Carlos' best days are behind him. I think he's lost another step and the injury bug increases frequency as players age. I'd go for some youth instead. GM
father time One could not say that Father Time has been either kind or unkind to Jeff....I think perhaps he mearly sighed and moved on. John
Holy Cow... Slap an "A" on the Jersey, spell it Geoff instead of Jeff, give him a stick and call the NHL.
What happened to that Daouda Kante fella you guys drafted and had for awhile? He would make a GREAT central defender... big, physical, fast, aggressive. In fact, I can see an addition like Kante helping you make a run to MLS Cup. Wonderful move by the front office, capitalizing on an exciting talent like that.
I'll never really understand the Agoos bashing. He's played an important role and had many great performances in big games in one of the most easy to criticize postitions on the field. Just look at your tape of the US WC qualifiers and even the one against Mexico in Columbus. Everyone seems to want to fry him for some bad moments at the cup and forget everything else.
I like Goose. Especially with a nice Stilton. Thanks for posting the pic. It's always nice to be reminded of Quality. dadman
Yep. League policy last season was that teams had until early June to sign any domestic prospects they had drafted--or they had to renounce their rights. Sunil Gulati announced it right on the Revs boards in shortly after the 2002 superdraft (when a couple of Revs fans thought--why not draft every prospect we could and retain their rights for a couple of years?!?) United tried to sign Kante and couldn't. Of course, it appears an exception was made with Shelrie Josephs since the Revs just signed him. An exception to a league rule being made for the Revs? Nah--too far fetched of an idea.
One thing for sure about Goose, he is one of the most gracious players you'll ever meet. Vladsta was telling me how he ran into Goose after the Portugal Game (paraphrasing) -- Vladsta: "Great goal Goose!" Goose: "Well, what are you gonna do, stuff happens" They then proceeded to have a convivial conversation. The criticisms of Goose are on target with respect to his WC performances. Even the loyal Arena showed lack of confidence in him. Sampson screwed him, he was the last cut of the '94 team, he scored own goal or made a critical mistake like a red card or an ill-fated back pass that was converted into an easy goal for the opponents in Jamaica qualifier in '97, at Azteca (can't remember the year), friendly vs Bolivia at RFK, WC 1st round vs Portugal. Even in the face of these disappointments Goose has given US Soccer his best efforts over the years. He's losing more of his speed and his calf injury is becoming chronic. Age has caught up with him. Defensive mistakes are easily remembered because they are so glaring. Goose had many great moments, too. How many times did Goose launch a successful DC United foray with a sharp diagonal ball that would switch field -- dozens? In '96 through '99 Goose's field sense mitigated his lack of pace. He often made a saving tackle, and came away with the ball. We never saw the incredible volley that Goose scored vs Kansas City, but I saw his volleyed serve that a diving Dooley finished vs TNT in Richmond. Thanks for the memories and for being the "little engine that could", Goose. But I think it's time to hang 'em up internationally. You'll always have a home in DC. GM
Thanks for making my morning! A Rev's fan talking smack at DC United? HEE-HAW, baybee. That's rich! GM
Agoos hardly put a foot wrong in a year and a half prior to the World Cup, but obviously stunk the joint up in J/K. But so what? Is Tony Sanneh the best defender in the world after an awesome World Cup? Is Hejduk? Everyone has good and bad runs and Goose just happened to have his at an awful time. He's one of the classiest guys to put on the Nats uniform and he'll always be one of my favorite United players. Arena stuck with him because he's seen good and bad form before, but knows you can't sub a guy every time he hits a bad patch. That's one of the reasons he's a great coach and his players play hard for him.