There it is, the missing piece. Im suprised Roger agreed to renegotiate like that, but im not really suprised it was him that was the odd man out so to speak.
If I recall correctly, this was basically the same assessment the LA fans gave of Brian Mullan when the Quakes picked him up. So far, he hasn't worked out too bad....
Except that Brown has a significantly longer track record in MLS than Mullan did. I don't see how you guys can be excited about this trade, and I certainly don't see how people can be suggesting DeRosario be traded now that you've got Brown. 5 years in the league have pretty definitively shown that he's a mediocre player, who doesn't score enough or do enough to start as a forward for any team in the league. I was surprised the Revolution didn't let him go at the end of last season. Unless Kinnear is going to try to convert him to a right back, the guy offers nothing more (actually significantly less) than Donovan, Ching, DeRosario, and Walker - I can't see him as being anything other than insurance as a spot forward/midfielder. The trade makes absolutely no sense to me, though.
The best thing about Chris is his eternal optimism. He does have a boatload of talent. Perhaps a good sports psychologist could turn him into a world beater. Every time he gets on a hot streak he mentions getting on Bruce Arena's radar. Good stuff.
Perfect. We can use him for 5 games, get those 3 goals, then trade him. We should be in better shape injury-wise after those 5 games anyway.
okay, we now know where Brown's roster spot is, so let's drop the "Trade DeRo"....i was getting sad thinking about it.... Vamos los Terremotos!
I would've said Levesque from Day 1. With MLS' small rosters, I don't know why he was on the team in the first place.
What's the big deal? We just traded for a utility player and got him for practically nothing. Perhaps Dom just wanted some midfield insurance when some players will leave due to National Team duty? I don't know if Brown will start (I don't think he will), but this isn't that stupid of a trade. It's also win-win for the team as Levesque is happy because he gets to play everyday in Seattle. Seattle's happy because they need a striker, and we're happy because we got some needed insurance, and got it for practically nothing.
Agree with Crazy_Quakes_Fan. I don't know what the "future considerations" will be, but this strikes me as a shrewd move by Kinnear. I doubt many teams had the salary room to accommodate Brown, so we probably got him on the cheap. I believe Levesque is still available to us if we want him. But even if he goes to Seattle to get some playing time, we've replaced him with a more versatile and more experienced guy who has shown he can score in this league. I could see him getting a fair amount of time at left mid, especially if Dunivant is out for a while.
I think the word "senior" is spurious. A developmental player is a player who has a developmental contratct and, along with Project 40 players, can take up one of the six developmental roster slots instead of being on the 18-man senior roster. Developmental players can be no older than 23 on their 2004 birthday and get paid a pittance.
Roger just qualifies, having turned 23 on January 22nd. Interesting to see if he ends up in Seattle. I think his chances of seeing the field in San Jose are slim. Even if DeRo and Donovan are away on international duty, Levesque is behind Ching, Walker, Brown, and probably Mullan for a forward spot.
I, too, agree with Crazy_Quakes_Fan. If Brown can play left mid, perhaps it will mean less pt for Russell. Russell has not improved in over 3 years. He's the same player now he was in 2000 and 2001. Back then it was potential, now it's jusy unfulfilled promise. He's not a bad player, just has not gotten any better. I'm tired of watching him bring the ball down the flank only to cross it into the stands behind the goal. If Brown can't play left mid, then I hope there are some other moves. But the deal does appear to give the Quakes a little more flexibility.
A while back I mentioned something along the lines of this for Levesque, but not for ANOTHER forward. We need healthy defenders, not another attacker. Why didn't we trade for Ryan Suarez? We need SOMEONE who can fill in at right back and center back. Ryan would have been PERFECT. Now we get another hard working forward. WTF???? Is Alexi going to suit up? Where is Roger going to make his money? He just took a MAJOR pay cut. Did someone promise him a job in Seattle selling used cars? Did the Quakes promise him a pay raise next year for "taking one for the team" this season? This is a head scratcher. I have no clue why we felt the need to do this. Levesque can play the same game that Brown can. Why bother??
Ian Russell to Right Back? Years ago, wasn't there an "Ian Russell to Right Back" thread? With the acquisition of Brown and the suspension of Waibel, it seems that this is a distinct possibility. Personally, I think that's where he should go, considering that his speed makes him a definite asset out there, and he seems to be a pretty tough defender.
Probably what happened was someone at the quakes promised Roger that if he didn't take the developmental contract, he was getting cut. And Roger thought it was in his best interest to stay on the team.
I have to agree with Jeff on this trade. Even reaching far and wide, I don't see the point of acquiring this player. I'm so-so on Suarez specifically because his distribution varies between so-so and totally horrible. But Suarez would have made more sense than Brown with Roner gone for the entire year. re Russell...I think the mistake was resigning his contract. He's a sicknote without sufficient upside. -KMJvet
While I agree that LA got Suarez cheap middle of last season, they gave up two big leaguers to get him. If you're thinking we should have done the same since that is what it would have taken, then I disagree ... we kept our team intact and won the championship for chhrist sakes!
I'm looking at it like this: last year we had Corrales, Alvarez, and Lagos to fight for the left mid spot. Russell is the stop gap - apparantly rated higher than Alvarez currently - but left mid is not his natural position, right mid is. So this year we have Corrales, Alvarez, and Chris Brown to fight for the left mid spot. I'd say that's puts the Quakes about on par with last year. The Quakes give up Levesque for another year, but he's well behind the other forwards up top and behind Mullan and Russell on the right mid. So, while I think he still holds MLS level talent, he can be safely sacrificed this year and he can get playing time to develop his game for next year. I'm curious how the development contract works. Can he collect his pittance from the Quakes AND a check from Seattle? If so, he may actually not make that much less. Currently the Quakes are having trouble finding 4 healthy players for the back line. But, if you're looking more long term, the only spot where you really need to consider bulking up is right back. Basically the Quakes are down to Waibel and Hart and neither are likely to make the all-star team. But quality right backs are hard to find in MLS, and cheap ones are even rarer still. I don't think there's a lot the Quakes can do.
Last year he had more assists per minute of play than any of our other outside midfielders. Actually, he had more than any of the players except for a couple that had very little time on the field (DeRo and Faria). Russell is hardly a nothing on offense.
I thought this weird as well. Maybe Doyle and Lalas intend to put themselves in. Dayak, Doyle, Lalas, Agoos. A great back line... 10 years ago!
Most of those assists came when he entered with fresh legs against flank defenders with spent legs. Not a bad thing to be able to come in late and score a goal or make an assist, but it can't be compared on a per minute basis with players that are in from the start.
During the regular season, Russell started every game he got an assist. It was only during the playoffs where he go assists after subbing in. The idea that subbing in fast players late in a game equals scoring is just a myth. Start Chris Brown!