Oh, one more thing. Chivas will more than likely select a few top players who aren't Mexican (or whatever) and use them as trade bait to get who they really want. So protecting the players (re:starters) we want to keep is much better than protecting those who don't play or are on the bubble talent-wise.
I've been trying to stay out of these Chivas rants masquarading as discussions, but because this is in the DC United forum, here goes. 1. Chivas isn't entering until 2005, along with another expansion team, possibly Clevland. United would not only have to protect against Chivas poaching our players via the Expansion Draft, but also the other expansion team. 2. Vergara isn't an idiot, and there is no special rule prohibiting him from trading players. So even if Chivas were coming in 2004 (being the only expansion team), these silly notions that we would only have to protect our players of latin descents or appearances is just wrong. If available, Chivas' picks would be Convey, Quaranta, Petke and Rimando. Notice how only one of those (Rimando) has any real latin heritage. Then, Vergara would keep Rimando, take the allocation for Convey, trade Petke for Arturo Alvarez, Quaranta for Ryan Suarez, and scratch his head that we didn't protect them. 3. Chivas is pumping propoganda into the Spanish marketplace and creating interest. Many people will remember the propoganda without ever bothering to check to see if it is/was true. They may start reading Chivas articles or even attending a game before they realize that the team isn't totally of Mexican descent, or even totally of latin descent, or even 75% of latin descent. 4. While I detest prejudice and diviciveness, Chivas is pursuing a legitimate business end that is planned and projected to help MLS survive. If either Anschutz or Hunt were unable to carry the load of their teams (for financial, health, or other reasons), the league would dissolve. MLS needs new investors. Be thankful for Vergara, and twice as thankful for Kroenke (because he's building a stadium). 5. We have no idea how any Expansion Draft may work, but if you want to be constructive, act as if Bob Bradley is being awarded a new franchise in Philly and he's the one picking your players. Look not only at the skill level, but the salary cap (P-40's count as $0.00 against the salary cap), roster spots (difficult to get a P-40 who contributes more than practice team), SI/GC status, age, and injury tendencies. These are the major factors determining who would be selected. Expect a LARGE amount of trading after the Expansion Draft unless the 10 current teams protect their players based upon all of these criteria. 6. Rank the players from #1 (most valuable given the various criteria) through #18 (least valuable on the full roster), then also rank the P-40's. Assume all non-roster and non-P-40 developmental players will be exposed, and yes, that includes Geddes. 7. Remember, this is the DC United forum, and as Meridian mentioned, non-DC United discussions of Chivas should be moved elsewhere. Let's not flame here guys. -Digital