Re: Luis Gil to RSL? Adu was brought it during the Elinger era Gil is being brought in under JK and the revised system... I am a little more optimistic about this one what we gave up wasnt really anything, so what is the "risk"? the biggest issue people have is that we gave away an intl spot... but we arent going to use it. And if we need to, REK will be gone to open up another one. late 2nd round draft pick? really? and potentail money once the kid potentially moves... wow, we got one of the best prospects in this country for seriously nothing.
Re: Luis Gil to RSL? yup, now will he become something? who knows, but honestly i think he doesnt do anything other than become an average MLS player. if he really, truly had talent he would have landed with someone overseas. the kid got a trial at arsenal, arsenal didnt see enough in him (they have higher standards), but if no one else was convinced enough to give him a shot while over there than im not holding my breath about the kid. he has talent for sure, but can he develop enough to become an impact player/star in the future? who knows. considering tony beltran is our biggest "young talent" we have developed so far, right now i give the kid a 50/50 shot at being something big in the future. not great, but the door is open for him to do something.
Re: Luis Gil to RSL? It seems pretty harsh to say that a sixteen year old has no talent if he can't find a club in Europe. How many of the USMNT players could have found a club in Europe at age 16? Donovan did but that didn't work out so well. My concern with the move is that MLS doesn't have a good system to develop the young players at all without the reserve league. I think it is great that MLS signed so many young players this year but I worry how they can develop them without giving them any playing team. I wish they could enter a team in the new USL or PDL and fill it with these young players so that they can get some better experience.
Re: Luis Gil to RSL? i didnt say he had no talent, he must have talent if arsenal even gave him a trial, but if he didnt impress enough to garner a look at even some of the smaller clubs overseas than i dont know what to expect of him. i get the feeling a lot of these young guys get a lot of hype because they are incredibly raw at such a young age. most of the time these young guys just dont develop into what their hype suggests they will. they usually do become decent soccer players, but not the superstars everyone hypes them up to be (and i have seen US prodigy tags applied to this kid). he'll probably develop into a good MLS player, maybe gets a shot overseas and becomes decent, but im not expecting the next landon donovan.
Re: Luis Gil to RSL? My beef with this isn't so much that he is too young or that he won't be able to contribute immediatly (though I'm hoping otherwise). Stockpiling young talent is a good thing to do. My problem? Trying to decide who RSL's best signing was: Luis Gil, Abe Thompson, or Colin Warner. RSL lost two key starters this offseason between Yura and Clint. Who is going to pick up the slack?
Re: Luis Gil to RSL? I've been away from the keyboard during the whole Luis Gil brouhaha and everyone is asking themselves why a kid from LA would want to come to RSL when he could have maybe played on the same team as Mr. Metrosexual and Landycakes? I may get massively flamed for suggesting this reason, but maybe he's a member of the dominate religion of Utah. If this was the case, it may explain a number of things. I'm just saying since it seems that everyone here is kind of flabbergasted.
Re: Luis Gil to RSL? Not the case. Extremely harsh. List of RSL starters never playing for teams in Europe: Beckerman, Olave, Findley, Beltran, Wingert, Williams, Espindola, Rimando. List of current RSL players playing in Europe when they were 16: Will Johnson Yes, what are we doing wasting our time on this kid? Clint played a lot early in the year, but late last season he was playing spot minutes while Andy played the bulk of the time. Andy will pick up alot of the slack with Clint's departure. Ned Grabavoy is the most likely to pick up the rest. Likewise, Yura played only in spots down the stretch. Espindola was getting the bulk of the time at the end. Campos will likely pick up the extra slack. Other players like Warner, Alexandre, and Thompson could get some chances as well. This season only. Could be -although at his age I would assume that those who advising him are looking out for his long term interests. I doubt they are putting all of the weight on 2010. I don't think that we'll see much of him on the pitch this season for RSL, even with these added games. I'll point out some of the reasons for this tomorrow when I have more time.
Re: Luis Gil to RSL? Here's a few other players who didn't get signed by Arsenal at 16, and "didn't impress enough to garner a look at even some of the smaller clubs overseas": Ronaldinho Ronaldo Diego Maradona Kaka Not saying that Gil will ever be even in the same universe as these guys, simply pointing out that not making it with Arsenal and not getting interest from other teams at 16 doesn't doom you to a mediocre soccer career.
Re: Luis Gil to RSL? I realize that Clint and Yura played less starter minutes as the year rolled on. Nonetheless, both should be considered "starters" for RSL and were critical components of the team last year. Andy will likely be unable to do what he did during the last half of last year for the entire upcoming year; I'm just not sure he has the legs. I agree with your implication that Espindola could replace Yura's production and role, while Andy + Ned could likely make up for Clint's production and role. I suppose my point is that RSL seems to have actually lost more talent in the offseason than it gained. RSL's stable of forwards is definitely weaker than it was last year, while it's stable of midfielders is arguable weaker than it was last year, too. That is the wrong sort of trend to have when RSL will have more meaningful games to play than ever.
