Off-Season Player Rumors & Movement 2011-12

Nice thread. Tough to embrace the off-season right now after a pair of frustrating playoff losses but the team is well-positioned to improve.

As the front office prepares to add talent, all I can say is no Whammies.

 

If the transfer window is any indication there will be no moves in the off-season. And in a panic they'll make a last minute, high-profile signing who never becomes match fit.

All joking aside, I think the Union are in a much better position personnel-wise heading into 2012 than they were heading into this season.

There were a lot of broken parts last year. This year. Not so much (that's not to say there aren't some serious broken parts).

 

So Freddy definitely becomes a young DP next year.... I'd gladly add Martinez as a 2nd.

 

This!

This time last year we had one center back, no keeper and a bunch of holes. This year the team needs a target striker, a lb and I woulda love someone with alot of pace that can bomb down the side of the field with some skill with the ball at his feet.

And hell a guy that can put the ball in the net from set pieces would be awesome.

 

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANUPZxR_t4E"]Seattle Philadelphia Gol Carlos el Pescadito Ruiz 0 1 - YouTube[/ame]





(i promise i'll keep the Ruiz trolling to a minimum this offseason, but when you ask for it, i'll be here )

 

Fully agree; and one who can really score with headballs from free-kicks and corners.

 

What do you think are the chances we get Michael Ozoco Fiscal back to fill in the spot at LB

 

I'd rather we could use our loyalty points to bid on what fan gets to play LB then see him back.

I don't care that he is playing with the US mens team right now, lets leave the memories of him in the past.

 

Im not sayin a want the Union to pick him back up i wouldn't mind With him being one of the decent defenders in our first year, and what looks like him improving i could see the FO trying to get him back to take over at LB

 

I thought he was poor at outside back. He would get the ball and take 2 - 3 seconds to figure out what to do with it. Much better at center back. Actually I thought he was best in his few appearances at DM.

Mind you, I'm not advocating we try to sign him. Just mystified whenever folks suggest him at outside back.

 

Agreed - he is a CB who we asked to play outside with very little success.

 

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2011/11/07/gringo-report-castillo-acuñ-put-transfer-list

I know nothing will come of it but an American LB has been put on the transfer list........ along with his team. A team did this last year I recall. Maybe they do it a lot I don't know.

 

Castillo looked like shit with the national team. Was he hurt this year? He only played in like half of Puebla's games.

I'm not saying I'd mind either way, but I don't see why it has to be a veteran.

If they can find a big 12-year-old who can score, sign him up.

 

oh come on it was a serious suggestion!

but in all reality, my little parodical trolling is just pointing out the fact that one of the things everyone accepts that we need, an experienced vet with MLS experience at forward, we totally had, but no one was happy with. Who's to say people actually like who Nowak tries to fill that role with this time? People are more concerned with the gunshy-primaDanny Mwanga and headless French Hens running aimlessly than a player who is smart about his runs, makes defenders second guess themselves, can get under their skin to draw fouls/cards, and, oh, score!

 

Dammit Celt, you are letting common sense get in the way of good trolling on Big Soccer! Smash works hard to continue to create uncompelling post that are pointless and without much thought*. If this continues, I am going to report you to the mods, and may God have mercy on your soul!

***Smash, you know I love you and don't mean a word of it!!!! I do actually find it somewhat funny that BS posters keep asking for an experience forward that can draw fouls and score to "complete" the Union. I just continue to take offensive for the "blame game" towards us Union fans!***

 

Oh come on, Ruiz/Union FO/League officials do not post on this board, so my theory is just as good as anyone else's. I'm just the minority(of 1, apparently). In fact! My last post had nothing to do with fans running Ruiz out of town! Just the irony that the same thing everyone is dying for this offseason is a hole that was filled LAST offseason...However any of us wants to deny/admit any theory of his leaving is irrelevant.

I don't really mean to offend Union fans in general, because I know I wasn't the only one who actually supported him in the what...3-4 months he was here. However, I do know I was in the minority of fans who backed him 100%, since it seemed every "supporter" around me felt it necessary to berate the man every time he touched the ball and didn't immediately score...It is quite obvious there was a bias from the beginning from most fans, and I feel like no matter what reason he left its my personal view that we failed as "supporters." No other player got such a steaming pile of crap from the (majority of) fans as Ruiz, and no other player was doing nearly as much to keep us at the top of the conference than him. It just doesn't add up to me, and yea, im gonna be bitter over it.

 

I don't think that "an experienced forward to score goals and be an aerial threat" is a one size fits all category and I don't think it points straight to the player(s) we had.

I say player(s) because Moreno was another player asked to fill the role of veteran forward and played a different style game than Ruiz - both had pros and cons but neither ended up being with the team more than a year. I'd take Moreno's passing and creative ability over the poaching of Ruiz but for my money, neither player perfectly fit the bill.

If you are looking for a player maybe halfway between those two - a capable passer, a capable aerial threat, a finisher, etc. the player that comes to mind most clearly because he was a pain this past week is someone like Brian Ching. This isn't me advocating for Ching although that wouldn't be a bad thing, I'm simply saying that "veteran target forward" is not a one size fits all category and there are definitely ranges of skill sets that some players bring more than others.