If you consider Emilio as a replacement for Eski, I think it's a good call. Now we need to sign a good solid winger/side attacker. A player who has technique and speed sort of llike C. Ronaldo, Robben, Robinho, Messi, Wright-Phillip type of player. Adu kind of played that role, but Adu is gone. Ruy deal is gone. Middle looks ok with Gomez, Olson, and other backups. Now need to concentrate on signing at least one solid effective technical wing player.
Kissing the Badge--Another Perspective I tend to cut Mark Lisi and Santiago Quaranta a little (not a lot--just a little) bit of slack on the "kissing the badge" deal. Here's why folks.... With other teams, the shirt doesn't matter that match. It's mostly a paycheck or a chance to play the game they love or a stepping stone to Europe. A few rivalries have started but to a great extent they're personal rivalries. When Nowak was playing with Chicago, he demanded that the players applaud the supporters and Chicago started to create part of what we know here with United. Well, here at DCU, there has always been tremendous pride in the badge. Players that start their career here, that play here, unless they've been a pro elsewhere, to a certain extent, their perception is that ALL PROS are supposed to bleed for their team. That is why a Mike Petke was so unique in the league...that on a team of players who mostly went through the motions, Petke bled for Metro (and has done so for every team he's played for). Our team, even during most of the bad years, was a proud team with a proud heritage and strong fan support and the message that players got was that the badge means something. So a player goes to another team and he kisses the badge of that side. I bet the TFKAM or LAG fans barely noticed. B/c that pride in the shirt (which keeps changing for those clubs btw) just isn't there nor is the passion. I'm not arguing that Lisi and Quaranta's actions were justified or excuseable, just that they got their pro starts here and learned that you take pride in your team and what it stands for. And most MLS teams....well, they don't stand for much. So a Lisi or Quaranta kissing the badge--I wonder how often the TFKAM or LAG fans (or Colorado fans) have seen their players do that in other games? We don't have to like Lisi and Quaranta for doing that. But they learned here that the badge means something. Does anyone think that players at other clubs learn the same lesson when they start their careers with Columbus or RSL? Players may fight for their teammates but how many of them do you think fight for their shirt? I"m convinced that when Cobi Jones taunts us, it's not "LAG is better than DCU" it's b/c he takes it personally, it's not a pride of team thing.
Re: Kissing the Badge--Another Perspective I wasn't referring to Lisi -- hell, I wasn't here for that -- but as far as Quaranta goes, "badge-kissing" isn't what any of us who were there are referring to.
Boo, Q! (Grabbing one's crotch, definitely one level up from "eff you") Hooray, Lisi! Okay, have some pride in your team. What makes for good rivalry is not acting like a schmuck, but selling out for the team and fans.
before a BS legend gets rolling out fo control, Q did NOT grab his crotch, he just celebrated an LA goal (not one of his, or he'd have been cut a tiny bit of slack) by coming over and taunting the fans to make more noise. I saw the entire celebration staring straight at him the entire time from the front row, any later reports of badge-kissing or crotch-grabbing were figments of alcohol-assisted memories and hyperbole. that being said, it was a completely ass thing to do under the circumstances.
Did you just call him a poossee!?! I'll have to buy you a beer next time I'm in the Barra! As far as GoDC goes, he does tend to use sarcasm a lot, so it would not be a stretch that he is using sarcasm for this particular incident. My recollection of the incident is as follows, I was walking towards my seat (behind the DC United team bench) with a beer in each hand, when the aforementioned poosse did that. I spilled both my beers, GoDC just happened to be sitting in his seat directly under me and increadibly proceeded to drink both my spilling beers! (no wonder he has a slightly different perpective from me). John_Harkes6 was so traumatized by the incident (as was I), that we both now stand a few seats away from each other on the bouncy side! As far as Tino goes, he's no "Sonny" and we know where he lives! (and what's more we got Lucky Luciano who is a much better shooter!)
That is an accurate description, as I was standing a few seats away from you. I do recollect that LD (soon to be released by the LaLa Gals to make room for Beckham ), did go ballastic in antagonizing and provoking the crowd.
