Arena drops three KC players and Mastroeni.

Re: Arena drops four KC players.

Actually, it was Colorado:

"The Rapids chose not to release Mastroeni until after their match against Kansas City on Wednesday. In the interest of fairness to both clubs, as well as the desire to have continuity in our training camp, I decided to remove all four players from the roster," said Arena.

 

Re: Arena drops four KC players.

sucks for a player like zavagnin who could use all the time in camp that he can to impress bruce. tough luck.

 

Re: Arena drops four KC players.

Hankinson is an effin' moron if he thought it benefits his club to face K.C. with Meola, Zavagnin and Wolff, rather than without them. I'm a big Pablo fan, but I don't think his absence would've weakened Colorado as much as K.C. would've missed those three - K.C. would've been missing a lot more crucial elements of their team than Colorado had all four players been away on National Team duty. Hankinson really shot himself in the foot with this brain fart.

 

Re: Arena drops four KC players.

Hankinson is a douchebag. Good decision by Bruce, seems almost like a Brooklyn F U to Tim to release those KC players as well. But sucks for Kerry, Josh, and even Tony.

Good thing our other MLS coaches aren't asses like Tim Hankinson.

 

Re: Arena drops four KC players.

You know, lots of folks complain how MLS isn't as good as, or isn't like, top leagues in the rest of the world.

Well one of the things that DOES characterize the top leagues elsewhere is the reluctance of club coaches to release players for national team duty.

Another piece of evidence, if a small one, that MLS is "coming of age."

 

Re: Arena drops four KC players.

This is why I love Bruce Arena.

I'm sure Hankinson's wishing he'd let Mastroeni go at this point. Now he's got the short end of the stick with Kansas City retaining three Nats to face his Rapids.

As for the U.S. team, I don't think it's gonna make much of a difference. Other than Mastroeni, these guys are fairly marginal Nats. Let's just say it probably didn't force Arena to change his starting lineup.

 

Re: Arena drops four KC players.

Deserved or not, Josh Wolff is not a marginal nat. Arena calls Josh Wolff up whenever he's even partially healthy.

And I'm no Wolff apologist, you can read my diatribes on the Wizards board.

 

Re: Arena drops four KC players.

I can't believe anyone would applaud Arena's actions here.

He used 4 players' National Team careers as a way to punish Hankinson for not giving him what he wants, when he wants it. Hankinson has every right to request one of his team's leaders and best defenders on a Wednsday night, 4 days from a USNT game, in a game where Colorado needs points against a division rival.

Boo on Hankinson??? No. Boo on Arnea.

 

Re: Arena drops four KC players.

Tell me, who's trying to play the odds here? Hankinson or Arena?

Hankinson told the dealer to "hit me" and he did, right across the kisser.

Tony Meola has had a fine national team career that most keepers would give their eye-teeth for.

Even if Josh Wolff doesn't get another cap in his career (not likely, he's in the mix for sure this cycle) he has made an unbelievable contribution to US Soccer at the international level-- when you star in a famous video, what more can you ask for?

Meawhile, Kerry Zavagnin? I bet when he was toiling in the A-League, he thought the closest he would ever get to a national team jersey was to buy one from Eurosport.

So, I wouldn't shed too many tears over this particular turn of events, a one-time set of circumstances. When KC smacks Colorado because Tim was so....I dunno...."self-interested," well, the next time he says "hit me," he'll duck...or rather, play the hand he's dealt.

Nothing like a little mind focus when Josh Wolff scores against you to send the message to you AND Arena.

 

Re: Arena drops four KC players.

i am with myshap. what did Hankinson do wrong? he doesn't have to release the player until thursday or friday, and he chose to do exactly that. because Bruce pulls a one-up on him, Hankinson looks bad? no. Bruce looks like a spoiled child who takes his ball back and runs home.

 

Re: Arena drops four KC players.

So this is his new policy to ******** on players because the coach won't give him what he wants, when he wants it.

So I suppose he's going to tell McBride and Boca that they are off the roster as well if Man City refuses to give Renya to him before they play Fulham four days before the Nat team plays then?

No, what do you mean. I guess this only pertains to little league MLS then.

Poor form by Arena, that shows exactly what he thinks of MLS.

 

Re: Arena drops four KC players.

Bruce was NEVER going to let a two bit coach like Tim Hankinson pull a fast one. Hankinson forced Bruce to make that decision. Did you really think he was going to screw a coach (Gansler) that was willing to allow his players to miss a game to train for a WC qualifier? Of course not.

 

Re: Arena drops four KC players.