Re: Luis Gil to RSL? Now I could be thinking of something else, but didn't they just change up the rules for clubs like Arsenal so it is harder for them to bringing in kids so young? I thought I remember reading something about that, but I could be way off base.
Re: Luis Gil to RSL? mathis may have been a starter last year but after the first 5 games he shouldnt have been starting anymore. Therefore its not that big of a hole to fill in my opinion.
Re: Luis Gil to RSL? OK... Late to the peanut gallery... And admittedly I haven't sifted though all 80+ predictable *comments* here... But conditional thumbs-up. Youth = good Well-coached = good 25% fee deduction = pocket change...if that Lost Int'l Slot = superfluous (who's kidding who w/ our recent track record) All that said--make no mistake: Garth's dog collar should necessarily be tethered to a very short leash, IMHO. He needs to know when to yank the Gil rip cord. And decisiveness has never been his strong suit.
Re: Luis Gil to RSL? I think something that you are all forgetting about is that we are going to have more games this year with the Champions League, and less players playing regularly because of the world cup. If he is already playing for the USMNT u-20 wouldn't it be advantages for him to become friends with, and learn from some players that are playing in the world cup this year. We have 3 players going regardless if they start or not. For a player trying to get some exposure it is the best place to be to try and get noticed. We do have a team first mentality which means that players that might not normally get some playing time, might get it if they prove themselves. So with that being said, RSL is going to need fresh legs that can come off with all the extra games being played and players missing. Not to mention, since we won the cup last year, we are going to be getting alot more media exposure than last year as the team with the target on its back. This is a great decision from a guy that wants to get his name out there.
Re: Luis Gil to RSL? You don't mean Findley, Beckerman, and Rimando do you? Cause I would bet money that none of them make the roster to travel to the World Cup.
Re: Luis Gil to RSL? Your right, I am making an awfully large assumption, especially considering I haven't gotten a chance to watch any of the games they have played in, so I can't accurate assess their chances for myself. Regardless, there is still good experience from the next level that can help him grow.
Re: Luis Gil to RSL? to even get a trial with how good Arsenal's youth is say something about the kid.
Re: Luis Gil to RSL? there will be 0 RSL players playing in SA2010, dont think that is a reason he is coming here. I think we all might be making it too complex His brother trained here, obviously said something good, he likes JK, we have a good team with some "open slots" and we are going to play international meaningful games (extra games) so his chances of playing will be up... not to mention the girls here...
Re: Luis Gil to RSL? Maybe, but here is an interesting analysis from Steve Davis. I think his point is more about who isn't going, rather than saying that the 20 on the list are going. Still an interesting look at things.
Re: Luis Gil to RSL? So many defenders, so many midfielders, Did not RSL go into this offseason saying they were going to bolster the attacking positions on this team?? I sure hope the last international slot will go to a forward, Because I cannot see this team defending its crown with 3 forwards. Findley, Espindola, Campos. Sorry did I miss a striker???
Re: Luis Gil to RSL? Abe Thompson is the 4th forward right now. The team had 4 strikers last season (if you exclude Nunez who was on loan for a stretch and didn't enter the equation). The numbers haven't really changed, but they have downgraded from Yura to Thompson. As Garth mentioned on KIR yesterday, the team was really fortunate to get by playing only 5 defenders last season. They are looking at having two players at every spot this season, which would be 22 players. This leaves two spots open - the 23rd will go to a 3rd keeper, and the final developmental spot just got wrapped up by Luis Gil.
Re: Luis Gil to RSL? ...it's a bit more dire than this--when one factors Findley's ongoing (and extended?) absence. Also, loco as it seemed then & now... Mathis lined up as RSL's starting "3rd forward" during about a quarter of last season in JK's pretend 4-3-3. He's gone. Andy--a MF--also shoulders offensive muscle, and he's a year older/slower. So I'd say concerns about RSL's forward neglect are legit. No part of me believes RSL will open the regular season in its current depleted state. Surely something else is in the works. If not... major disappointment. And major problems ahead.
Re: Luis Gil to RSL? I highly doubt we see any additions before the start of the season. I think we see the same thing that happened last season in that they roll the dice with what we have, if there are any (likely) flaws they look to upgrade during the middle of the season. As is, this is what we will see against SJ probably: [LINEUP-4-4-2]Espy, Findley, Johnson, Javi, Beckerman, Williams, Wingert, Borchers, Olave, Beltran, Rimando[/LINEUP-4-4-2]
Re: Luis Gil to RSL? Yeah. Our forwards pool is too thin: Findley (solid for MLS) Espindola (solid for MLS) Abe Thompson (project) Alex Nimo (project) Pablo Campos (mixed bag... unknown quality)