Tobias Lopez (http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/sports/7787729.htm) has several nuggets today. Chad is gone. Pareja most likely will be back. Burn has 8-10 players they are looking at and Cory Gibbs is on their radar. Corporate sponsors are very happy for the move back to the Cotton Bowl especially the ones trying to reach the Hispanic or Latin audience. Name change not coming but new logo and uniforms for Frisco.
No offense to the Burn of the MLS but I'd like to see Gibbs hold out until the summer and make move to another club in Germany. Any rumors on what Deering plans on doing?
Guess that means that Deering wouldn't consider moving to the backline. My guess is that he ends up in the indoor league, because Deering the defender could still play in MLS, but Deering the D-Mid is washed up. As for Gibbs, I'm sure he's on EVERY team's radar. The interesting question to consider here, is that IF he signs with the league, who would have first dibs? Dallas because of the worst record? Columbus because they were the first team to try and acquire Gibbs last season? Metros or Revs due to having the oldest allocation? (I'm not sure which is older, the Howard allocation or the Hernandez/Nowak allocations) All three have been used to determine allocation ranking in the past. Regardless of the team he goes to, there will surely be 2 or 3 other teams who will be upset.
How about the team most recently screwed by the league getting a break first, or would that make too much sense? Or perhaps sending him to the only MLS team without a player even on the national team BUBBLE, or would that make too much sense? Or perhaps to the team most in need of defensive help, or would that make too much sense? But more likely, the sudden MLS interest will simply be used as negotiating leverage in Germany. If he goes to a Bundesliga side, good for him. But if he winds up in the 3rd divison or with a 2nd division bottom feeder, you have to wonder how that is supposed to be better than MLS.
I doubt Deering is physical enough to play in center or fast enough for the wings. If someone else wants to give him a try fine, but Dallas needs to move on from the late-90s squads.
I look forward to receiving an allocation for Deering. As far as Gibbs, I suspect we'll have another "weighted" lotto for his services.
The Burn have the rights to the first American to come back from Europe. Gibbs, however, will not be coming back. All signs say he is happy in Germany.
Not so fast. This is from a thread on the Crew board https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=93111. So I think there is a chance he might come to MLS. He might also end up in the Bundesliga or their second or even third divison.
It is pretty sad (Both for the players and the league) that our young talent would rather play for a division two or three of a European league than play for MLS for most likely more money. Even if $150,000 per year that will take you long way in US (Your hometown) than in Germany. Why won't they learn from Donavan? If you have the talent, after three years or so in MLS a big team in Europe will pay big bucks for you. Just because NBA guys and others make a million or so per year, what is wrong with making $150,000-$250,000 playing a game that you love, in your own country?
Donovan is the 3rd highest paid player in MLS and that doesn't incude endorsement deals. Add that he may be on his way out of MLS and your example looks even worse. Gibbs wants to play aginst better players. He won't get that in MLS. The most he could possibly get is more attention on him and maybe more money. However, if he signs with a Bundesliga club, even a struggling one, then he'll get whatever he wants. MLS still doesn't have the resources to compete with that level of competition. MLS is not going to be Gibb's first, second, or even third option at this point. He wants to stay in Europe and throwing money at him doesn't change much if you only throw a few bones at him. As for the article, Gibbs is on EVERYONE'S "hot sheet". There is a remote chance of him going to MLS if every other offer fails, but a March 1st deadline means it would have to be made pretty soon or not at all.
That's too damned funny! you may call yourself soft tackle, but on that one you came in with studs up.
I'm sorry to see Pareja will be back. I used to like him but last year it seemed the only defense he knew was to make professional fouls and then stand over the ball.
Yeah, that must be why he was talking to MLS about going to Columbus. And I love hearing about this competitive fire to measure oneself against the giants of world football in the regionallia, or the cellar of 2nd division bundesliga. Let's get serious. If he wants to stay in Germany, it's not because of some magnificent level of play in the third division.
I wonder if Pablo Mastroeni knows what irreparable damage he did to his career by playing in MLS and not the Regionalliga or Serie C1.
How do you figure this? Dallas IS holding one of the higher ranked allocations (Their YS allocation), but nowhere does that say or even imply that they automatically have some kind of "dibs" on the first returning American. As I have said earlier, NE may have a higher allocation, if they go by oldest allocation first (as in the Donovan example).
$150,000-$250,000? I think you should take a look at MLS salaries: http://www.socceramerica.com/article.asp?Art_ID=562134198
Am I the only one who is going to miss Chad? I think he should have been kept for the next two years - at least one in the new stadium. I know most of you were ready for him to move on - but geez, when he was on, nobody could touch him. He still has what it takes for this game, and it sounded like he was willing to take the pay cut. I just wish he'd shown it last year, before it was too late. I may have to go to the Sidekicks' games this year too, I guess. Kind of sad that I'm getting like the Inferno founders here - I'm seeing the passing of the torch - the old for the young. This next year though, cannot possibly be as painful as last year was, though, can it? We do still have Jason and Oscar, I hope at least through the opening of Frisco.
Yeah, but he hasn't been really "on" since 1999. Unless you mean on the golf course. Dustin had it right - he became Mr. Turnstile. Unfortunately. I for one believe he still has what it takes to be a good sweeper/central defender in MLS - a younger, faster Morrow. But apparently either his ego or his golf game got in the way of him making the choice that would have kept him with the Burn. I am not going to lose any sleep over it. I'm glad he played for the Burn - 1998 and 1999 was great - and I will laugh for a day and a half if we get an allocation for him - but I will shed no tears for his loss. As for Oscar - I'd suggest that maybe last season had more to do with a bad team around him and his health leading to his play being so poor. We shall see. As for the "Howard allocation" - uhm, how the hell did you get Walker? That's right - you've USED your "Howard allocation" metroboy. As for New England and whoever says they have an 'older allocation' - we shall see how that goes. But I will say this - if the Adu allocation doesn't put Dallas at the head of the list, for whoever we damn well please, then I will join those who have called the Adu 'trade' a farce at the Burn's expense. Now, if we spend lots o' money on that central midfield allocation, and because of that, we lose our place in line for Gibbs, I can see that, but that had better be one HELL of a player - basically, the next Chris Armas or Pablo Mastroeni.
I know that is not what an average player makes and I never claimed that to be the case, but it is what he would get as a major allocation player. Anyway if you read the posts you will see that money is not the point but the fact that he would rather stay in Europe regardless of which division and that he has no interest in MLS one reason being lack of competition. So, let him play at a third or second (Unless EPL) division instead of facing guys like Donavan, McBride (He is gone now but did play for MLS for a long time), Moore, Ernie, Adu (Yes Adu), Ruiz, Myung Bo, Twellman, Spencer, Joseph, Perki (Any player can learn tons from him and his experience) and so on. Please note I have nothing against the guy as I don’t even know him. I also have no doubt that MLS is not even close to numerous leagues including many in Europe. This is not about MLS but simply making a decision based on facts and not fantasy. Ten years ago talented players like him did not have as many options such as making a decent living playing soccer at home.
It is sad - and when he was ON he could control a game for us. That's what makes this so disappointing. But he is certainly not the player he once was - at least not consistently enough. It makes me wonder if his decline is due more to age and diminishing skills or a diminishing attitude. I grant you that the debacle in Southlake would have messed with anybody's attitude - but for a former World Cup and Bundesliga vet, Southlake could have messed with him more than a guy on the bubble just trying to keep a spot on the team.