It has been confirmed that Diego has been resigned by the Wiz. That is great news. Also all indications are that Tony will be moved to the Metrostars. His comments in the paper about being interested in NY apparently have brought some action. That would solve the problem of whether to pull him back in the draft. I for one will miss him. He always brought an element of the "Big Name" in soccer to KC. We as KC fans owe him a lot. If it is true...good luck Tony!!
i just heard that meola cleaned out his locker today. so that doesn't too good. but if he is gone i will really miss him , nobody can ever place tony meola.
Does the name "Will Hesmer" ring a bell? He's definitely the goalkeeper of the future for the Kansas City Wizards.
already posted this in the "list" thread... i've been making some phone calls to see what I can find out. Walker to Chivas already seems to be a done deal. That leaves room for Tony to go back to NY next season. Can't get a confirmation on Tony leaving from any of my sources in the organization though. But it definitely smells like that's what is going down. I am hearing that Tony has been trying to get the organization to talk contract with him since February (Read: Before the season), and they haven't yet (supposedly they were going to talk contract this morning... but it looks like they may have just told him they weren't planning on re-signing him.) Also, and we all already knew this, Tony was extremely upset about not starting this weekend. It was almost like he felt that the organization had betrayed him and everything he's done. chad
Tony has every right to be dissapointed in the staff members of KC. He came here from NY and really worked to raise the level of the franchise. After tearing his ACL in 99 -- he virtually swept every individual award in 2000 -- along with the only KC MLS Championship to date. Bo doesn't have the experience or the confidence for big games. That was incredibly evident on Sunday against DC. I know that the sports world is volatile -- but you can still respect the pioneers of the sport and give them the respect they deserve. I wish him the very best.
Wow. The bandwagon for Bo sure collapsed in a hurry. For my part, I'm still at a bit of a loss as to how Bo can be faulted for any of DC's three goals. There is also that streak of more than adequate play over the dozen or so games preceding the Cup final to consider...
I'm very much still on the "Bo Bandwagon"... the guy got it done. Plain and simple. He absolutely saved this season for the Wizards when nobody thought we could do it with all the injuries. And anybody who blames Bo for any of the goals in the final knows absolutely nothing about goalkeeping. Absolutely. Nothing.
He was very well regarded in College and he may very well take over at some point next year. The reality is, with the excpetion of Curtis Spiteri's infamous game, I'm not sure I've seen a poor keeper in this league in a couple of years. Whenever they call guys in off the bench they invariably acquit themselves fairly well (Ring, Perkins, Cassar, Oshoniyi, Conrad, etc.). I'm not saying there's no difference, just that I haven't seen too many Orlando Perez or David Stokes level keepers in MLS.
I don't know if Bo is the answer, but between Bo and Will pushing him for time, I'm with you here. It's just too much to pay Tony the max for the raise in the level of play over Bo. That money can be better spent getting us midfield help. Bo's distribution has got to get better though if he's going to start all season. The Wizards will miss Tony in the community and as an icon. He is easily our most recognizable player, and no one can ever forget 2000. I wish this could've been ended on more amicable terms, but I still disagree with him that he deserved to start the final. Best of luck to Tony in the future. I will still sing for him in New York even against us. OF course we're going to have to smoke their team still. MEEEEEOLA WHOA OH OH....
We gotta get a different keeper..... I respect and like Bo, but he's definitely not the answer. He can't make a goal kick to save his butt. He can drop kick, but goal kicks are an adventure every time, and most of the time he can't get them past the center....
i know! no matter how many times i see the thread title, i still freak out that guti's gone, too.....
