Inquirer: E-I: Trade me to Boston or I'll retire..... In the print editions of today's paper, not yet on the Philly.com website... Paul
Dear Tim Murphy: Call E-I's bluff... The Charge have to play hardball on this issue. First Benny says stuff bemoaning Pia's departure earlier in the fall that isn't exactly a ringing endorsement for the head coach, and now this. Nip this in the bud right now, I urge you, Tim, because the alternative is far worse. If I were the GM, I'd wish her a happy retirement, then, because who I'd want in any possible trade would be Lilly or Meinert *and* the #3 pick. Minimum. If we cave and she walks to Boston, then any player who was more appreciative of Pia than Coach K will simply demand a trade so they can play for her. That's why, reluctanty, you call her bluff. And consider the Missy Gregg-to-Philly campaign dead and buried. This changes who we need to go after, and maybe Hope Solo won't be in red after all. It just throws a monkey wrench into the whole shebang. Some other notes from Marc Narducci's nice story... 1) Zhao's future here is still in limbo; quoting Tim: "We're trying to evaluate what her commitments with the World Cup team will be and whether she could play in enough games for us." 2) Very, very good to hear that the ticket sales are better than last year. That's terrific news. Paul
Thanks for the picture. On the whole you can't be upset for someone making a move based upon a relationship. I assume she won't be here, so the question becomes what to do. 1) if she retires, than I say 3-5-2 formation 2) if traded, the 3 pick needs to come here, and with 3 or 4, Lauren Orlandos gets drafted. From Boston perspective, they need a central defender, and if Iverson is in Boston, with he 3 pick, they would take Callie Withers. At this point, the Charge need to take Hawkins, then at 6 and 7 address forward and central defense. The other part is Zhao, I'm sure she'd be missing time, but the question is, how much time. If Zhao is out, moving Fair to the wing would be my fix. Hopefully EI will be happy in what she does. People shouldn't condemn her for following her heart.
paul - she's getting married. do you get that? do you get that???? she makes a pittance here. obviously, and i believe in the articles that have mentioned this, it is clear that she is going to be near her fiance. if pia had taken the job in san diego, erica would not be going there. i mean, come on, be reasonable man. wish her well. and i hope to see her playing next year, whoever she plays for. she is an incredible defensive player. she deserves to be happy. its easy when you're making millions of dollars to build your whole life around what team you are playing for, but its different when you barely make enough to live on. i refuse to impugn her motives, and i think that you should respect her enough not to do so either. it may not be as much an ultimatum, as just a decision she has made about what is important to her. she is letting the charge know her plans, so that they can plan for life after her. and they will.
Out of the blue I always wanted to see Kim Pickup of the Spirit in Charge red! Enjoy retirement, have a nice life Erica!
OK.... Maybe Adam's right...I am a grinch here To me, what came down in the Inquirer today sounded from her like a statement of no-confidence to Krikorian, nor Pollard nor Markovski. Yes, without any wavering, I do wish her well. She's part of a team that I'd go through brick walls for to get a tenth of the rabid fan base of any of the other four pro franchises. We'll just have to go from there, as long as you realize the road to getting 'there' got a little bit rougher. Paul
Re: OK.... you read that into the article - it wasn't there. it was murphy's statement that she wanted a trade - because she is getting married.
