Johnson was drafted 19th overall in 2001. The Quakes had the #1 pick and chose Chris Carrieri. They had at least 3 other picks between 1 and 19, but traded them away for Agoos and Lagos. Also, Johnson was 16 at the time, and teams wanting to draft a minor must have a plan for his living/education situation approved by the league before the draft. It's unlikely the Quakes would have submitted such a plan, since they had no GM until 1 week before the draft, and no coach until 2 days before the draft. And Yallop had a 1-year contract and was looking for players that could contribute immediately, not youngsters that would take 4 years to make a difference.
Following up, Johnson was regarded as a project at best--let him sit on the bench and learn. Carrieri was someone the Quakes thought could be an impact player, until someone named Donovan arrived. Had he not been brought to the Quakes Carrieri likely would have been heralded as the marquee player of the team, but of course we all know what happened between that time and now, and the rise of Donovan and so forth.
Probably the biggest "what if" question there. He was pegged to become Mister Franchise. All the teenyboppers would have swooned over him if he became as such. The rest is history as they say.
I just wanted to stress the possibility of trading some player(s) who apparently don't fit into next year's plans, most notable of which is Ronnie Ekelund. I don't imagine that we could receive too significant a player/draft pick(s), but I do see several teams that might want a player of his experience and ability, including Real Salt Lake, Kansas City, and Colorado. If it's possible, I think Dominic and Alexi should really take a look at possibly dealing Ekelund for a pair of draft picks, or one high draft pick. It could be a mutually beneficial deal, but only provided that Dominic did his draft-day homework.
If I were you and I were looking for striker help, I would consider going back to the well that has been so good to you in the past: LA Galaxy. Two players who could possibly be had are Alejandro Moreno and Joseph Ngenywa (sp). Moreno is chronically underappreciated and does nothing but score goals. Ngenywa would be a much cheaper version of Jeff Cunningham, who might even be as effective in the short term. You may also find that Kinnear/Lalas have somebody else in mind as a first-choice striker. Why else would they leave Brown and Walker unprotected and not have DeRosario re-signed at this point? You also did not mention Erick Scott, Stern John (!!!), Toni Nhleko, Fabien Taylor or a fair number of other guys who could be acquired and are starter material.
Sure, but why the hell did RSL select Andy Williams with the first pick in the expansion draft? Seemed pretty clear from the draft broadcast that Williams is slated to play a-mid. Whether the Dom'n'Alexi braintrust had somebody else in mind at that point is pretty moot, because neither Brown nor Walker are first-choice strikers. And I doubt the Gals give up on Ngwenya after just one season.
Ummm RSL needed a attacking mid? Considering they only had 1 other player at that point, why not? Williams said he expected to feed the ball to Kreis and Mathis
Liverpool_SC I think that the player the Earthquakes have the best chance of acquiring at a reasonable price is Ned Grabavoy. He may be a small gamble, but he has the chance of becoming a big-time player, and the Earthquakes seem to have success taking Galaxy cast-offs and turning them into starting eleven material. However, I'm not so sure that Ngwenya would be available. He seems to fit into Sampson's plans, and as BlueMeanie mentioned, I doubt that Sampson and Hamilton would give up on a talented player like Ngwenya after just one season. As for Moreno, I don't know how well he would play with Brian Ching. He is also a very streaky player; but if he was available at the right price, he could provide some much needed bench depth. He is out-of-contract I believe, but the Galaxy would still no doubt hold his rights. I didn't mention those other players simply because most of them are either out of the question, or just don't fit the team's needs for the price. Scott is probably in Real Salt Lake's plans (he'll probably get minutes with their reserve team), while Nhleko just doesn't strike me as a player that would fit in well here. Stern John might be returning to MLS; however, in the event that he does, I'd imagine that Columbus would do everything in their power to acquire him. As for Fabian Taylor, while I'd love to have him on the Earthquakes, I don't think he'd be available. As I recall, he was on a one-year loan, and I'm not sure what his status with MLS currently is. If he's available though, the Quakes should target him for sure. BlueMeanie Sources did say though that John Ellinger was very interested in Ekelund (apparently not enough to select him though.) It would make sense to bring in a saavy veteran who can give you a great option off the bench or who could easily slide into the starting eleven if Williams is injured or suffers a loss in form. Noah I was about to say the same thing. (See Cannon, Joe.)
