Ugh. I wish we had more cap room so we could take a shot at bringing AW back. ...on second thought, unless someone can assure me that JMM is on his way, why wouldn't the Revs be interested in bringing AW back? He's a central midfielder that can fill in at forward - two positions the Revs could use a bit more depth. Dump APC. Dump Rooney. Dump Sommer. (Done) Dump Fuller. (Done) Dump Griffiths. Dump Wolde. If the Revs could make all those moves, they'd have the cap room and SI room to bring back AW. We'd be looking at... GK: Brown, Draft Pick? RB: Heaps, Pierce CB: Llamosa, Kante, Pierce, Joseph LB: Franchino, Downing RM: Ralston, Leonard CM: Hernandez, Cullen, Williams, Cloutier LM: Kamler, Draft Pick? ST: Twellman, Serna, Williams, Draft Pick? FWIW, my new draft fixation is Stanford left back/left mid Todd Dunivant, who could back up Franchino and fill in occassionally for Kamler at left mid. Of course, I think he'd probably be long gone before the #9 pick, so I'm not sure exactly how we'd get him. Maybe David Wagenfuhr will go P-40.
I would think that dumping APC would generate enough cap room to bring back AW, but we'd also need to dump Griffiths to free up a SI slot (Kante and Serna being the other two). I thought Griffiths seemed like someone who could fit in better with an offseason with the team, but I think that AW could have more of an impact on the team. The way that he can hold the ball and beat many people off the dribble should create enough havoc in the box for Twellman to get free for some feeds. The only downside is that I was hoping for someone other than Kamler to play left mid. Unless Leonard really comes on, it would be nice to get a left-sided player in the first round.
Wasn't there rumors that AW was close to getting his green card back when he was with the Revolution?
Where did you get the information AW is leaving? Lets review last years trade: To MUTTS: Teddy--gone Big Baby--gone Andy W--going To Revs Hernandez: National team call-up Kamler: Has become SN's good luck charm Serna: Ready for prime time again Hey Todd---I think you skunked the Mutts Do we want AW back---hell no. Theres a reason why every team he's ever played for in MLS has unloaded him. Hell, I'd rather have Teddy back.
George, I had no idea you were such an AW critic. I hadn't planned on posting here, but as AW's former apologist, I fell obligated to put in a good word. I would be delighted to see him in Rev blue again, and think AW would fix the predictable-service-to-Twellman problem. That said, the argument about AW on the Metro board now mirrors the one that took place here after the trade. The NY-NJ critics point out that AW's departure preceded the success of the Fusion and the Revs. He is again accused of failing to pull his weight defensively, and of more intangible crimes like failing to attract more interest from opposing clubs and failing to be loved by his coaches. His supporters merely say that he plays attractive, effective attacking soccer, and seems to find himself involved in a lot of goal-scoring opportunities. Who couldn't get excited about: Brown Heaps Kante Pierce/Llamosa Franchino/Mr. X Ralston Williams Hernandez Kamler/Mr. Y Twellman healthy Serna/Mr. Z Wouldn't I love to know SN's mind on this topic.
To Jon Martin: I tend to agree with you re. AW. He is a terrific player who needs the appropriate defensive mids around him to forage and back him up. If he gets that, boy can he create! Hernandez is an excellent holding midfielder who can also spray the ball around a bit. Ralston, we know about and the left side is, at present, up for grabs. If Williams were to play in front of Daniel could the latter do enough of the dirty work to prevent the back four from being overrun? I don't know but the idea of AW's passing in combination with Twellman, Ralson, maybe Serna/Joe Max or Harris and X on the left with Heaps overlapping sounds mighty good. I would worry about losing Cullen as he provides a second D-mid. Anyway, I also agree that Todd Smith's/Fernando?SN's decision to spring the trade looks mighty good in retrospect. JIM DOW
The trade - 7 months later Jim - you called it. You were the first (that I recall) to say that the entire deal hinged on the performance of DH. He certainly exceeded my expectations, and as such I was wrong in my criticism of the trade. Kamler also exceeded expectations, but Chrono may have done just as well. Any of us could have told OZ that Chrono was wasted at left back. It is way too early, however, to say that Serna has worked out, particularly if the Metros convert the Diallo allocation into a starting player. If Serna goes on to star for the Revs, I will say that I completely blew it.
The biggest drawback against Andy Williams is that he counts as a Senior International. If he were a domestic player, he'd be a lot more valuable, and the Mutts could likely get some pretty good value for him in a trade. Regarding the green card issue, Williams has been "close" to getting a green card for at least 2 years. He is one of those poor unfortunate saps who took the advice of his employer and decided that he should concentrate on playing, and let others who are trained and qualified handle the legal and immigration issues. Poor sap, indeed. MLS has railroaded him (and other players in that situation) to work with a League employee who has been bilking players, nickel-and-diming them for $500 here and $1,000 there to "process the paperwork." In fact, any reputable immigration lawyer will tell you that the process, although it can take time, is a straightforward application fee, and the green card costs a flat rate. One cost, no matter how long it takes, no matter how many bureacrats have to do a background check to see if he is really a country singer or a member of Al Qada (although as a Metro, that's pretty close in my book). For his sake, I hope he gets his green card. If Bradley doesn't think he "fits" in his "system" I hope that he cuts him, and then Williams gets his green card, and someone else picks him up and he flourishes. Andy is a good guy and a better than average player. Whether he's the type of player we need is another question, but there are definitely teams who could use someone like him. Tom