Off-Season Roster Moves: Trades, Free Agents, MLS Draft and Academy

Red Bulls sign Spanish centerback Armando
http://www.soccerbyives.net/2014/01/spanish-centerback-armando.html

 

Updates in bold. Based on the above I'm putting 150k cap hit next to both Dax and Lozano. That might be a little low for Dax and a little high for Lozano so it should even out.

68k Akpan
80k Alexander (appeared in 75% of regular season games in 2013)
35k Bover
47k Bustamante
369k Cahill
35k Castano
47k Christianson
215k Convey
47k Duvall
369k Henry
110k Kimura (appeared in 66% of regular season games in 2013)
59k Lade
150k Lozano
88k Luyindula (appeared in 66% of regular season games in 2013)
150k McCarty (2013 reported $223k, but part of his salary is being paid by w/"retention funds".)
66k Meara
66k Miazga
124k Miller
35k Moreno
35k Obekop
325k Olave
88k Robles (appeared in 75% of regular season games in 2013)
130k Sam
159k Sekagya
122k Steele (appeared in 75% of regular season games in 2013)
47k Stevenson
93k BWP

27 players currently on the roster.

Roster spots 21-30 don't count against the cap.

The current top 20 earners on our team come in at $2,878,000 (based on LAST YEAR'S SALARIES and salary increases due via the collective bargaining agreement). Some players renegotiated at a lower salary, some got raises, etc. so lets call it all a wash and just go with the numbers above as an educated guesstimate.

$3,100,000 (2014 salary cap) - $2,878,000 (2014 salaries) + $100,000 (Champions League allocation) =

$322,000 remaining

That's enough to get either:

• 1 star player (close to a DP).
• OR 2 VERY good MLS players.
• OR 3 VERY good backups.

With 3 roster spots left IMO we could use a starting RB, a striker, and an attacking midfielder. We won't be able to address all those needs with only $322k.

Me personally? I don't think we're desperate for a striker since we have a strong midfield and Henry, BWP, Akpan, and Cahill as possible strikers. Right now today I'd sign a starting RB at ~$150k or less, and 1 academy kid (If there is a kid deserving of the contract of course. Also, his salary would be off cap). I'd save the remaining 1 roster spot and $172k cash and then re-evaluate what we need at the All Star break. Those funds would be very close in allowing us to sign a DP at half cost this summer.

 

Well we got Lozano, now what?.....

 

Training camp starts tomorrow.

IMO if we don't get something done soon this is the roster we're going into the season with.

Have we ever signed a legit player in the middle of preseason?

 

What would Backe say?

 

"In a way, the consistency can make the team, how would you say... stronger."

 

It doesn't make any sense. The one change Petke said he wanted for this season was more attacking prowess from his outside backs. Unless he plans on playing convey at outside back he hasn't addressed his off season needs.

 

Fullbacks aren't exactly dime a dozen, especially ones with attacking ability, maybe there's just nobody available who is worth the effort? Hard to think there's not a single player better than Kimura though...

 

Petke must really have faith in Kimura if he believes he can be our starting RB... however, Kimura does have one thing... a hard working mentality. He is a work horse and will put his ass on the line so hopefully that translates this season.

 

He's just too much of a space cadet on defense, too many times last year he'd fall asleep at the wheel and fail to track a run or attack a ball. I'm still pissed about the game losing goal he gave up against Vancouver after we completely dominated that game. I guess if he's the weakest link in the team we could be doing worse though.

 

For the 1-20 spots we only have 18 players, so still time to look for more reinforcement and, one spot that I think really we need is RB I don't have that confidence that Kimura can handle it and Lade is a "wild card" essential to the team in so many other places..... So, we need a RB desperately...... After that we can sit down, watch the games and see what we need to change, but I sincerely think, that this team is much better than last year.... And if Olave 33, Henry 37, Cahill 34/35, Convey 31 and McCarty 27 our biggest most important starters and old players can stay healthy for long stretch during the season we can surprise the futbol community..... That is IF....Because we don't have sub's for this players........