Same for Grabavoy, IMO. It would be a headscratcher to me if they gave up on that guy after just one season. Has Sampson publicly said or implied somewhere that Grabavoy doesn't fit into their plans? I guess I believe you, but can you be more specific about "sources"? When I Google "Ekelund Ellinger", all I can find are pre-draft articles mentioning Ekelund as a possible draftee. But that was a swerve, as he took Williams instead. No mention of Ekelund potentially going to RSL post-draft, except here on BigSoccer (and I wouldn't consider that "sources").
Yeah - but to potentially lose 4 strikers in one season (counting Donovan)!!??!! Was Yallop expecting Faria to suddenly make a comeback? Seems sort of foolhardy to me unless you have big expectations about someone else. After all, they could have pulled back Brown after Walker was taken (or vice versa - I cannot remember who got grabbed first. I want to say Walker). I would prefer Moreno anyway, but Ngwenya may not fit in well to Sampson's scheme. What do we know about Sampson? He wants to keep Ruiz of course. He tends to play a single striker. He has Kirovski, who is going to stay (though he will likely move behind Ruiz in the formation). He signed Alex Gordon. He has Moreno. He is very interested in signing a proven goalscorer from a well-regarded team in South America (he is own a scouting voyage as we speak). He may very well consider a package of a draft pick plus a role player or something. Maybe you could even do a blockbuster type trade and give up Ekelund and Mullen for Ngenywa and Grabavoy or something. It seems to me that at least one attacking player at LA has to be moved.
Whoa, now!!! EASY!!! (get the sedatives) The Quakes have already given an indication that Ronnie, in all likelihood, will not be back. So, I can see them trying to "cut bait" and trade his rights to fill a need....but......don't EVEN consider sending Mullan away. Right now, he is one of the few "untouchables" we have on this team. He possesses speed, high work rate, great attitude and is a fan favorite (and occasional national teamer)--all of which are in dangerously short supply following the departure of one Mr. Donovan. I am staunchly against any deal that gives up a known commodity for potential, especially with as much youth as we'll be fielding this coming year.
I wonder if Mullen is going to be expected to deputize as a forward in the coming season. He does a pretty good imitation of one at times. If you got a couple of bona fide starters out of a trade involving Mullen, you would not consider it? I know he is a great player - and I think he still has room to improve - but if you could have a solid young replacement in center midfield (Ned Grabavoy) and another young B+ starter (say Alejandro Moreno), wouldn't you be smart to at least consider the deal? Flank midfielders are typically much easier to replace than outstanding players in the center of the field and an Mulrooney and Grabavoy partnership could be golden for years. I know it is hard to think about losing players like Mullen. It would be like DC getting rid of Ben Olsen. Well, maybe not quite that bad, but . . .
Lots of really interesting stuff here. When I think about trades, I always start with, who would I be willing to part with? So let's see . . . For the right deal, I'd be willing to part with one of Onstad, Conway, or Cronin. But I'd need a fair bit to part with one of my keepers. I'd like to keep Ekelund, but that's not going to happen, so Ronnie is available for trade. I'd be willing to trade Hart or Russell. Hmm. That's not much. The doctor's report would be important here. How are Roner and Robinson doing? If I was sure that they had recovered from their injuries, I might be willing to trade Cochrane. I like both Roner and Robinson better. I might be willing to part with Waibel, but only if I kept Cochrane and Robinson. So basically, I wouldn't be willing to make very many trades. I think that a lot of teams will be in that boat this year. In the wake of the expansion draft, most teams have already lost a player or two. So I think that we'll see very few trades and some of those will be an existing player for some draft picks. Could be get Quaranta or Magee for draft picks? Joe-Max Moore might be available, but what would he cost? I would look first to the college draft. Second to the discovery process. Third to bigger name foreign players. Can we get Wade back? Do we have to give up anything or anyone to get him? Can we get Eddie Lewis back? and what would it cost? Who else are MLS trying to lure to the states? I'm sure the league has a list of players that they are trying to get without necessarily having a home identified for each one yet. I'd check with them. But I would definitely send someone (JD?) to Central America and maybe the Caribean or Mexican 2nd Division to look for bargains. (No, I'd send Agoos or go myself, assuming that I'm Dom.) GO QUAKES!! - Mark
BlueMeanie First, you're absolutely right not to totally trust my statement regarding Ellinger. I remembered having read that, but couldn't for the life of me think where, so you're right to question my statement ("sources"). However, do you agree that Ekelund would be a wise pick-up? He could partner well with Andy Williams, as well as provide veteran leadership. Or, if the idea wasn't to start him, why not have him play a role from the bench (since he's injury prone anyway.) I think that Real Salt Lake would do well to go after him. Second, I really believe that Grabavoy is out of favor. At least Ngwenya still got playing time once Sampson arrived. Grabavoy was injured, but even when his name left the injured list on MLSnet, he still didn't see any playing time. To me, that indicates a lack of confidence from Sampson, and it may also indicate that he does not factor into the team's plans. I agree that it would be stupid of the Galaxy to give up on him, especially with expanded rosters and reserve teams, but if we bargained right, I think it's a good possibility that Sampson and Hamilton wouldn't mind giving him up. Liverpool_SC Do you really think that it's easy to get a good flank midfielder. I agree that it's easy to pick up a flank midfielder, but a good flank midfielder? How many good right midfielders are there in this league? Maybe four or five: Steve Ralston, Mullan, Ben Olsen, and Chris Klein immediately come to mind, maybe Ronnie O'Brien as well, but that's only half the teams in this league. That's why it would be absurd to give up a proven talent that would be difficult to replace for a player that would be a complete intangible.
