I guess we should add him to the list... http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/028/sports/Offense_should_be_maximal+.shtml
Wow, that's somewhat suprising. Hope he has a good experience and better payday than he would have had with MLS or the A-League.
If that's true, that's a good move for Carlos. Atlético Nacional is a big club, apparently, in South American circles, and it gives Arena another avenue in which to scout one of his players in, in terms of a different style of play, versus that of an MLS or a European environment, per se. IIRC, this would be the first American to play in South America since Cobi Jones played in Brazil for Vasco da Gama, right? Perhaps this is the context and point in time we should ask the resident Atlético Nacional supporter on these boards if Llamosa has a good chance at cracking into AN's starting eleven? Cheers, William
Two or three really good examples, guys-- thanks. Maybe the late-night haze here is really getting to me. Nonetheless, good move for Carlos, if this can be verified.... Cheers, William
Hm... To be honest, I interpreted this as CL essentially removing himself from national team consideration in order to get himself a nice payday at the tail end of his career -- apparently he signed for slightly more than MLS was offering.
Very interesting news regarding Carlos Llamosa. I guess players do indeed have alternatives to MLS' paltry salary offers. I've been looking on Colombian soccer web sites for confirmation but haven't seen any yet. Atletico Nacional is one of Colombia's biggest clubs and last year were runnersup in the Copa Sudamericana (roughly the South American equivalent of the UEFA Cup). They are also the only Colombian club to ever win the Copa Libertadores. Last week they were in Miami where they won the preseason Torneo de las Americas at the Orange Bowl (which by the way drew average crowds in excess of 20,000+ for 3 separate match dates). The interesting aspect of Atletico Nacional is that the club is the only one in Colombia which forbids using foreign players. Llamosa of course was born in Colombia but I bet this will be the first time a player who has represented a country other than Colombia has ever played for Atletico Nacional. For those of you with Fox Sports Español (which I unfortunately am not one) you'll be able to see plenty of Llamosa in action as Atletico Nacional will often be featured on their weekly Colombian league match.
Re: Re: Llamosa to Atletico Nacional I think his age has removed him from national team consideration already. He wasn't going to be in the plans for 2006. He'd be late 30s by then. We know the Revs were offering around $100k, so we can assume his salary there will be very close to that.
Llamosa was really not in the National Team setup anyway, so really it is a question of whether he wanted to go home for slightly more money. I don't think it has much significance for MLS as a whole as very few players will feel comfortable with the lifestyle in South America, the fact that salaries promised often bear little relationship to what is actually paid (this is true in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Peru but may not be true in Colombia) and who have a strong enough resume to interest South American clubs.
I'm willing to bet that a salary of just over $100k goes much further in Colombia than in the Boston metro area.
Martin and chayes, That was pretty much my point -- seeing as he was probably not going to be seriously considered for the Nats anymore because of his age, he figured he'd go where the money was rather than worry about being near Bruce. Here's hoping he comes back to the US when his playing career is over (if not sooner).
is it really all that good of a move considering the economic troubles south america has had recently? i guess playing wise its a good move but I wouldn't want to go there at all?
Well, you can argue. Why an old US National Team member like Llamosa is being pushed around like he is a worst defender in the league? I know he isn't Pope or Agoos who are starters, but he was a solid sub for NATS and a good defender in club. So why some other US NATS of past, such as Earnie, Joe-Max, Cobi, etc. are enjoying more than $200K a year, but Llamosa has to take a paycut? MLS is only good for unestablished players who need PT to marture. For established players, such as Llamosa, Barrat, Vanney, Cannon, Mulrooney and Mathis, they would say--Thanks for the cutting. Bye bye.
Unfortunately, Llamosa was at the peak of his game in '98, but didn't get his citizenship in time...not that he would have made much of a difference, but he really was a horse for DC United back then. There were stretches when you could have argued he was as good as or better than Pope. Ah, what might have been.
As recently as 2001 he was the USA's best man-marker, consistently removing the opponent's best striker from the game. I wish him well, and thanks for the memories.
Great player, very underated by most everyone. The best man marker we have ever had on the national team. He always managed to get a touch on the ball when things looked grim. Best of Luck!
Quite frankly, I had a hard time understanding what Greg Berhalter added to our side in Korea that Carlos didn't. Carlos is the most skillfull marker and tackler that I have ever seen in a US uniform. I know that he is older and maybe not quite as quick as he was a few years ago, but he is still as quick as Berhalter, yet an infinitly more skillfull, savvy defender. I guess Bruce liked what Greg brought with his air game. In my opinion, Carlos is just as good in the air.
IMHO, Llamosa was not the same player in 2002 that he was in 2001. Carlos lost half a step and for a guy who relied on perfect timing in the tackle (which he had better than any other American defender), that really made him a lot less effective at the international level. That and the fact that he was always a little overmatched physically against Euro teams explains why Berhalter was used more in the World Cup. Llamosa is still a good player but a pay cut is fair for a defender who is declining. It's not fair but its a double standard between forwards and defenders.
From the SoccerAmerica Daily: "I will be making only a little more money than the MLS was offering but the dollar goes a lot further in Colombia. You can live in a big house, have a nice car, be very comfortable, on the type of salary I will be making." --Carlos Llamosa, who has signed with Atletico Nacional in Medellin. (Boston Globe)
Atletico Nacional Says No Deal This article: http://www.futbolred.com/default.asp?link=noticia&idn=24382 says Atletico Nacional's president claims the club will not sign Carlos Llamosa. While Atletico Nacional was in Miami last week the sides discussed terms and agreed upon a salary but the club president has decided against signing him as he feels the central defender position is well covered. It should be noted that one of the best centerbacks at the recently concluded South American U-20 championships Jose de la Cuesta is an Atletico Nacional player and it's quite possible that the club decided to save some money and were impressed with the youngster's performance that they decided they didn't need Llamosa after all. Silvio Mejía presidente del Atlético Nacional, descartó la posibilidad de vincular al defensor colombiano Carlos Llamosa, quien actúa en la MLS y la selección de los Estados Unidos. El jugador adelantó contactos con los verdes en Miami y se llegó a un acuerdo salarial pero el presidente del club desechó la opción, ya que el puesto de defensor está muy bien cubierto con Hilario Cuenú, José Julián de la Cuesta, Carlos Díaz, Aquivaldo Mosquera y Santiago Pérez.
It doesn't surprise me that this deal collapsed. Like I said, the football economy, like the rest of the economy in Latin America is not real stable. It's a good thing Carlos didn't really bad mouth MLS then.