Re: Re: OK.... It was actually the 'or I'll retire' part. That's where I surmised that she doesn't seem to have any confidence in the current staff. Asking to be traded happens everyday. Saying in as many words, 'trade me or I'll walk away from the game and not go back' is something different. It would be helpful to hear on this from the source... Paul
Okay. I talked to her after the semis last year when she was with her two buddies from UMass and there is a whole clique thing going on there. A good clique not like the Sopranos but they really take care of each other at UMass. They told me how they thought that the coach of UMASS's team would be perfect for the Boston coaching job. He would be perfect except that he doesn't take any phooey from the players. He isn't big on recruiting and telling the players that they are better than anyone else. That being said she talked about going to Cape Cod and how much fun it will be to work with the clinic. We should trade her because she is a great player and a good person despite her demands which were brought on because of changes that go with losing one of the game's legends and a fine coach at that. Anyway, I am only going to say this once but this is very important to the survival of the Philadelphia Charge as a successful team with very good domestic players: Unless players stopped getting married or following their husbands on a leash(Why is her job less important? Sacrifice, sure but still.), the Charge will be distinctly hurt because if you will recall we(Delaware Valley) have a considerably less amount of players with ties to this area. Recall how none of the founders wanted to play here because they didn't have ties. Saskia played at Rutgers. That isn't local enough. Kelly played at Seton Hall. That isn't local enough. They would have been closer if the Power had selected them. So unless this trend which I find disturbing for the future of young, headstrong girls doesn't change, then the Charge will be worse off. This situation has also affected other teams as well. Other teams' players have followed their husbands' but recall that the other teams players move to other cities. Not to play with the Charge! Take a look at all of the players in the WUSA right now. How many were born, raised, or played in this region? You can count them on one hand. While I abhor the Balkanization(specifically the nationality part) of soccer in this country(that somebody think is the only way that it will get any bigger), I do believe that the fans would love it if a player they saw on youth teams and in college was now on the best team in the professional ranks.( I do believe we are the best team. When we were rolling this year, we were unbeatable but we lost because of tactics and fatigue.) Anyway, keep Janel. Build up her confidence on the bench. There is nothing lonelier than a goalkeeper on the bench while a world class and hopefully injury-free(knock on wood) is between the sticks. Get Carli Lloyd in two years' time not only because she is a superb dribbler and shooter but because she is a local player. By the way, I'm sure many people would like to make the pittance that she currently is making here.
I hate to say this but Im going to anyway. I Love Erica as a player, and she has been really nice when I have met her, but she has a lot of nerve demanding a trade. She has a contract with the league to play for the Philadelphia Charge and damn it thats who she should play for. The Charge saw something in her when they picked her up in the WAIVER draft in the spring on 2001, when she was waived from the Power, so she owes her success in this league to the Charge. What happens when the players from the west coast get homesick, are they all going to demand a trade to San Jose and San Diego? This is a PROFESSIONAL sports league, and if the players ever want to be treated as professionals and have the league around for the future, then they are going to have to realize that there are some sacrifices that have to be made in order to play in PROFESSIONAL sports. I know that everyone wants this league to be different, and be all touchy feely, yea, she got married, but sho wave several other players including Teitjen. Big Wup. If the Front office honors her request, it's starting a bad precident that I'm not sure is good for the league. If I was Tim, I'd say play or retire, but your under contract to play soccer with us. Besides with all our asst coaches now in Boston, that would be the last place Id send my players. Its helping the enemy, and if they beat us then everyone says that Pia was the brains of the Charge not Krikorian. Besides who does Boston have that we really want? Another 1st round draft pick? We have three all ready. Why dont we give all our players away, and have all 8 first round picks, and go with an all rookie team?!? KSP
Dude, I can't help but say that your statement is borderline derogatory. Yes, these women participate in pro sports, but they're human beings first & foremost. I was not yet around when Sandy Koufax refused to pitch on the Sabbath. I wonder how much heat he took for that. And the nerve of that guy to retire when he was only 30 years old. The horror! Aleisha Cramer took heat for quitting the WNT so that she could be more observant of her faith. And yet a noisy minority on these boards skewered Cramer for her decision. People sometimes make decisions that hamper their playing careers so that they can improve their domestic lives. Sorry if those decisions do not make you or I happy. I respect Iverson's decision to retire if she couldn't play in Boston. A playing career in women's soccer is but a blip in her entire lifetime. For many, finding and developing a life with a soulmate is more important.
Good point. However, the reality is that to field a competitive team, you field the best available talent, no matter where they came from. It's a noble, if not altruistic, gesture to field local talent. But if they're neither talented nor competitive, everyone loses. Maybe PHL can draft Princeton's Heather Deerin. She's local enough. Or maybe Philly natives Lasalle's Schneider & Virginia's Borski. But they have to be talented & competitive. Or else you'll have a local team like Bilbao in La Liga, whose charter says to field only an all-Basque team. As a result, they have never been competitive.
