Here you go again, assuming the Red stars were not upfront without knowing the facts. I know you are a Houston fan, you said so on ES but quit trashing the Red Stars when you have no clue what you are talking about.
I thought about Long because she would help and has ties to Houston but even the most optimistic view is Houston is rebuilding and I can't count on Long still being there. If I were dealing with Seattle Id center the trade around a CB because that is an area of need for the Dash. The problem with Seattle is I just don't see them needing Press enough to upset what they have. They have Taylor. They have Kawasumi. They have Yanez. The only way it really works for them is send one of them back in the deal which the Dash don't need. As to Portland on paper they look like a real top end heavy team. They have some very good players that they don't want to trade surrounded by a bunch of average players that u couldn't trade for a player as good as Press. Utah...yeah. As SkyBlue ended up trading O'Hara for Groom & Gibbons u have to assume they would have traded Kerr for the same two. If Press had accepted the deal to Utah things would have been much easier. The question then comes up would Lloyd have still wanted to go home and would O'Hara been the piece to get her there? The Dash could have used O'Hara's leadership more than Press' goal scoring and they r desperate for help at FB.
I get that ur a Red Stars fan and going to side with them. I respect how much u love ur team BUT Chicago got a list of four teams from Press and didn't trade her to one of those teams. They knew she was serious about the list because she had already turned down a deal to Utah. If u think they went to Houston and said we'll trade u Press but we don't think she'll actually play for u ur very naive. Instead they hinted Press would come around if u wooed her. Well what we got is this. Press may not be playing in the NWSL. The league looks like an amateur operation. Houston has given away two allocated players for nothing. Vera Pauw looks like a moron for courting Press in the media. The Dash Front Office looks like a clown car, which they r. And worst of all, Houston fans who went out and bought season tickets based on seeing Christen Press have been robbed of their money. But hey, Chicago made out.
Seattle: Even though Dash couldn't count on Long long-term....no team can count on Press for more than a year if there's expansion in Cali. So that's certainly a risk on both sides. And I chose Westfal because she's young, doesn't count against the roster limit, and can play CB and OB. Which other situation would you prefer (Averbuch, Bauer, Oyster, Barnes)? And I think Seattle could use Press in Vlatko's typical 4-5-1 Using Press in the Holiday spot: Williams Nielsen-Averbuch-Oyster(Barnes,Bauer)-Catley Naho-Utsigi-Fishlock-Press-Rapinoe Taylor I keep forgetting that O'hara is Utah. That probably is the star player involved in the trade that never-was. I was even think Desiree Scott would be good too. But Ohara and let's say Gibbons....isn't that much better than Long and Westphal in exchange for Press. Interesting.
I don't completely agree with you here. Obviously, there were multiple missteps and miscommunications between the Chicago, Houston, and Press camp. But there has been many trades (though not on this scale) that have led to this. I remember FCKC traded Merritt Mathias to Seattle for Kate Dienes who then retired. But I think this will work out for Houston eventually, similar to Pugh / Washington if Houston can't figure out a far trade for Press at this point. Patience is key.
I think you are making a lot of assumptions about what Chicago, Houston and Press said and did. Four teams? Utah is about as good as you are going to get in this league outside of Portland - MLS backed, closer to home, Laura Harvey, a nice roster already that had beaten her CRS side more than once recently. If she declined that I have to think she was really just set on Portland which is a tall task for Rory to try to trade with. The truth is no one knows any of these details in reality, and all parties are going to make representations and present facts in their favor to the media, if they ever say anything. Sounds to me like all three sides made missteps.
Whatever the truth of the matter, Houston deserves compensation from Chicago -- unless Houston can arrange a fair trade of Press to a team that meets her lofty expectations. The NWSL is a feeble flower and you can't play zero-sum games in which Houston gets nothing from the trade. Keeping Houston viable is important for the league. You've lost Boston and KC this year...lose Houston and that's three strikes and you may be out. We all lose in that case.
Why does Houston deserve compensation from Chicago, unless Chicago materially misled them and there is an actual cause of action? Seems like a very unprecedented situation. If anything Houston should have protected themselves with a clause saying if Press went abroad, Chicago would send them a player. I think that has precedent in the league.
Keeping all MLS-backed teams is important, yes, but way to blow the situation out of the water otherwise, there.... There are enough stable teams in the league (and expansion interest) that one more folding or relocation wouldn't kill anything. Besides, if you're counting strikes, you'd better count WNY as well. It wasn't a straight folding, but if you're including Houston without knowing how they go down, you can't exclude WNY.
Legally, who is the guilty, or most guilty, party? Nobody knows. But, practically, if you want the NWSL to survive, you'll make an effort to help Houston. Maybe Sky Blue should join Chicago is giving up a player, as they were part of the three sided trade -- and presumably benefited.
