I think that one thing we are overlooking is the potential of an expansion draft next year. If Chivas starts up next year it is an easy way to get rid of some of our dregs. The only downside will be that all the teams would be losing players and opening a lot of "cap" space meaning more competition for players like Gibbs. In reality though, we don't really need to change many players on the roster in order to succeed. It all comes down to coaching. Our tactics suck, so get rid of Andulis. Set pieces not so good, get rid of the Polish Rifle(is that really a good thing, Polish rifle? I mean isn't that like a British toothbrush or deoderant for a metro fan?) Everyone and their Aunt Lucy pulling hammies, fire the trainers. Soccer is a team sport and that team extends beyond the white lines. The players are playing hard, for the most part, in a system and style not suited to them. No wonder we are losing. Hunt and Smith have the opportunity to clean house and gain fan support at the same time. Let's just hope they take advantage of it.
Gibbs is much more than a prospect. I've seen him play a number of times, and he is a 6'3" player with speed and toughness who gives no respect to other players. If you guys get him, I will be jealous. I didn't know that he was looking to return to the states.
The word was Gibbs was talking with us because he never gets time with the German club he's with and he wants to play. Same old story from Germany. JS wanted to use our last discovery option on him, but the league nixed us saying we needed an allocation to pick him up. Of course the league changes it's rules to suit whatever big market they want to cater to and it's concievable that say Chivas coming in next year could take Gibbs, but the way allocations have worked in the past is the poorer performing teams get first dibs on a player with allocations. So unless Dallas wants him, and I can't see why with so many good CBs on that team, he's the Crew's to get. As far as an expansion draft. It doesn't bother me at all. MLS will probably let us protect half the team and it's less then half the team I want to stay anyway. The only players I would protect would be McBride, Buddle, Martino, Paule, Akwari, Busch, Hejduk, West, Walsh, McCarty.
As for an expansion draft... well that might not be as soon as you think. Chris Bergin released a story from Don Garber. Now near the end of the story there is this line Doesn't mean Chivas won't happen next year, but I know for a fact that the league has been seriously pushing to get both teams to begin at the same time. Oh, it also looks like we'll get Cleveland as a backyard enemy. Link to article: http://www.ussocceruk.com/news/?CatTypeId=2&ContentId=956 So, what I'm getting at is that we might just have to do our own house cleaning without the convienance of a expansion draft. The downside is that we might get nicked next offseason if we retool and start leading the East again.
Garber also talked about the makeup of a potential Chivas USA franchise, saying that he did not think that it would have all Mexican players, like his team in Mexico. However, Garber said that discussions are taking place that would allow this team to have more foreign players that the current MLS rules permit, but that the details are still being worked out. Well, isn't that just f'ing dandy. If every team is allowed to have X foreign players, EXCEPT Chivas...