Berhalter won't come to MLS since he has just been signed by Energie Cottbus in the Bundesliga. I think Earnie Stewart is a very likely possibility for next season, we will have to wait until the Dutch season is over but I think this will be his last season in Europe.
I think Berhalter has a record of showing interest in MLS just enough to get foreign clubs to commit (ie: "make me an offer now before I go elsewhere"). Despite serious runs by Payne and the NY GM (name escapes me at the moment, then again, why should I care who the GM of the SoS is?), Berhalter pretty much blew off MLS. I think he's made his statement. Stewart could be a possibility. Regis also showed strong interest (though paying $265K for an outside defender or defensive midfielder is something we can't afford--and probably no team in MLS other than an expansion side could afford that). You know who I'd like United to take a serious look at? A South Korean player. I'm not trying to be like the Scum and say "hey--let's sign an Italian or Colombian or Slav and all those ethnics will show up and we'll draw oodles of fans!". But there is a huge South Korean population in the DC area, especially Northern Virginia (the area around Columbia Pike and Little River Turnpike in Annandale now gets referred to as Koreatown even in the Washington Post at times). I think, b/c the J-league has some tough times, b/c the Korean leagues don't pay well, and b/c we'd likely get a player with a very high work ethic, it would be well worth some serious scouting in S.Korea. We probably couldn't afford one of their WC team players but that still leaves lots of decent options (they had a huge player pool). I know that the Gals are trying to sign one of the more senior defenders/defensive mids off of the Red Devils (Meong?). I think a real challenge in MLS is not that of getting good players, but getting the best player you can get for the money you pay them. Thus, Moreno is a better player than Dante Washington but Washington is probably a better deal right now (b/c with Washington, you can afford to pay more for another player--2 for the price of 1!). We've discovered that many central american players (high technical ability, poorly paid leagues) are good bargains. I bet there are some ROK players in the same situation--high work rate, potential draw, decent technical ability, maybe even some international experience.
A South Korean would be interesting. My mom still lives in Annandale and I can attest to the huge influx of Koreans to the area. I just don't know if any "known" players would be affordable given their good showing in the World Cup. Also the stock of South Lorean players in general may have risen because of the world cup. I'm not saying they can't be found but it might be difficult. Regis is a possibility but only with a much smaller salary. He just signed with Troyes in the French 1st division so he wouldn't be available until May of next year. He's 33 I think, so definitely not worth a max salary. At $100,000 he might be worth it. I think another factor to take into consideration is the acquisition costs of the players. Obviously MLS isn't going to spend millions on a player after the Luis Hernandez debacle. So I think $250,000 or less would be a reasonable transfer fee that MLS would be willing to pay. Couple this with the salary cap and it puts a big limit on who you can get. I think we might see some signings during the second transfer window in January. There will be players who are on the bench and not getting playing time in the last year of their contract that will be allowed to move for free. These could be some good bargains.
I agree we probably couldn't get a "name" South Korean (but then, even after playing them 3 times internationally, how many S. Korean players can most of us name?). And I agree that their stock has risen. Just as it has for American players. But the transfer market has slumped. I'd bet we could get a young, technically good, hard working S.Korean for a marginal fee. Our primary competition is J-League and the Korean league. Again, I hate to make it sound like "get a Korean/Salvadoran/Guatemalan/Bolivian etc." and their fans will attend. My suggestion isn't to patronize those fans. But MLS needs bargain players. We're not going to get them from Italy. But S.Korea could be a possibility. Combined with the potential fan base, I think it's something DCU at least should explore. As for transfer fees by MLS, I"d be absolutely shocked if MLS ok-ed more than $100K for a player. It is my understanding (could be wrong) that the transfer fee for Reyes was around $10K and Quintanilla would also be around that figure (abit more perhaps). As for Regis, he's not coming to America unless he signs for $265K. $100K would be a cut by at least 2/3rds for what he makes, maybe more. Stewart might be available before the end of the season. Remember--a team may be out of danger of relegation, no chance of cup or league glory. To sell of a player means you don't owe them the rest of the salary for that year (and probably avoid having to pay off on some bonuses for goals, games played, etc.--b/c you shortened their season).
Earnie's the captain of NAC Breda, and led them to their best record in years (if not ever) - almost qualifying for the UEFA Cup. It's doubtful he'd be considered among the dead weight that usually gets unloaded in that manner. Dave
Right, but the manner in which JoeW suggested he could possibly depart is generally reserved for players who have fallen out of favor. Dave
I agree that there are decent acquisitions out there. While I also agree that a Korean player might be a good move from quality and marketing standpoints, we only have one SI spot left. The real keys remain 1) production from our SI spots and 2) production from our high salaried spots. This is just skirting the issue. Yeah, if Etch and Moreno are not back next season Hudson needs to find 2 new SI's (Moreno's slot and the open slot we currently have) at a very high salary to fill two dependable and high impact offensive roles, with at least one of those being a consistent finisher. Looking at MLS' attendance figures, they continue to rise. While not earthshattering numbers, they're consistently going up. United's have gone down despite Hudson. The team's performance, weather and less megapromotions have had an effect. If we're looking at players we need to do it with one eye looking for low budget finishing quality and the other eye looking for whatever is the best we can get with a high MLS budget. The real issue isn't Etch or Pope or Olsen. It's Moreno. Etch plays injured and history shows we haven't been successful without him, so he is making an impact. Pope is consistently injured and is sometimes great and sometimes mediocre during the season, but he always shows up as a difference-maker in the playoffs. Olsen is the biggest difference-maker on United, and I think we can finally say with confidence that he's healthy. Historically he has been a very durable guy. Moreno is consistently injured, unfit and unproductive over the last few years. I believe this can and will change, but if it hasn't completely 100% changed by the next pre-season, I think Moreno will be moved. La Bomba still has the magic, it's just a matter of working hard this offseason to ensure that he can show it next season. -Tron