1. Yamil Asad is not a good player. He was very poor during his second stint. 2. He loves this club because Kasper continues to employ him. I'd love a job that kept bringing me back, even after subpar performance. 3. He bleeds for the shirt? Since when? What does this even mean? 4. Kasper has about five names in the Rolodex. I fully expect to see Harkes back in uniform soon, along with Yow, the American Messi of the Belgian 2nd Division. 5. We should be signing another centerback given our lackluster group currently on roster. Asad does not address this need. Asad could be great off the field, and that does matter. And I do hope he plays well and proves me wrong. I added the LOL because Kasper is making up crap and trying to justify a signing that is simply lazy. I'll be there Saturday to see Asad bang in a few for the black and red!
Week three and apathy is leaking in. I am questioning the point if DC isn't going to demand making the playoffs. I know it is "a goal". I would like a bit more urgency. Maybe even say the fans deserve more from this club... Something that makes it feel like this club has sights on something greater than lower end of the table mediocrity...
So the Leagues Cup home game against Pumas UNAM on July 30 is not included in the season ticket package, which includes 3 extra tickets that are to be named later. As the email says: "Please Note: This match is not part of your Season Ticket Membership package. The club will notify you of the three additional matches to be included in the coming weeks." I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but this seems like a stupid move both from a season ticket "member" perspective and a competitive perspective of having a home-field atmosphere. Anyways, I guess I'll just look forward to trading in my tickets to the "Capital Cup" or whatever useless games they come up with this year. Edit: I also got an email from Sporting Kansas City (I'm on their list for some reason) offering the chance to buy tickets to their home game so I guess it's not just our wonderful front office. Don't know if the SKC fans have to buy 3 useless matches though... Edit again: Just looked on their website and actually the Sporting Kansas City season ticket package does include the Leagues Cup game (and also US Open Cup games through the quarterfinals). What a concept...
I think we all are I get way more, and more informative, emails from them than I do DC United. Of course I dropped my DCU tix after the first 24 years and they may still be bitter over our exit interview
A speedy winger might be more desirable, but we should still have an international and senior roster spot to fill.
I am trying to decide if its worth buying seats with Seattle & KC since I get their emails too. Monterrey & Chivas should draw.
So Goff reports that the O'Brien loan from Forest is on with O'Brien getting his physical in DC on Monday. However, Goff says this may only be on until the summer unless DCU either extends the loan or buys his contract. If this is only until the summer transfer window, how does any of this make sense? As Goff notes, getting a visa takes a few weeks, so we're talking mid-late April before O'Brien is cleared to play. Of course, he hasn't played since the end of January, so he won't be match fit. So, visa late April -- match fitness sometime in mid-late May -- then back to England in July? That is a quintessential DCU move.
For the pure entertainment value, I kind of hope it all goes down like this. It's the kind of story you would tell your friends/kids/grandkids about twenty years from now when trying to impart to them how ridiculously inept the ownership/management of this team was during the Levien/Kasper era.
Klich got his visa in about 3 weeks. I imagine O'Brien's will take that long, if not less. It'll be well before May when O'Brien suits up for United. Also, Yamil Asad's last competitive match before this past Saturday was in November, and yet he subbed in a couple of days after he signed here.
Maybe in uniform before May, but he hasn't played since January. So match fitness will be sometime in May. IIRC, the Benteke and Fountas visas took a long time to process. Even if O'Brien is in uniform by late April, the loan still doesn't make sense if it's short term.
It makes sense as we get a good player for a few months as he gets his fitness up and then gets to decide if he wants to make the move to Blackburn during the summer. This isn't a bad move. If he stays (which I would be shocked were that to happen) he would hit his stride in July/August where we need the depth. If he goes back we have space for a summer signing (as we aren't as inept as the Galaxy FO and actually can sign players in the summer).
He last played six weeks ago, but before that he'd been in training since July and played in 17 matches with 7 starts (in all comps) from August to end of January. He's not coming in off holiday. No reason he can't be ready to go by the time he's allowed to go.
He will be ready to augment our central midfield. We only have six or eight potential starters at those two positions...
Ok, it is worse than this. He is unable to play for Forest because they didn't register him because they thought he was on loan to Blackburn. So he is unable to play until the new season. So Rooney brings him here...
The move to Blackburn was a loan through the end of this season. If the loan ends this summer, he's going back to Forest, not Blackburn.
Listened to the latest Pitch Pass podcast. Roche talked with Jason Anderson. Worth a listen. Much discussion of Durkin and his role in Rooney's system. Maybe O'Brien is supposed to be a "better" Durkin.
He could train with his current team. He just cannot play in matches. It is so strange and I wonder why for DC and for Forest. And who contacted whom...