Snuck a peak at The Times while getting my smoothie at Fresh Fields. Nice piece from Haydon with Ray's agenda and some players mentioned. http://www.washingtontimes.com/sports/20020928-95543462.htm
I get the impression that Hudson has been dreaming of going to Europe all season. In some ways he's more of a scout than coach. Let's just hope that who he gets will not be over the hill.
Ray is consistent anyway. Wrongheaded, but consistent. Why look at San Jose -- who may not make it past the first round of the playoffs. Why not use Columbus as the model? Columbus improved over the season by reducing the playing time of older players and giving young players more time -- Buddle, Martino, and Oughton.
IMHO, DC should also do some serious scouting in South America, especially the Southern Cone countries. Due to the economic problems in the region, they could perhaps find some bargains. I know we had those two Brazilians try out last year (Joares and Carlos, I think?), and Joares in particular impressed. You're likely to get more bang for your buck down south, methinks.
That's a good idea. Is the Chilean league still on strike? Would we be able to snag any bargains from them?
The strike there is over, last I heard. Chile 's economy is actually quite stable, one of the exceptions in the region. Aside from the top 3-4 teams, the quality of the Chilean league isn't the greatest, and the wages at the top clubs are probably comparable, and most likely better than, what players would make in MLS.
On the Soccer Show Monday night, Hudson talked about his trip to Europe and said they were also planning to look in South and Central America.
A couple guessed names. Claudio Cannigia? If not Jarosik, how about ex-Celtic forward/midfielder Moravcik?
What I think is interesting is that the players mentioned tended to be around 35 (Ginola etc) while his example was of Ekuland (at 30 years). There is a great deal of difference in a 30 year old and a 35 year old player. Especially from a durability perspective. Replacing a brittle Moreno with a possibly equally brittle 35 year old like Ginola doesnt seem very sound. The way MLS is set up we cant have stars who do not play to their level.
Lubomir the former Celtic man, was a target for Ray when he was with Miami....he was a clever little player, but I'm almost positive he's 36. To me age is nothing , it's wether or not you can still play. In Lubomir's case I'd say he is past it now, I don't think he could give you more then one good year of quality. Also there is so many better options then him. As for Ginola, I couldn't see MLS being able to afford him...however if he came here, he'd blow this league away...even at his age and current fitness (very similar to Gazza) he'd be head and shoulders above the rest.
OK,I'll take a stab at who Ray is looking at in France: Gilles Grimandi ... who's like 32 He's out of contract with Arsenal, and he's training with a second division team in France. He is also on the record as wanting to come to MLS or J-League. And he's more recently hinted at MLS.
That's too bad. I always thought he was quite entertaining on the field: clever, as you say. It's a shame that his career should end like that.
It's interesting that Ray says a holding midfielder is not a priority. So, has he seen the light and plans to promote from within? Reyes? Nelsen, along with a pay raise to keep him from Europe? Perhaps you give Namoff another shot after his string of recent performances: https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?threadid=16544
Of course, not every young player will develop into a good one. But patience is required. Hardly anyone comes out of a U.S. college and moves into a starting position on an MLS team right away. Based on recent experience, it takes a season or two. Look at both Columbus and San Jose. Each has several American players who sat on the bench for a year or more, but now are contribuiting. DC's mistake has been to give up on players too soon. Ray made the situation worse. Based on his remarks over the season and the player moves he has made, I think it is clear that he sees no reason to be patient with young players. If they can't contribute right away, off they go. Big mistake. Latest example -- if Ray had his way, Namoff would be elsewhere, perhaps Columbus. Namoff may not be God's gift to soccer, but he has become a solid player. In fact, I think he showed early in the season that he was capable. But Ray was enamored of McKinly and refused to give Namoff playing time. A MLS team is much more likely to get the players it needs from the draft than from overseas, but American players still need some developing, perhaps a year or more. Unless and until Ray figures this out, the DC roster will continue to turn over with all sorts of has-beens and problem children from overseas coming and going.
