News: Offseason Trade and Acquisition Rumors

that's pretty scary, let's hope our backline stays healthy, specifically the fullbacks as I'm not sure I'd like to see either of the Farfan's out there running around on defense quite yet...

 

I would think Okugo would start at back up over them if one of our defenders is out

 

@Visualizer: Seconded, I don't feel too safe about playing rookies out of position in defense.

 

sounds like richter has come in and taken the place of toni stahl. i wonder if richter went to the cobra kai academy as well.

 

Well, Judah is the Official Twitterer so there ya go.

 

yeah I forgot about that, but still Okugo doesn't have a ton of experience playing D either, just this summer overseas if I remember right, so it's not that much of an upgrade over Richter experience-wise.

 

...especially since the Toni Stahl Experience went so well

 

So... how much time is left on the off-season countdown clock?

 

From the Union's twitter today:

Nowak: The Greece camp was focused on tactics because the roster was much closer to being set.

Nowak: There was some kind of "initiation" for the rookies in Greece. No further elaboration

Nowak: The club really came together in Greece. New players, both rookies and other acquisitions, have assimilated extremely well.

Nowak: The club needs to start the season "the right way" in Houston. It will be a "very difficult game."

Nowak: The Union must limit Houston's set pieces around the area. (Both HOU goals at Robertson Stadium last year were off set pieces.)

Nowak: There are 2 defenders not on the roster who could still join the club. Also rostered non-defenders with flexibility to play defense.

Nowak: The club is "relaxed but focused" heading into the first match of the season Saturday vs. @HoustonDynamo

Nowak: The club needs to "improve dramatically" on the road in 2011.


Interesting... I wonder who the 2 are??

 

Gabriel Farfan, who has played at right back, is probably one. Other could be Keon Daniel.

They aren't really defenders but the team has used them in defensive positions during the preseason.

 

I think American soccer coaches are finally starting to realize what baseball coaches have already known: youth position (and even college position) don't always translate into pro position.

If you have the ball skills and speed to be a top-flight pro, you would probably be the best left back on your youth team or the best center back or the best winger or the best number ten. But the odds are you're going to play on the offensive side of the ball, because youth coaches want the best player to get the most shots on goal. (Unless you're tall, of course; the tallest player has to be the keeper.)

All of which means, playing forward at the youth level doesn't mean you're a "natural" forward; it just means you're one of the best players on your youth team. I think Shea Salinas is a good example: he's small, fast and has a good right foot, so he played on the wing, but when Nowak put him at right back I think he was more effective and more useful there. If he'd embraced that position, instead of complaining about it, I think he'd still be on the team.

 

Not to add fuel to the panic...just posted on twitter by Faryd Mondragon...not a good sign with two youngsters as the backup.

in Dr. Mathews office with pain in my knee, little bit worried but confident the "magician" will make me feel good as new!!!

 

He's giving him Charlie Sheen

 

OK everybody, Last call. Get your rumours now!

You dont' have to go home, but you can't stay here...

 

Crisis over ...latest tweet:
just walked out from the "magician's" office, 80% of the pain is gone, hopefully tomorrow i am 100% fit, thanks Dr. Mathews!!!

One man's doc is another's chiropractor...we all can breath now!

 

This scenario is one option (Daniel & Farfan) as midfielder Gabriel Farfan as been confirmed as a trialist left back in the Michael Farfan article on the Union website while his twin brother has played right back along with Richter. Daniel seems to be playing LM when Mapp sits and that LM/LCM role is one that he typically plays for club and country - he may have been tried at LB in one of the scrimmages for which game info has even less than usual.

The other scenario is that the team could be looking to acquire at least one defender who does not require a trial and thus would not be in camp until Philly actually acquires him. The trialist thing usually happens with out-of-contract players - Philly could be acquiring (buying or getting via a loan deal) a player directly from another team similar to like when Gonzalez was acquired in mid-season in a somewhat surprise of a signing. That deal was not the usual prolonged, hardly secretive signings that we have seen with Ruiz, Mondragon, Valdes, Torres, etc. when everyone knows that they are signing with the team ... and then the team officially announces their signings to no one's surprise. When Orozco Fiscal left, it may have jump-started the efforts perhaps already underway by Gutierrez to bring in another defender - perhaps the Colombian sports press readings by Union fans may increase in the coming weeks leading up to the close of the transfer window.

 

The technical staff is bound by the "in accordance with team policy, the Union do not comment on players who are not under contract with the team" motto. Given the watered-down content which usually comprises the articles on the team's website, the communications staff is likely bound to the same motto as well which is why the mention of Gabriel Farfan as a trialist seems to indicate that he would be signed at some point soon (perhaps right before the Houston game so the Dynamo have no clue as to scouting some tapes of him in the event that he [1] sits on the bench as a reserve and [2] he actually plays).

We all know that the team operates in this secretive mode in terms of providing information but even how they approach pre-season (the Union are the only team that did not play at least one other MLS team in pre-season) - it is completely their choice even if fans would like it better if they operated like many other MLS teams which actually provide full pre-season game reports with line-ups, stream pre-season games on their website, provide practice reports and videos, provide trialist news, etc.). They also use a secretive approach with the MLS gameday previews where the projected starting line-up provided by the team rarely resembles the actual line-up that will be used. While folks could argue that it gives the Union a slight competitive advantage by holding back this info, any pro team that even just had an intern doing its scouting could figure out the likely Union line-up each week.

At the end of the day, their secretive approach is nothing over which to lose any sleep and does not affect supporting the team once they actually start playing regular season games but other MLS teams have proven that they can win championships yet still using a more open approach to providing info to both the press and the fans.

 

As frustrating as it is, I sometimes think it makes them more interesting and gives us a lot more fodder for discussion and debate.

 

http://msn.foxsports.com/foxsoccer/mls/story/Philadelphia-Union-aiming-for-playoffs-in-second-year

Union are the lead story (a season preview of the team by Ives) on foxsoccer.com - he confirms that San Luis wanted a sizeable fee for Orozco Fiscal and Nowak's statement yesterday about some potential defender acquisitions.