HSG Saves Money, Soccer Gawdz Appeased

I'm fine with that theory.

As long as these things don't expire.

 

I can mostly agree. However if the right player comes along for price and fit, well you take him and give him an easy year on the crap surface, playing sparingly to prevent another Sutter.

But you are right, this is last you suck allocation they will get for awhile, so it better be the best new arrival in the league.

 

I hope you are right. If they are terrible again next year they will get another, though. Buzz, what are your thought on some of the young transitionial internationals become full fledged ones? We have O'Brien, Vaca and Thomas to go with the full internationals Morrow, Bonseu and possibly Toni. There will also need to be room if we acquire any new ones with our allocation. Might be some tough decisions if there are several graduations.

 

There is a TREMENDOUS downside potential for our veterans where contracts are concerned.

"Ahhh, excuse me, HSG, but I want top dollar to play on that monstrosity called Dragon, and I don't want to end up like Jason Kreis (Jason directly blames the Field Turf for his injury), so either offer me a top contract, or I'll go elsewhere so my career won't be shortened".

Who can blame a player for choosing to play elsewhere, even if it's not the same money, just so they can avoid a possible career-shortening stint on Field Turf.

1. O'Brien may opt to play elsewhere if the money is close to what he would get from a new contract offer (even if it comes 'late' from the new GM/HSG management) just so he can get OFF of Dragon.

2. Jason may actually choose to go to, say... San Jose, if they can match, or come close to what HSG would offer. At this stage in his career, who could blame him for wanting to go from the last placed team playing on field turf, to what may be this year's Cup winner? He could win a championship next year with San Jose and then retire on top (hey, I still have residence in Boston, I was ecstatic when Ray Bourque went to Colorado and won a championship. It wasn't going to happen in Boston).

3. Nhleko may just be trying to gain some attention so he can get a new contract that will come close to what Brann has paid him - and then get the hell away from Dragon (probably isn't exactly enamoured with Texas heat either).

4. Pareja may opt to play at home for one more year, or just retire. Why on earth would he want to end his career with Field Turf injury? The grass may be MUCH more greener at home.

5. Deering constantly has Field Turf injuries. Another veteran despises the Dragon.

6. Bonseu might go home to his wife. Would the CB keep him another year?


Most of these 'possibilities' are acceptable if you believe that the Burn should move toward youth. But losing the building chemistry between EJ/Toni/Curtis is what really bothers me. Even if we use our 'You Suck' allocation for the top available Nat, it will change our whole 'look'. And I don't think any Nat could come to Dragon and singularly change the whole makeup of the last place burn. That's just asking too much.

Can a last place team afford to go through so many changes to it's lineup without suffering even further?

Seems to me that HSG will be hard pressed to make the opening of Frisco a favorable one, at least where team play is concerned. The product they have on the field may be suffering for some time to come if they don't do everything in their power to build on the (possible) success they're now glimpsing. I hope the new GM comes in quick enough, and with enough clout, to keep things moving forward. HSG has a LOT of work to do.

 

Well I don't want to spoil my off-season agenda piece I am working on.

But O'Brien is the only one moving to SI due to age.
Vaca and Thomas both as still Trans age, the only way they become SI is if they get new contracts at vastly larger numbers. The example being Toni, who is already on a big enough contract that he is an SI this season... or Andy Williams when he was signed by Revs a couple years ago.

Vaca has one year left on origional deal (SI on age limit in 2007) and Thomas should have three more years on his origional deal and two more years based on age (SI on Age limit in 2006).

 

I cannot see Tony staying. Sorry but he's got one goal, which he got off a JOHNSON rebound. He's decent, but he's not worth any more than a one year contract, something I don't think he'll want to take.

With Jason coming back, Glinton, Thompson, and a first round pick set to come into the picture, why tie up a foreign slot and upper end salary for him?

If Bonseu goes home, and that makes total sense to me, then ok maybe a year. But the Burn now have a lock on a good money foreign striker to take over the lead-scorer role for Jason, until/if Johnson really becomes the Burn's number one goal scorer.

If he signs for Rhine money for one year, OK, I can handle that. Not at all likely.

 

I'm surprised Tenywa is considering returning to Uganda. Admittedly, MLS doesn't pay great, but I'm sure it pays a hell of a lot better than whatever league they've got in Uganda. Bonseu's still pretty young, and has several years of earning potential left in MLS, and I'm sure that, even considering MLS's low wages, that money would go tremendously far back home. I don't know the US's immigration rules, but you would think that he could bring his bride over here, play for a couple more years, and then they could return very wealthy to Uganda.

 

Let's not get too carried away on Bonseu.
I do not know what he is thinking. I do know that his family in back in Uganda. From what I hear he may not want to come back, lets not try and read too much into why until he comes out and says. T-Bone is very private and does not talk about this kind of thing much.

 

Viking, one thing you can't see from TV or stats is hustle and heart. This guy plays hard the whole time. I was very surprised based on the news when he first got here that he was overweight and out of shape. He could probably lose a few pounds and get more fit but his hustle is contagious and now Curtis, Johnson and Vaca are doing a lot of it (Curtis may always play this way - he is new here though so I don't know). Chemistry is an odd thing and this team has had it in the locker room and practice field all year but since Toni has started playing they are finally showing it during games. He hasn't produced as much as everyone likes but I would compare him to Brian McBride. Both are big targets who can hold and dump off. Neither scores a lot but the team scores more when they are there than when they are not. He seems to fit, another bigger name might look great on paper but might not mesh.

 

I do see what difference he makes. For one thing most teams try not to leave him one on one, which is something big targets do for you.

He is young. He and Eddie and Ali are putting some hurt on people now. He's fast and big. And in MLS, a guy who's proven he can play might be as you say a better find than someone unproven with a nice pedigree who could wash out in six weeks.

My misgivings are that the Burn need a combination of two to four forwards that are going to score 30 goals a season. You cannot compete without chemistry and heart. But you won't win scoring a goal every other game, which is what the Burn did for almost the entire year.

If he does not prevent the team from landing a big time forward/center mid, then he's worth a contract. And I think there is a chance for the Burn to score a BIG TIME forward/center mid. New stadium, youth complex, HSG in the owners chair, never had a major allocation since day 1, Deering and Pareja and Morrow and maybe Jason all near retirement...there is reason to hope at least.

 

I don't think Toni is the problem. We need one or two defensive studs. Maybe one central defensive one a defensive midfield terror. We are like the Rangers where when the offense comes to play the defense sucks all the life force out of them. How many teams come back twice in that hole? Only to have defensive blunder after defensive blunder. Maybe we could get some shoes that work also, how many times did we slip on a banana peel and let them waltz in on goal?

 

Considering the results this past weekend, just how were the Soccer Gawdz Appeased?