If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times... Hudson's reliance, or willingness to be fair, on players who are seemingly past their prime is maddening.. Yes, it worked for one season in Miami, but in the end, they ended up trying to butcher and hack an equally impressive offensive team (San Jose) on their way to MLS Cup 01', which incidentally they didn't reach.. The future of soccer in this country is through American youth players, not Eurocentric hasbeens.. Twellman, Donovan, Beasley, Buddle, Martino, Carrieri, Rimando and others are the future of this league, not one or two year fixes like Moncur (who completely sucks by the way) and Ginola (a well noted lazy but skilled player).. Draft wisely and find bargains where you can.. What happened to those Brazilian kids? If Moreno and Etcheverry are as good as gone, why aren't these two being mentioned at all? I love Hudson's affection for the fans and his complete honesty, but in all reality, he seriously is just a guy who blows a lot of smoke...
This is a brilliant post and most emphactically brings about the one big weakness of Hudson.. Ray simply doesn't seem to have the patience to bring about a slow change.. He'd rather get it all in one fell swoop, which in this day and age of salary cap driven moves is not a smart move to make..
First, let me acknowledge my biases. I'd prefer going with youth and Americans. I'd prefer the "long view." Having said that... Second, I think free agency, the low salaries of MLS and the salary cap make long-range thinking pretty hard to do. I don't like signing a 35 year-old frenchman (Ginola) or even a 32-yo (Grimaldi). But you know what, we could sign one of them to a 2 year deal and they'd possibly be here longer than Olsen or Convey or Quaranta. Each of those 3 has contracts that expire now or in a year. Each of those 3 has had interest from overseas. Each of those 3 (if they have a decent year) could command far more money than MLS could ever offer. I don't think this is a deal of Hudson can only scout and not coach. I do think this team needs some on the field leadership. We agree its not going to come from Richie Williams. Not from Pope. Who then? Convey? Quaranta? REally unfair to ask 18 year olds to be the "on-field" leader or Ben Hur. I'm not eager to add a 35 year old and I screamed bloody murder at the league spending good money on Lothar Mattheus (and I"m a Bayern fan). But this club could use 2 or 3 experienced players. Not as subs. But on the field. Let's face it--with MLS we're not going to be able to afford a 28 y.o. veteran from overseas who has a great track record. We're either going to sign someone who is young (with no track record), someone from a minor league or country (like Costa Rica), or someone who is older with credibililty and isn't looking to play a 10 month season and will take a big pay cut to play in warm weather for 6 months. Also, keep in mind who we're likely looking to replace--Etcheverry. I can deal with adding an aging vet if they can stay on the field. The finisher--that's likely someone younger and less finished (but a good target). Also, I wouldn't assume that just b/c he says the holding mid isn't a priority that it means he's going from within. I think it's Hudson saying that no significant roster moves can take place unless he cuts Etcheverry and Moreno and he won't do that until he has a schemer and finisher signed. Then they're gone, the cap is more open and he can look at other positions.
That is the mark of a good post. So many people think they're unbiased ... but they're all wrong. We're all biased in one way or another. Kudos to JoeW for stating that. Frankly, I'm biased in much the same way JoeW is. And, I'm biased towards giving a coach leeway to build and coach "his guys." He needs his own staff, the ability to bring in players that fit his system, and people who respond to his style of coaching. As for the holding midfielder not being a priority, I take a different view. To me, that comment seems to suggest not that there isn't a problem at Dmid/Hmid, but rather that Ray thinks he's found a solution. Perhaps he's confident that Rooney will be let go or traded to United ahead of next season? If I were Ray, my top two priorities would be finding finishers. If Moreno is gone, you need two additional starting-caliber finishers. Good offenses don't miss a beat when they sub in people up top. Look at Columbus (Cunningham, McBride, Buddle, Washington), San Jose (Donovan, Grazziani, DeRosario), Dallas (Kreis, Rhine, Cerritos, Johnson), Metros (Diallo, Mathis, Faria). These teams all have 2 prime veteran strikers and one good young forward. Most also have a 4th forward who is also a proven veteran finisher. That's my model. -Tron