CyberSoccerNews on the Dante for Namoff thing

He makes a good point about training rather than trading.

 

Nice article.

 

Steve always writes thoughtful articles.

Looking and evaluating our beloved team is especially tricky now due to all the injuries. Steve here makes the case that possibly Namoff could bloom if only he was given the chance that Nelsen seized earlier this year. Possible, The case for that is undermined somewhat by bring in the Lisi/Ziadie trade to question Hudson's eye for talent. Ziadie now plays frequently, but on a defense that is fast becoming as bad as United's offense is. Lisi is a marginal player for the metros. Hudson was right to trade them though what he got in return was not great. (But in the end he got value.)

So back to Namoff who Steve says has some trade value, presumably because other coaches think he has potential. Steve is correct that we do need more depth on defense. Namoff could be that man, but he doesn't have to be. It all boils down to: is it more valuable to trade Namoff to plug in a hole elsewhere (in the midfield or forward line) or is it better to keep him and see if he develops into a useful defensibe or d-mid sub, possibly starter. There are several scenerios that could play out here. They fall into two main categories:

- We trade Namoff for Washington or some other useful offensive player, thereby solidifying (we hope) our forward needs for next year. Namoff's spot then gets filled by a defensive-type, either in the draft or by trading a draft pick(s) for said defender or by finding an SI.

-We keep Namoff who develops into McKinley's successor as Williams' d-mid partner. We look elsewhere to fill holes at forward or midfield.

None of us know what would be the better way to go right now. Myself I'd trade for Washington with Namoff in a second as Dante is a proven forward in MLS and I think we can find a defender to replace Namoff rather cheaply.