I love this move. That dude is a pain in the neck to defenses all the freakin' time. San Jose's loss is my gain.
I'm wondering whether Ariel was "released to MLS" last week to make the salary cap cut, or if he was released after the salary cap date so that Earthquakes could pursue some other player.
My wife is going to hate this too - but it does makes things easier for other teams. Did MLS used to have a policy against these types of player loans? I know they had or still have a policy against taking a player on loan, right?
I'm disappointed - Ariel will be missed. I thinks its important to have a opposing players that really get the home fans riled up. Ariel has that certain swagger about him. Further, we wasn't afraid to have give and take with the fans. Most frustrating of all, he is that kind of opportunistic finisher that have your leaving the stadium shaking your head in disbelief. He will be missed.
Well don't feel to bad for SJ. They lost a good striker, but still have Donovan, Derosario, and Devin Barkley. They won't be hurting for forwards next year.
MLS is losing some of it marketable internationals. No Diallo or Graziani hurt the image of the league, but I don't think either player brought in too many fans. MLS needs to pursue more guys like Ruiz who will have a good following here.
Yes! Feel bad for SJ! DeRo struggled last season and Barclay hasn't done jack to prove he belongs on the field. The Quakes won't be hurting for forwards, but they will be hurting for players who can put the ball in the net as consistently as Graz.
So much for a DC trade. So much for getting anything in return for Graziani but cap room. This really hurts San Jose. Unless they can pick up someone else (a pure striker) then they're probably going to be in for a long season. DeRosario has been good off the bench, but I can't say much else for the guy. Barclay, one word: no. I didn't like Graziani much, but he did provide the team with a valuable striker...I'll never forget that game against Dallas when he netted that goal with about a five degree angle in which to slip the ball...
I'm not sure I understand--- MLS IS losing its marketable internationals, but neither Diallo or GRaziani brought in fans? I think Graziani probably did bring in a few fans and having Diallo in the league made it more interesting even if he didn't bring in anyone. And, in a way, both players seem more impressive after the World Cup than before. How much more impressive do Diallo's caps and goals with the Senegal team seem now when you've seen how good his teammates were? But I'm not too worried about it either. Players have to leave some time, and with forwards, sooner is usually better than later. Besides, the new generation of foreign internationals looks pretty solid: Vaca, Quintanilla and Ruiz...
What did Sporting Barcelona pay for Graz? Was it more than his salary? Did MLS make or lose money on this deal?
No idea about money exchanging hands. But Graziani was a damn fine MLS player. The guy scored goals. Yes he was a drama queen, but he was an effective and exciting player and if he played on your team, you knew his value. I can see why fans of other teams hated him, but there can be no denying he was a quality player and a fine goal scorer.