I gotta agree, I think that most of Bo's result's this season were due to his form, and I don't think he could keep it up for a full season. I know he's done great for us this season, but still whenever I think of him, I think of the 6-4 game against Columbus in 96, when he played for C-bus. he's a great backup, but not a starter in this league. I'll be very worried about our goal next season as long as Bo is the starter. I respect the guy but he isn't great. As far as Tony, I'd be sad to see him go, but it seems like a move back to NY is what he would want for his family, and you can't change a guys mind in his head if he's made a decision
I gotta disagree. Bo's form was amazing this year, yes... But you also have to look at how during the last 4 years, everytime Tony was unavailable for any reason (injury/National team) how well Bo filled in. He was solid for almost 2 months in '02 when Tony was gone at the World Cup. You say that you'll always remember Bo circa '96. Yes he was bad at times (well, most of the time... 6-4, like you said)... but he was also very good at times. Most people seem to forget that for the first 6 weeks of the 96 season, Bo Oshoniyi was the "future of US goalkeeping." (I'm not making this up folks). He had an amazing run to start that season. He showed signs of skill back then. Think about the fact that he's had 9 years to mature as both a person and a goalkeeper since then. 4 of which he's spent backing up arguably the most influential US goalkeeper of all time. Think about the goalkeepers that have trained under Tony over the years... Do the names Zach Thornton and Tim Howard ring any bells? You also have to take into account the fact that those last 4 years have also been spent being coached by Tim Mulqueen, who I firmly believe is the best goalkeeper coach in the United States today. (again, See: Howard, Tim) Bo is 10 times the goalkeeper he was back then. He's gone from being an inconsistent "butterfly-style" goalkeeper, to a solid shot-stopper. Bo's stats this year in his time between the pipes rivaled Tony's stats during his 2000 MVP season. Gansler has been saying for the last 4 years that he believes Bo could start for most teams in this league. And I think he's right. Bo proved that this year. Yes, there are parts of his game that definitely could use some work (i.e. control of his area in the air; distribution). But I can honestly say that I'd rather have Bo between the sticks than at least 5 other "starters" in this league (Rimando/Perkins, Garlick/Cassar, Ring, Walker (I think he's totally overrated), and Onstadt (getting very old... and had a horrible season. Plus, he's Canadian). Then you think about Will Hesmer sitting on the bench backing Bo up. This kid is the future of Kansas City Wizards goalkeeping. He was by all accounts a great college player (Would probably have been considered the best goalkeeper in the draft last year had he not been injured... and this is a draft that had Steve Cronin, who had consistently been the starter at every level for the youth national teams, in it). Now he's had a year to learn under Tony and Tim (and Bo). If Will were to win the starting job at some point next year, I wouldn't be too upset about that either. None of this is a knock on Tony either... I love the guy, and if he's really gone, he'll be sorely missed. Both on the field/in the locker room, and in the community. But I just think we'd be able to get by fine without him.
I'd like to add to Chad's comments. I love Meola. But like every great star, there's a time when you have to let them go. Our time to let Tony go is now. It might sting some of you now, but in the end it will be best for the team. And we're all here for the team. Some of you find that hard to keep in mind. But the team is what's more important, not the love of one great player. Goodbye Tony, we'll miss you.
On Monday night, Lisa from 38 the Spot did an interview with Tony at the welcome home party and he said he wanted to stay in KC an play 4 more years to make a 20 year career. Then retire and stay in KC with his family. Sounds like this may have been just lip service to get some air time. I'll be sad to see him go.
I think this was the right decision. Bo saved us in our final run of the season and showed that he's to good to be a backup. Tonys getting older and costs too much money.
i don't know... i don't think i'd call it lip service. i believe he's genuine when he says he wants to raise his family in kc. many players in all kc sports have said that they underestimated the city before they got here, and then once they moved they didn't want to leave. if he does go to the metrostars, i hope a rift doesn't develop between tony and kc/kc organization. i would love to give him a respectful welcome when he comes to town with his new/old team.
I'd love to see Tony back with the Metro. He was the heart and soul of our franchise and always worth the price of admission. I was sorry to see him go when Howard came up. The league needs a marquee guy in new york that new yorkers can relate to, Tony's that guy. It'll be great for the bakeries too!
I didn't know that. At the team practice on Saturday... it appeared to me that Tony was babying this injury. He didn't look 100% match fit to me. Bo is fine. Let's go forward.