Another reason why I hate club teams. I hope the Rapids get blown out by KC and then get contracted next season. ********** them!

Who cares? Hmmm... what is more important? Getting some points in a lame MLS game or Qualifying for the World Cup? Again, ********** club teams.

 

Re: Arena drops four KC players.

Something else no one has considered is how the remaining players on the roster will take this news. We haven't heard anything from their side on this yet.

Who's being hurt by this? Not Hankinson or Gansler because they get their players back in a division game on Wednesday and their games on Saturday now. The players are the ones that are getting the short end of the stick for something they have no control over.

If they don't feel Arena was fair by those players, then there is a chance, however small, they could say we don't play unless these players are added back on. Or at the very least it can create some negitive tension between the players and Arena going into a WCQ. If Arena can do this to these players, he can do this to anyone. Players don't like to feel out of control of their situation.

 

Re: Arena drops four KC players.

Um... perhaps that's why he's the manager of the US Men's National Team? Players only have control when they're on the field. BA, however, has to balance the concerns of everyone from myshap to Masto to Meola to Hankinson to Gansler to Dr. Bob.

Now you're talking. And now I see why Hankinson is so unpopular in Denver. What a putz. So now Rapids fans (and everyone else) are deprived of seeing their man wear Red White and Blue.

 

Re: Arena drops four KC players.

Fortunately, I think the players involved understand the situation. Unlike the Sampson years, it seems like the players all have a great respect for Bruce Arena. In the end the four that don't come in for this game, along with the players remaining on the roster, won't really care that they were sent home for a game that the US should win going away...

I can understand Hankinson's position, but boy did it bite him in the ass...

 

Re: Arena drops four KC players.

That's a gem, Karl!

I think Hankinson just turned lots of US fans into temporary KC fans.

 

Re: Arena drops four KC players.

With the injuries, I was thinking Wolff would start.

 

Re: Arena drops four KC players.

As much as anything, this is marking territory. BA doesn't need to care too deeply for Grenada. he should be able to come away with a win there with a fourth or fifth choice team.
BTW: couldn't he have insisted on 14 days, regardless of what hankinson wanted? Or does WCQ not count as an officially sanctioned tourney game? If not, it reeks that the cup of nations or gold cup teams can apply the rule while the tourney that matters can not.

 

Re: Arena drops four KC players.

Agreed. Arena is one of the best communicators we have had in the manager's chair. He probably spoke with each of the KC players (Meola, Wolff, Zavagnin), Mastroeni, and Gansler before announcing the decision. This move is all about winning the battle down the road (and if you don't think this will not find its way across the ocean in some way, you don't know Bruce). Bruce has bigger fish to fry than the ten managers of MLS, and by making this move locally, he will have the backbone and record to do it across the pond if necessary.

 

Re: Arena drops four KC players.

To Hankinson and his job, getting the lame points. Don't get me wrong I think Hankinson's a tool, but he tried to do what was best for the Rapids while still attempting to allow Pablo to be a part of the national team. It's Bruce thats acting like the spoiled brat and it could hurt Bruce as much as it could hurt Hanki. Grenada may be a pushover but we thought the same about Haiti and Bruce has tremendously weakened the bench to prove a little point.

 

Re: Arena drops four KC players.

It's not a little point.Most of our qualifying games occur during the MLS seasons.If MLS coaches feel they can jerk Bruce around it makes forming a full team more difficult.Ironically,this will not be as much of a problem for Euro clubs due to the better coordination of dates this time around.

This is a low-risk means of proving a point for Bruce.

 

Re: Arena drops four KC players.

I can't read the fifa regs right now (adobe isn't working with this new linux os). What is the requirement of a coach. I'm surprised that hankinson had the ability to force this, only a few days out. As posted earlier, he'd have 14 days mandatory before a sanctioned tourney, and I thought he had more than four for an ``a'' level friendly. Surely a WCQ gets more than that. Is Bruce being nice here by letting hankinson keep his players, and showing that he won't play favorites by returning the KC contingent, or are his hands really tied that close to a match? I thought he had at least six or seven days. anyone know?

 

Re: Arena drops four KC players.

... so if Bradley holds Johnny Walker back to lineup vs. the Quakes, Bruce will release Landon? In which case, maybe Bob should not release Eddie Pope.
Actually, in the weeks ahead Metro stand to lose around 6 players to the US, Honduras, Jamaica, and T&T. I just don't see how a coach can hold back a player from a qualifying match. A friendly is another matter, and Bruce has gone out of his way to be fair about friendlies -- and not stretching his credit line with the clubs.

I think Bruce sent the right message; I hope it was received by intelligent parties capable of reading it.