seriously ******** this guy. He is now turning offers down out of spite it seems. Let him rot and chase ladies at Live! for the next two seasons for all I care.
That would be the best thing to ever happen in the history of the world. Even better than cheese fries.
To me that would be too good for him, cause there is the very outside chance that he would set the usl on fire (like most goals in league history or something crazy like that) and then he would feel vindicated. Although I guess it also could drive up his summer transfer asking price.
Again I hate to play devil's advocate, but if the Union didnt give him the contract in the first place we probably wouldnt be having this discussion. The FO is frustrating and I think we are worse with him off the team, than on the bench or starting 11. Being the same age as Freddy I cant really fault the dude for wanting to get paid, and in his situation he probably doesnt see another big payday for a while. Still think he had some moments with us and obviously the Gold Cup, but the high earning players in MLS have the power especially to franchises that are strapped for cash like us. Just be thankful we are getting Williams and Marfan on the cheap.
Didn't he sign with MLS? Then he was allocated to the Union after he balked at playing for Chivas. But anyways, the Union were fully aware of the contract when they decided to sign him. Regardless the Union are only on the hook for the portion of his salary above and beyond his salary cap hit of $360K. Still that $360K that he is taking up could/should go to better use.
So you're telling me that Chivas USA outmaneuvered the Union front office? I may have to return this coffee cup.
Any real word on Soumares health? also, right after we picked him up, I got drunk at the us open cup match and thought T.O. was banging the drum in the river end.
So just because one guy makes the All-Star squad means that he's better than one who doesn't? People (not saying you're necessarily one of them) call the ASG a farce and a joke, so I don't think that can be used as a benchmark for player quality when it's more about player popularity and how the Sounders fans stuff the ballots. I think there were a number of better midfielders who could've been called in instead of Farfan last year, but between Hack's influence as one of the assistant coaches under Olsen and close geographical proximity to the stadium, he was a shoe-in. The team hypes it up calling him a former All-Star, which is true, but we all know he's not one of the elite in this league. Subsequently, comparing the two players' national careers is a weak argument. There are so many other factors that have determined how they've gotten call-ups - coaching staff, roster depth, etc - that this is an apples-to-oranges comparison. There are CBs in MLS who haven't played "meaningful minutes" for their respective countries who I'd rate higher than either Valdes or Parke, such as Aurelien Collin.
you are also comparing a guy trying to break into a team that hasnt made the world cup since 98 to a guy trying to break into a team that has made the last 6. yes, concacaf v conmebol, but still... apples and oranges
Also, take a look at the Castrol Rankings for last season (http://www.mlssoccer.com/castrol/index): 69. Jeff Parke 117. Carlos Valdes Now obviously it's an analytical system with flaws but I think many would consider it more valid than simply checking the All-Star Game roster. One difference that favors Carlos is age; Valdes is 3 years younger.
How many were knocking at Wondo, Buddle, and Findley's? Putting pretty big expectations on someone who's coming off surgery and got hurt his first game with us. Maybe Soumare will be great but let's not act like Valdes didn't save our butts a couple times last season. Just because Europe doesn't find guys valuable doesn't mean they aren't valuable to other teams in the MLS or wherever.
USL and NASL is an ugly place. If you thought MLS is a bunch of hacks its uglier down there. Similar to NHL and AHL, how the AHL has more fights and bigger hits cause the guys have more to fight for (NHL contracts and call ups). Or atleast thats how I see it. Adu in the USL will make him a prime target. Taking hard tackles all day. I could enjoy watching him take late tackles.
I don't see how it is. The Colombian NT is stronger than the USMNT right now. Colombia is ranked #6 in the world and will almost certainly qualify for the Cup. USA is ranked #32 and there's an outside chance that it will not qualify for the Cup in an easier confederation. Despite the fact that the USMNT has struggled for years to find an answer at CB, Parke has not been in that discussion. So if Valdes is considered a realistic option on a stronger team, but Parke is not, how is that not relevant? Parke is a good player, but with limitations. He's coming off of a career year with Seattle. Seattle had the lowest GA of any team in the league, and he deserves some credit for that. But Seattle's midfield is much stronger than the Union's and it did not allow its CB pairing to be exposed the way the Union's was. Consequently, Valdes was tested much more frequently here than Parke was in Seattle. Parke was also exposed repeatedly for speed and positioning in the CCL. Many Seattle fans thought he was poor in those appearances. I'm not optimistic that Parke-Soumare will be a successful pairing, mostly because I don't have confidence in Soumare, but also because neither are particularly fast. I would rather see Parke play with Okugo. Regardless, I expect us to leak goals at a higher rate without Carlos Valdes.
Have to be frank and say that the attitude of the ownership and management of this club is certainly frustrating at times. Seattle is out trying to spend over 10 million euros in transfer fees and contract money for Obafemi Martins (side note: Very exciting deal for MLS getting a player who is currently the top goal scorer for his La Liga team) and we, by the looks of it, can barely scrape together a competitive roster. Don't get me wrong, thats a huge deal and I don't think its fair to criticize the U for not making one of that caliber. However, when Hack takes out a full page pity ad to explain our struggles and throws most of the blame on Adu, I'm just not buying it. If you can't get rid of Adu through a transfer and can't put together a full roster because of his salary then just buy him out, its really that simple. Pony up and buy him out then go out and use that extra salary on players who will PLAY. We are one of the most committed and dedicated fan bases in the league and I personally feel like ownership really takes advantage of that, throwing us scraps here and there right when fan frustration is about to boil over while not making a true commitment to success. It's frustrating to look around MLS and find that I'm more excited about the transactions other teams make then I am about our own. We deserve ownership who is going to make the big financial decisions that are required to succeed in MLS and I have yet to see that up to this point. Rant complete.