And the Charge had the nerve to trade Mandy. And the Charge had the nerve to trade Webber. I read into your statement that players are but serfs in these various kingdoms. It's a 2-way street. Trade requests happen, initiated from both sides of the street. It's a business. Such is the nature of pro sports. True. It proves the old adage. Buy low. Sell high. That's the rationale as to why now is the perfect opportunity to deal Iverson. Could it be that NY were blind to her talents? Iverson owes her success not just to PHL. First and foremost, Iverson owes her success to herself because of her talent and dedication.
Let's put thsi is perspective. Did anyone complain when Enos left!! Not many. The reason some are upset is because Iverson is an all-star defender, and her talent will be missed. Look at WUSA. It's obvious Wagner wanted San Diego. Look at the founder allocations. You're looking at a league where certain people are more equal than others. For me, Iverson request is based on being in love, and wanting to be near the one she loves. That's her desire. Live with it. You deal with the situation the best you can. As to being local, let's take Heather Reilly, and Carli LLoyd and Barnhardt. Whatever happens, life will go on. Enjoy how the team plays, there isn't a more technically superior team in WUSA. Enjoy the caliber of play. As to the Charge, Murphy and Kirkorian have proven to be light years ahead of the rest of the managment in WUSA. Whatever shuffling happens, they'll put an excellent team out there. I guess it's Mia's turn to want to go to Boston now.
Can you imagine the uproar this will cause to the Freedumb faithful? LOL. But the reason this won't happen is that Hendricks has 100% ownership of WAS. BOS is owned partly by Amos. As Woosa's largest investor, & unless he gets to own BOS too, Hendricks gets to say where Mia plays.
Given Nomar's difficulty staying healthy and Mia's problems staying healthy, any children they have need to live in a bubble!!! On the whole though, it's the privileged status of the founders, which eventually needs to end before WUSA takes it's next step. New heros need to emerge. And the WNT has an incredible influence in shaping who these NEW heros will be. Iverson will be missed, and it'll be interesting to see who emerges. The McNabb matter should teach us a lot about what happens when a star is lost. Some times lesser known talents can play.
Of course it was mutual, since I think I'm going to be proven right that the reason they traded up to get her is that Namazi and the front office out there have an educated hunch Lirong nor Ouying will be in Spirit colors next year. And that has implications for us...I think it's very unprofessional for the Chinese to leave the league hanging like this, since those teams who have Chinese players are wondering whether or not to add an extra international player(s) to their teams. Perhaps the WUSA can ask FIFA to give the Chinese a drop-dead date (for lack of a better phrase) as to the status of its national team players, so then the selection of the foreigners can thus begin before the draft takes place... Paul
you joke about fifa and the chinese and wusa!! Who's more corrupt!! There are no rules here. wusa is far less significant to the chinese and to fifa. The World Cup is what counts.
Im adding another 2 cents to the discussion. Your right, trades happen all the time for the betterment of the team, and occationally for the betterment of the player. An example of a player that demanded a trade to be closer to home was Ken Griffey Jr. Unfortunately for the fans of Seattle, he basically held the Mariners over a barrell until they traded him for players of lesser value. However, I still dont like it. The Charge invested time and money in Iverson and were rewarded by her skills developing into an all star defender. She signed a contract for X years. If she felt that she didnt want to be in Philly for the length of the contract, she should have signed a shorter deal (i.e. 1 year). That way she has the freedom to move where ever she wants. But by committing to the Charge for X years in her contract, her rights belong to them for the length of the contract. Thats what being a Professional athlete is all about. Someone mentioned that it wouldnt be a big deal if she wasnt an all star player. Your right it wouldn't. Of course as a fan I want to keep the good players on our team, and not see them go elsewhere. As I said before who does Boston have that we want? Id rather keep the identity of our team together the defense, and win the whole thing. KSP
The Chinese Fed owes Woosa nothing, nor are they unprofessional, in my opinion. The Chinese Fed can do anything they want with their players, & if Woosa or you can't stand their lack of commitment, then too bad for all of you. The Chinese Fed are in the business of getting their nation the title of world champions. As is the USSF. More often than not, as we have seen in the case in scheduling friendlies in this country, a Woosa club's interests are secondary when it comes to national commitments. If Woosa, the GMs, or the coaches, have not anticipated nor planned for the Chinese stone-wall, then too bad for them. Unanticipated issues happen in business and in life. Putting the blame on someone or other will not make your club any better. Deal with the cards you've been given, and make the most of it. Then move forward.