 

looks like Lozano gets a lot of yellows...at least in the Segunda, Asceno in Mexico and the few Primera games he played. No idea how that might translate to MLS.

http://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/en/armando-lozano/leistungsdaten/spieler_29068_gesamt.html

 

Its not getting caught up field without cover that worries me about Kimura, its just his basic defensive instincts. He gets caught flat footed a lot, particularly on crosses and when players make a run between him and the CB. I'm all for Petke making a tactical adjustment to get the fullbacks forward, I just don't think Kimura is anything more than a mediocre fullback.

 

I disagree with that, because he makes these mistakes when the team is in its defensive shape where there are two tight banks of four, not on the counter when he's caught in a wider attacking position. Its not a matter of tactics, he's just mentally a step behind the rest of the game at times. And its unfair to say that he shouldn't have defensive responsibilities on crosses just because the CB's should clean most of it up, Barklage always found himself plenty involved in clearing aerial balls at the back post.

Kimura isn't awful, but I think he's clearly the weakest link in our starting lineup. He isn't Cherundolo, and at the age of 29 I don't think Petke is going to turn him into Cherundolo. You're definitely right that this position doesn't appear to be a priority at the moment for whatever reason, but given Petke's comments earlier in the off season I have trouble believing that that he intended to enter the season with Kimura as the only real option as a starting RB.

 

The leagues first intra-league loan happened with Cascio going to Houston.

Maybe we can do the same for the RB position? Get in a guy who can compete with Kimura and the draftee for the cheap?

 

Right on cue:

@NYPost_Lewis5m
Andy Roxburgh says Red Bulls hope to add a fullback from #MLS within a week, possibly by today #rbny

Twellman tweeted that he thinks that its Eckersley from Toronto, who is rumored to buy him out of his high priced contract ($210k in 2013). Maybe we can sign him for cheaper?

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Eckersley_(footballer)

The good:

• Only 24.
• Good pedigree in England with ManU. Regular U-18 and reserve squad player there when he was young.
• Already knows MLS.

The bad:

• Nagging hamstring injury that plagued him last year.
• He struggled to get PT in the lower levels of England, but he was pretty young (20-22) soooooo......

I guess at this point we aren't going to get a decent outside back without taking some sort of risk.

Honestly I don't know the guy from a hole in the wall. Anybody familiar with his play?

 

I don't rate Kimura very high on either end (defense/offense).

He does get beat in the air far post regularly. This usually happens when our other fullback gets caught upfield, there's a counter-attack down that side and suddenly we're left with a 3 man backline. When that happens Sekagya shifts to leftback, Olave shifts LCB, and Kimura shifts RCB.

 

minus $210k = $112k

That's enough to get another backup piece (say another backup striker).

But I agree that they're probably going to re-structure his contract so that he's somewhere around a $150k cap hit. I think they can do this because of the injuries he sustained last year. I imagine his initial salary was one of those things where Toronto was like "You're from England. Wow they really know their football there. Here's a lot of money." I think his actual value has probably been found out by everyone in the league.

 

This is an excellent read on him:

http://www.cbc.ca/sports/soccer/expensive-fullback-richard-eckersley-leaving-toronto-fc-1.2254349
"Eckersley played for Paul Mariner, Toronto's former director of player development and manager, while on loan at Plymouth Argyle.
A popular player with TFC supporters, Eckersley is an energetic and versatile defender. A full-bodied fullback who loves to race down the flank, he played on the right and left as well as in central defence when needed.
He added competitiveness and bite to the Toronto backline.
Eckersley's 2013 season was marred by injury, however, and ended early as the team made it clear it was looking to the future.
Publicly, Nelsen has said Eckersley is a fine player who is a victim of his contract and the MLS salary cap. He jokes that Eckersley's agent did too good a job negotiating the deal.
Eckersley, for his part, notes that he arrived on loan so there was plenty of talk with Toronto about wages. Plus the former Manchester United and Burnley product "was on a lot of money in England."
"So for me to come out here, I needed decent money, so to speak."


Sounds like he's exactly what Petke wanted and that he's ripe for a new (lower) contract.