Makes sense. When I went out for lunch after posting in this thread a few times, I realized that I might be brainfarting. What's to say RSL isn't planning on going with five midfielders, in which case Ronnie and Williams could be "offensive" central midfielders. I'm so stuck in the 4-4-2 paradigm sometimes. Could be right, but it could also be that Sampson didn't want to bring the rookie back from injury right in the midst of a drive to the postseason. I can't think of anyone we'd want to trade for him that LA would want, figuring they'd probably want a young guy with positive upside in return.
Even if they were to use a 4-4-2, it's also not outside the realm of possibility that Ellinger could pair Ronnie and Williams. However, Williams plays awful defense, and Ekelund's can be suspect, so it would probably work best in 3-5-2. Nonetheless, I could imagine they could acquire Ronnie's rights for a few decent draft picks. That's a possibility, but it wasn't as though the Galaxy were firing on all cylinders. They were in serious need of an offensive boost, one that Grabavoy might've provided, and one that he did provide when he got playing time under Sigi. You can't make me believe that Alejandro Moreno (a striker) was their best option in left midfield. I just don't see how a healthy Grabavoy sits on the bench of a mediocre team that needs an offensive boost. Fine, if they want a "young guy with positive upside" then trade Alvarez and a draft pick, or Cochrane (although I don't like the idea), or draft picks. There's plenty on this squad that I'm sure the Galaxy could want for a guy they may not even want.
Alvarez AND a draft pick for Grabavoy? No thanks. I'd keep the guy who's captain of the U20 nats. Remember, he was a baby when we drafted him, and the Quakes knew it could be a few years for him to develop. However, I'd consider it during the season if for some reason Alvarez is still getting more fiberglass splinters in his ass than grass stains on his uniform. This is Arturo's year to prove it.
Bobby Convey was U-20 Captain too but that just never translated into MLS success. Convey needs the experience abroad to humble him and craft into a better player. Arturo might be the same, but he might also be different. We haven't seen enough of him to actually make a conclusion. I agree that the jury is out on him and maybe we shouldn't give up on him just yet, but if it was the right deal and it involved just Alvarez for Grabavoy, I'd probably take it. Then again, if we could bring in Grabavoy without losing Alvarez, that would be ideal. He needs someone close to his own age and professional experience, to challenge him for a starting role on the left side of the midfield. Grabavoy could definitely be an excellent challenger. Again, this is all hypothetical, and I don't want to get ahead of myself, especially if Grabavoy isn't even available.
I agree with Blue Meanie that this is Arturo's year to step up. He's been given the captain's armband for the U20 team, which as Via Chicago points out, doesn't necessarily mean much. However, we need to replace Ekelund, Donovan, and Corrales. These guys all played central midfield for us as some point. We are short on central mids, and that's where Arturo plays for the U20's. I want us to add some youth and speed. I'm all for getting Grabavoy, Quaranta, or even Magee if the price is right. I'm up for trading away players that we've been developing. We've made an investment in Alvarez, now let's see if he pays off. And I'm still thinking that we look to Central America and the Caribean for a shot in the arm type player. We can't trade for Guevara or Cancela, but we might be able to find one of our own. GO QUAKES!! - Mark
It's probably the discretion of the coaches to wean Arturo as slowly as possible. Just have him sit, learn the ropes, and observe. Sure, he hasn't gotten much PT this season, but he should be given the opportunity to see what his mettle can be. He'll make mistakes, but let him now learn on the pitch. If he still rides the pine, then might as well consider a trade, but that's if he doesn't fit into the team's plans. For now, give him a chance and see what he can do.