This deserve his own thread, so here you have: http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/12/10/reports-marquez-close-signing-mexicos-club-leon
This man has almost single handily brought our organization to ruins.. Our team despite some success has been a mess but I really do think a large part of the mess is because of Raffa. We'll be a completely different and better squad without him, like a kid riding his bike without his training wheels for the first time
The biggest problem with Rafa was that he was using up a valuable DP slot and the opportunity being lost of getting a real impact player for $4.6M per year. Whether it is Kaka or someone else, he would would certainly be a huge improvement. This gives new management the opportunity to find that true CAM. Cahill was certainly a very good acquisition, but not quite that creative midfielder that would be a good addition or certainly a top central defender would also be a welcome addition. I just hope we get someone who certainly wants to play here and would make the fans also want to come and see him. I was very wrong about Marquez as I thought he would bring in loads of the Mexican fans. I never had a problem with trying to find talent where our team felt they could find the talent to bring us the best team possible, but we did lack something that made the team bond with the fans and management that also helped that. I hope this new management does a better job at this.
I think Marquez goes down as the worst signing in MLS history. Such a worthless and destructive player, it's a pity that a player like Tyler Ruthven was a more effective CB than Marquez. We can almost credit two playoff losses to him, the regular season struggles, etc. He's been a disgrace to this team. The money freed up can be well used. I'm sure we can find a player costing around 100k who can do his job better.
here is a link from ESPNDeportes where they actually talk to somebody at Leon about Rafa: http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/news/story?id=1678801&s=mex&type=story looks like they are close to agreeing in principle with some details to work out, but not official yet. maybe your front office needs to know where the fans stand on Rafa to help motivate them to get this done and dusted?
It does make me wonder why a club who wants him for marketing purposes is trying to get him on the cheap?
Because he isn't worth that much, that is why, Slim is only doing this with Marquez and Nery Castillo to impress the people because he want to take over the monopoly of Televisa and TV Azteca have on the futbol in Mexico....Telling the people, you see, I bring home our elders that international they don't want them any more, but I, will protect them for you to enjoy them in my TV....
But again, that suggests he actually needs, is actively soliciting for Marquez. I'm not saying it should be a $5M transfer, but give us a mil just for the effort and that way the club gets some allocation money out of it. The richest guy in the world can certainly afford it. Put it another way, though, MLS may well balk at just cutting him loose. There may well be salary cap implications if his contract is just terminated. A nominal transfer fee smooths everything out, makes it easy.
What more you want, RBNY will have a 350K free plus a DP spot and the RB will save 4.3Million too, that will not have if isn't because Slim want to do that.... On the contrary if Rafa go to any other team, they will ask to the RBNY to pay at list 1/2 of his salary....So, this it is a good business for us....
I dunno, it seems to me that, if he is getting out of his contract, that would entail either a buy-out or a cap hit of some kind. Since, I am loathe to see a cap hit, I think extracting even a fractional fee is preferable, especially when you consider Mr. Moneybags is itching to bring him in house. Players will often pay their old club to be released from the contract, but that usually is to become a free agent. In this case, there seems to be a buyer all lined up. Even if he is the most hated player on the club, that's no reason to lose all business sense. Rafa may not be worth what we originally payed, but that doesn't mean he is worthless. Even with just one year left on his deal, a nominal fee seems quite reasonable. And MLS might well squawk if the club wants to just cut him loose.
Oh! ...Woodrow, who is getting out of who?, ...that is the question?.... And I will answer that to you, isn't Rafa, is the RBNY who is getting out of the mess that Soler and Backe bring to the club and the only way to be in the wining side is let Rafa go with out restrictions, because to find some body to pay his salary is a miracle by him self, and to hope for a trade money for him is a insanity because if he don't find somebody willing to pay his 4.6Millions he will demand this from the RBNY and the RBNY is willing to let him go "yesterday" if somebody is willing to sign him for the same money or more, to save they sanity, money and the team.....
MLS would love to swap out Rafa for Junino or Kaka. Even if they were upset, F em, RB pays for salary not MLS. Why would MLS want a DP to rot on our bench like Rafa????
I'm surprised that you think MLS will look the other way in this situation. There are plenty of instances where HQ have screwed the club over. I don't think taking a $350K cap hit for voiding a contract without approval is going to help the club get better. In other words, YES, THEY NEED LEAGUE APPROVAL! More calmly, my thinking is this, even a nominal fee helps smooth things over. It's good business and sends the right message to the other MLS clubs and future counterparties alike. It is also perfectly reasonable unless you start panicking, pissing your pants and generally acting desperate. Feel free though.
If Marquez wants out and RB agrees, why should anyone stop them from ending the contract or punish either party?
Why the league will oppose the Marquez departure, at the contrary they will be happy if the RBNY find a happy exit for Rafa, they kill to bird with same stone.... Make happy a bunch of fans and open a spot to bring maybe a better ambassador of the sport....
Marquez will never want out, too much money for him to lose, if the team calls him back he will be in uniform sadly, RB lost a ton of money on him, not only salary but they thought they were going to make loads of money on Mexican fans and only 3 showed up and 4 bought jerseys, the loan wont be close to what he makes, but they can afford it, good riddance asshole.
They may not have showed up at the stadium but I believe his jersey was one of the top selling in all of MLS, possibly even top 3.
YES!!! My buddy just sent me a message and woke me up. http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/12/13/nyrb-announce-they-have-parted-ways-rafael-marquez
He is gone!!! http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/12/13/nyrb-announce-they-have-parted-ways-rafael-marquez
I was never quite as down on him as others. He made some terrible mistakes on and off the field but he also had some great assists. That said, I am extremely glad to see him go because it will allow Dax to play where he needs to play and give us room for another DP. By the way, what does this mean for the overall financial situation vis-a-vis Cooper? Can we keep him now?