. Ballouchy maybe? Any offense there? We have our PK taker. What about Niko?? So our (MY) top 10 questions about Rapids 2008, in summary, are: 1. WHO WILL BE OUR GOAL SCORER(S)? 2. Will H Gomez be in the dog house? 3. Will Ballouchy prove himself to be able? 4. Will Niko continue to spiral downward if he gets a chance? 5. Who will replace Pablo as our enforcer/suspension king? 6. Will Bouna get better with his positioning and distribution? 7. With a potentially "bolstered" defense, will every game be a 0-0 tie with a loss here and there? 8. Will Cooke return to '06 form? 9. Will the cone try to show something this year (being the last in his contract)? and the number one question about the Rapids 2008 season: 10. Will Clavijo survive the entire year???? Ah, the drama. With the writers strike, this is as good as it gets! Mike
I like something around these lines (this is if we get Razov and Gomez): Razov--------HERCZ Gomez Buriaga--------------------Clark O'Brien Hilgenbrinck---Petke---Erpen----Ugo Bouna Clark is playing out of position, but I needed a RWM...
Woohoo! Welcome to another season of nil-nil draws and 1-0 defeats. Can't wait for the season to begin.
I think that team could win the cup--if the year was still 2004. But since this is 2008, the best that lineup could do is a 3rd or 4th place finish in the West and go out early in the playoffs. And that's assuming that players like Herculez and Petke could stay healthy and players like Hilgenbrink and O'Brien can actually play at this level. The truth is that a lot of teams in MLS have gotten better with good young Americans and some quality foreign players. A team like the Rapids that is loaded with other teams rejects and a bunch of untested youngsters is always going to be an underdog, fighting for the occasional upset.
I totally agree. Although i do think he'll be a half decent signing, with signing Burciaga it's not really a main priority position, strikers are really.
Who knows? Kirovksi? No he'll play right wing. He'll be very good for the reserves. From his current lofty heights? He'll just keep proving he doesn't belong. Erpin, clearest answer I can give on this test. Don't know. As long as he maintains his rate of keeping the ball out of goal, I can live with both complaints. That's what it looks like right now. Will he return? If he does, see question 1. He was trying last year. According to Marcelo Balboa, the answer is, "no". At this point all he has to gain is a paycheck for a few more months, and a chance to find a new payer.
Why does he use the last name Hilgenbrinck? Or does he actually use McDonald? I'm too lazy to look this up. But if I had written the press release, and if he does in fact go by the first of his two last names, I would certainly have included a brief explanation of why.
These two players kill me. There didn't seem to be any reason to get rid of them. Nkong kills me the most though. He was the perfect player to match with Beckerman. Keeping Alain means that we could of had a strong central midfield pairing and could have traded Pablo 2 years back when there was good value for him. Cutting Alain the first time was bad but then to bring him back and never use him only to cut him again was just inept.