The 6th Annual 'Thirds' are up. If you don't know the 'Thirds' or 'Third Degree Awards' are our annual awards for Burn and MLs players. http://www.3rddegree.net/
Just a note, Buzz. If a player, like Gbandi last year or Thompson this year, does not play at all their first year, why not consider them eligible for the Spark Award? The Pack Your Bags Award is intriguing. If Bradley still covets Vaca, I am sure the Burn could work a trade. I think that the Burn may try, but Mathis seems fragile. Lots of pretty women in Texas for the Golden Redneck to chase.
As much as possible I try and go with a Rookie. If, like Thompson (or Gbandi last year) they get no minutes, then yes they are considered. If there is no rookie or no rookie worth talking about then it becomes a best young player kind of thing. Gbani this year I considered, but I felt Thomas was a better candidate. Gbandi played a bit more, but I feel Thomas made a larger contribution and was better than I anticipated. Gbandi did not live up to expectations. ((cristal ball... 2004 Burn spark award to Chad Marshall ....))
here is 'Thirds' history if you want a little background. http://www.3rddegree.net/archives/awd-hist.htm
oy, another rookie defender. I know he's supposed to be good, but I am hopeful Burn don't pin defensive improvement on Shavar Thomas, Chris Gbandi, Chad Marshall, and Matt Behnke to take the worst defense in the league and make it to the playoffs. Maybe Bonseu will have a better year, maybe EZ will fit better. But your award list was good. I liked the explanations and the thought.
Well in my off season spiel I did say a vet leder center back was necessay. When you set the team record for goals against, changes are gonna happen.
I'll tell you what - I would make that trade: Vaca for Mathis. Mathis needs to find his motivation and he can find it here as well as anywhere else, at leats in 2005. Vaca has not and at his size and propensity for defense, will not ever dominate a game like a holding central mid should. I'll take that chance on Mathis thinking that Vaca will be what he is now - good, but not great.
Buzz, I remember before last season's draft you picked Thomas as the one of the draft picks most ready to play in the MLS. If my memory serves, you changed your mind when you wnt to see the Burn play in South America. Hope HSG finds the cash to send you next year. Gbandi had a rough year, but I still think he will be a star, and on the USMNT for many years. I would make the trade of Vaca for Mathis as well, assuming is a straight up trade, player for player. I would not add any high draft picks in the bargain. Further, I would want the Burn to find a schemer type of midfielder, someone who cna distribute the ball. We (briefly) saw ROB in the middle, and Davis once or twice, but they are both scorer types, not passers, in my opinion, and the Burn needs those goals. If the Burn has the opportunity to get Nunez, I would make that trade in a second.
That is correct. Mostly due to his Jamacia caps he was considered the best ready to start coming out. But when I saw him up close I thought he was not ready (IMHO). I still liked the trade up to get him even in himd site. And yes I would like to go whereever they go this year.. but with new Gm who knows. The talent is still there. Chris has had a tough two years with injury. He needs motivation and work rate to improve, but I would not give up on him yet. I still believe he is much better than Broome was, but the transfer was not handled right. Done dela in my book to. I love Joey, but he has never fit here for some reason. If I can get Mathis I will take the risk. I like to play a more conventional flat 4-4-2, so a schemer is not what I am after. I want a pure two way player... but I have said all that before. I too would take Nunez, and If he is in it you would have to take him 3 or 4. #1 being taken by Chad Marshall. But I would also expect a trade. Four pick in top 11 does not help Burn. Where are you gonna fit them on rister. Even if DJ and EJ move up to roster and you pick 4 P-40's they won't fit. I expect a trade of picks to get vet help in the back. And any new coach will want to turn over other parts of the roster. I would not be shocked to see as many as ten current players not be back.
An ideal scenario for us would play out something like this. Draft Chad Marshall with the #1 pick. Trade Johnson and #3 pick for Mathis Trade Vaca and #4 pick for veteran midfielder like a Jesse Marsch/Ramiro Corrales/Brian Kamler type. Not spectacular but experienced and solid. Trade Bonseau for the best midfielder or defender we can get. Probably pretty decent. Keep Nhelko. Bring in max salary defensive midfielder to rebuild team around. Resign Deering and Pareja at 40-50K max each or dump them. Add Rhine and Curtis to any of the above deals to sweeten the pot or dump them. That would stir the pot. The biggest problems is that I don't see any decent SI willing to coming to Sucklake, and our defense would certainly be very young and inexperienced. However, this would be one hell of a makeover lineup: DJ/Cassar EZ/Dunseth/Thomas/Marshall/Gbandi/Behnke/Salyer Davis/Obrien/(MarschKamlerCorrales type)/badass SI/Deering/Pareja/Glinton/Urbas/Stone Mathis/Kreis/Nhelko/Thompson A decent coach should be able to do something with that.
Dear god no! These guys may be decent players and good professionals, but there's no way they're worth that kind of offer. When teams have to start clearing space for the salary cap, these guys should become available much, much more cheaply. I think we'll need a couple of these guys next year, especially if we lose Oscar, but they should be available either in the A-league or from teams looking to get under the cap. I imagine we could get the experienced vet you want for Bonseu. Not Kamler, maybe not Marsch, but a guy who's a more vocal leader than Tenywa. I've got to think that if you're offering a guy twice what he got paid in Costa Rica or Honduras, and he's just going to have to play on the turf for one year, a lot of guys are going to consider that kind of offer. I'd be very very worried about starting a back line that young.
Mathis and Kreis up top, who woulda guessed it. But I'm worried, with Mathis' form as of late, I think we'd be better off with a Johnson whos finding his form, just bring in someone who can teach him how to dribble