Players' contracts are owned by & signed by Woosa, not by the club. I don't know what the fine print in Iverson's contract says. But she signed up with Woosa to play for the league. Woosa, & by extension PHL, owns her rights to play in the league. As we have seen with the Webber issue, accomodations have been made by Woosa for player movements. These movements would not have happened had the league, the teams, and the player(s) involved were all in agreement that moving from one club to another was in the best interests of everyone concerned. On the flip side, we've seen a waived SD player decline an opportunity to play in PHL because she didn't want to move. So it's a two-way street. The notion that Iverson should have signed for a shorter/longer deal is not an issue here. without the clout of a Mia, someone like Iverson has little leverage in contractual negotiations with the league. I think we're all in agreement that we'd like to see Iverson come back next year. However, in light of recent revelations, that's not likely to happen. I want Iverson to pursue what's best for her. Unfortunately, quite a number of you want Iverson to do something that may not be high on her list of priorities. If you wanted to quit your job or school to pursue something else, you'll likely get grief for that move. But if that's what you think is best for you, then I say do it. Life's too short not to pursue the path that you think will make your life better. It's her life, and I wish Iverson the best in whatever she wants to do.
She owes nothing to anyone! She has made her decision, I respect her for telling her situation point blank instead of jerking people around W/ implication or threats. Life does not begin or end w/ Woosa. She has her agenda, obviously. Management should grant her wish and cut their losses if possible. My bet is, that is what they will do after a bit of posturing. Get what they can out of it. It's a team sport, 1/11 of the starters! I think they will endure. If you don't think so it's not saying much for the Charges' committed players. There is a very good group of players coming in through the draft. Sorry to see her go but in May she won't be thought of much. Anyway I wish her the best, and I hope she finds Happiness in or out of Woosa. An intelligent person will move toward their goals and never look back on what might have been. She gave us all a lesson in personal management. Follow your heart or you'll always wonder what if? Follow your passion! If she needs to leave why punish her? Enjoy the memories and anticipation of things to come. Have the outcome of our teams finish in the league be the deciding factor, if she will feel bad for leaving. It's her decision. Maybe they could pay her more? Maybe they could sweeten the pot to make her stay. Anyway independence in such a manner helps negotiations for the rest of the team, by not kiss'n managements A_ _ as some of you might be suggesting.There's not alot of people go'in to retire out of this League W/ a fat wallet and no injuries. Maybe, just maybe she saw the light and she is moving in that direction. Happy Holidays. E.C.
G4M in his guise as Cheesesteak Kid on the league's Charge message forum said, in part, this: "...but i do think they should not let her retire, they need to tow a hard line but ensuring that her needs are met." I think we all agree that she's gone; it's just a matter of the when and the how, not if. "that being said...anyone who doesnt give her a bell ringing ear pearcing STANDING salute when and if she first returns to nova as a breaker is really proving the country right about sports in Philadelphia i can hear it now "forget santa claus, those goons boo a WOMENS SOCCER PLAYER because she wanted to GET MARRIED!!!!!" and you know what the nation is DEAD wrong about sports in philadelphia!" With all the talk about this, Glenn's statement was the first time I've thought about *that*. What would the fans do? Cheer? Boo? Keep quiet? Paul
Like everyone else I was surprised by the news. I didn't interpret the article to mean that Erica made an ultimatum or that ill will exists between her and the front office. I'm sure that this was a difficult decision for Erica that required a lot of time and thought. Personally, I will miss her contributions to the dynamics and chemestry of the team. She was always very cool to Scott and I when we were on the road last season. I wish her well in what ever happens. On the business side of it, Erica is an all first team central defender. Every team would be interested in getting her. A deal will be reached between Philly and Boston. I wouldn't mind seeing a 4th first round pick. This is a year with a lot of talent entering the draft. I don't think the league will allow Mark to have four picks in the first round - Boston's second round pick this year and first round next year could be possible. Dwight