Yeah - at this point the trade is Eski for Emilio and an allocation. How can anyone actually argue at this point we are getting screwed here? I loved Eski and his heart but god damn could he be frustrating. Add in that he is one blow to the head from an early retirement and at this moment I am very happy about this trade.
Juan Pablo Garcia grabbed his crotch after we got on him after a foul on the sideline in the 2nd home game last year against Chivas. That's probably the confusion. JPG was seriously in the running for POTY last year.
Not sure which incident we are talking about - I missed the Tino game but when Lisi did that I was a little vocal with him as he walked to the tunnel. I do miss my seats on the corner flag for the friendly conversations I used to have with the players.
I am sarcastic when people make a big deal out of meaninless incidents. Hudson treated Lisi like crap. Lisi scored against us. Ran to a low populated area of the stadium and kissed the Metro badge. Hudson deserved at least that. Like I said I did not see the Tino thing but it sounds like he was playing with the supporters clubs after a Galaxy goal. Smart thing to do, probably not but rivalries are what will make this league better. The only time I remember beer being spilled around me was the famous LA trouncing us 4-0 on Opening Day 2000 and all of that was thrown at me by Cien fans.
yes, but at least he scored, or contributed to the goals he "celebrated" Not at all the point of my question. Several players had already been traded away for allocation money. Eski was the last one, and when he was traded it seemed like a quick move (team didn't tell him apparently) and it was said (by Kasper I think) he "was traded for the last bit of allocation $$ we need for some specific SA signings we'll be making soon". So if it was $$ needed for Ruy, it was a wasted trade - if it was for some really good left winger we're signing next week, it was brilliant. But we sure are shallow when it comes to forwards right now (who are qualified for first team minutes). not only grabbed his crotch - made a "jerking off and throwing my spunk at you" motion with his hand as he ran by the supporters. I applaud Scruggs for not jumping over that little signboard and choking the life out of him Hell, I applaud myself as well, but Scruggs was within striking distance, I'd have been tackled by MPD first.
Which statement--the lack of badge-kissing/crotch grabbing or the prevelence of alcohol-enduced and stimulant-aided memories?
But United apparently has a shopping list of players. Initially, they were looking at up to 3 players. And that 600k was going to go towards those moves. Now we're looking at adding up to 2 players, and still have the pot o'cash. It just means that United can afford a bigger transfer fee per player, now.
It kills me to say this but Emilio would be another Ray Hudson/Trask era find, right?? I still lack confidence in a Dave Kaspar find but will hope for the best.
Gomez was a Hudson find as well. That said, i understand what you are talking about. At least they are no longer looking for hairy Chested Bulgarians.
That is what I was referring to. If this guy is good then Hudson has found our two good internationals in recent years.
From a coldly, calculating standpoint, that is correct. If you don't care about the guys in the shirts and just care about the shirts, then United made a step forward in exchanging Esky for Emilio and an allocation. But a lot of us liked Esky, moreso even that the attachment we feel to most other DCU players, because Esky is a larger-than-life personality, because he wears his heart on his sleeve, and because he liked playing for us as much as we liked watching him. If you can't embrace that kind of a bond between players and fans as part of your calculus, well, then... then you should be a GM.
Ironic, if true. I remember the Hudson era for its lack of offense and scoring, and now Emilio and Gomez, two of his targets, look to be the cornerstones of our offense this season. I give Hudson and Kaspar props for finding them, but they did piss-all to actually improve the offense during their tenure and failed in every opportunity to get us a goalscorer or playmaker.
This is just revisionist history to make Gomez and then Emilio the result of Ray Hudson. There are lots of players Hudson identified--and then chose not to sign! For instance, the player than Hudson probably pursued the hardest and wanted to sign was...Dalglish! Teams identify targets and then the information gets shared and sometimes lost, sometimes retained and sometimes teams followup or get better details. DCU signed Milton Reyes. Hudson had also scouted him (when with Miami) but had nothing to do with our signing of him. Ray spent a lot of time overseas scouting talent. But his track record is mixed. And to put off Gomez on Hudson is a mistake b/c the team could have chosen not to sign Gomez.
In my mind, he found them and tried to sign them. At that point Payne has to come through. To fully credit this to our current staff is a mistake in my mind.