It's helpful for league survival to void trades that were already agreed upon months ago?Especially trade that made other players involved happy. Even under false pretenses (which i'm skeptical about) there's no way to prove right and wrong. Honestly, I think everyone involved was a little wrong. Houston needs to wait until either a fair trade comes along, or a Washington / Pugh scenario presents itself. If Houston's front office can't shape up (and i'm not just referring to this trade) I don't think they should survive in the NWSL anyway. KC couldn't shape up so they were moved (and as much as it 'breaks my heart it was what is right for the league.)
In terms of the guilty party, there's such a thing as due diligence, and Houston either didn't do its due diligence or something happened after and the Houston-Press relationship went bad. The whole point of due diligence is that in negotiations, you can't count on the other side protecting you from a poor decision. There's a reason "caveat emptor" has been around as a warning since the days when people spoke Latin. In terms of the league maybe needing to make an effort to help Houston, you may have a point that it would be good for the NWSL to help them out. At the same time, there would have to be a point, if Houston screwed it up, that the league would insist on Houston making specific improvements to their management as a condition to getting help. It wouldn't be good for the league to let this happen multiple times.
Chicago shouldn't be punished for Houston's lack of due diligence or foresight to protect itself from a player who can easily go overseas. I'd also like to know Press and her agent's role in all of this, and what they told the League/Chicago/Houston before and after the trade. Most people on twitter are saying Press is just stuck in the middle of this incompetent trade, but if she didn't make her intentions clear and dragged it out for too long she's at fault too. Plus, last time I checked, you don't need a player's permission to trade them in this league.
No. Westphal to Houston is not an option. Long, sure. I'd do Press to Portland for Salem, and either Menges or Sonnett plus a 2nd round pick.
Chicago knew Brian might not report, so they were smart enough to negotiate a deal wherein they gave less unless she played this year, then they gave more. Houston, unfortunately, has one of the worst front offices in the league and didn't think of something like this. Knowing there was a chance she might not play for Houston, I'd have said "give me Press. If she plays, that's it. If she doesn't, then I get 'player x'". Instead, the Dash get the rights to Press (which do have value if she sticks around), plus an international slot that they didn't actually need but traded for because they thought they only had 4 intl slots when they actually had 5.
Menges and Sonnett are two of Portland's most prized possessions. I would be very surprised if Portland was willing to part with either.
I don't think you can blame any team or the league or USWNT about this. This is squarely on Press not wanting to play for Houston. What I am not sure is what are Press' options? I imagine she can choose to bypass this NWSL season, right? I suppose Houston retains the right to her next season and beyond as well? A player can't skip a year and come back as a free agent, so to speak, right?
A USWNT player cannot. The Dash have her rights in perpetuity (as do the Red Stars with Morgan Brian).
I would be shocked if Portland would trade any of Franch, Sonnett, Menges, Klingenberg, Reynolds, Heath, Horan, Raso, Sinclair, Foord, or Carpenter. I gather Andressinha won't play for Houston. That leaves Boureille (midfield/fullback), Lussi (forward), Morris (anywhere but central defender), Onumanu (forward), Purce (midfield), Salem (midfield), Seiler (defender), Weber (forward/midfield), and Yu (midfield) of those currently on the Thorns roster page, or Herndon (midfield) or Hubly (central defender) of players currently with the team and under contract last year during time when players were gone for international call ups. And Brynjarsdottir is pregnant. As I've said earlier, I'd love to have Press and think she would do really well with the Thorns and the way they play. But, if I'm right about the untouchables, it's hard to see Houston feeling it's getting fair compensation unless, very big maybe, the Thorns would package two or more from the "available" group -- such as Weber and Boureille, for example. Based on what I saw yesterday in the Red Stars/Thorns pre-season game, I don't think I'd want to let go of Boureille, but she's nevertheless probably available. The other factor is that Press is a federation player. That will have to be addressed in any trade. If Houston is forced to trade Press for a non-federation player(s), I wonder if the league would make a salary cap exception for Houston. The league has a rule against a team paying another team as part of a trade, I think. Would they allow an exception to that rule? That would be risky, especially given the different financial resources the teams have.
Honestly, I can't wait until us Angeleno's get a team cough cough LAFC, I'm looking right at you!!!! No player would have a problem ending up in this city and I'm sure Press would love to be in Los Angeles.
As a Dash's fan, I say don't trade Press unless you get fair compensation, if you don't ever get a fair deal, let her sit out of the NWSL forever if necessary. One more thing, do not dress her in a Dash's uniform, I don't want her.
Unless someone makes an offer you would be crazy not to take, wait until next season. By then, with expansion, there will be all kind of opportunities. Try getting creative like Portland did with the Morgan trade to Orlando.
Look, I am not anti-Houston. As a mater of fact I want the Dash to be successful because I want the league to be successful. This league cannot be a one-team league. I believe the Houston market is just as important as the Chicago market. What I don't like is posters on the blogs, and I do read other blogs but may not post that Chicago should be punished, etc. There are those who can see Chicago folding ala Boston and then Houston can get Kerr through allocation. Am I reading this wrong kernel_thai? Maybe I am, I don't know. The point is, I hope all fans of NWSL would want all teams to be successful. But unless we are in the room when these deals are made, we don't know what happened and to what degree.