http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/03/sports/soccer/04SOCC.html MARIO ROSAS, the 22-year-old Spanish player who was on trial with the MetroStars, will not be signed by the club. Rosas is now in camp with D.C. United in Florida and could sign a one-year deal (with a one-year option) before the end of the week. "The MetroStars told him he is not good enough,'' ANTONIO CALZADO, Rosas's agent, said yesterday by phone from Florida. "Everyone will soon see with their own eyes how wrong the MetroStars are. His preference was to play in New York, but no longer. Mario is surprised and disappointed things didn't work out with the MetroStars. He wants to go with D.C. to show the MetroStars what kind of player he is. Mario is not happy, but he respects BOB BRADLEY's decision.'' Yesterday Bradley said: "Mario Rosas is a young player who we feel has talent, but we felt we needed to find a player that fits our team better. We made the decision so he can likely pursue other opportunities.'' Holy... Damn, looks like Bob did PASS on Super Mario, and PASSED BIG-TIME. Nothing like an agent spilling sour grapes to confirm everyone's suspicions; scream it why don't you: "my client doesn't play defense." I take it all back -- DC, you want 'em, you got 'em. I'll take Bob's evaluation over someone that actually toyed with the idea of signing Gazza last season (when the man can't even play for a second-rate Chinese team!).
http://www.nj.com/sports/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/1046762453312560.xml Ledger pretty much the same imho if Mario could play defense he'd be on Barca with another zero in his pay - earth to MLS you get what you pay for
Where does it say he needed to play defence? He wasnt brought in here to play some sort of 2 way role. WOuld Bob like it if he did? SURE ANY coach would, but this guy was brought in here to play OFFENSE and he couldn't do that. Atleast not the way Bob wanted or as good as he hoped. It has nothing to do with him playing defence.
From said Ledger article: "He came with good credentials and good pedigree, but what we were specifically looking for, he wasn't a good fit for us," general manager Nick Sakiewicz said yesterday. If he doesn't play defense, he doesn't play for Bob -- certainly not in the position we were auditioning him for. Do you think it was a coincidence that Nowak, the Fire's #10, was a two-way player? Mario was going to be signed to be our A-Mid, nothing less. Hell, Bob even turned Run DMB into a defensive machine... If Bob says NO ROSAS, I say NO ROSAS.
Read between the lines. Bob says that Mario sucks. Plain and simple. Could he be wrong? Possibly. But should we have faith in his talent-evaluating skills? Definately. There must be a reason no La Liga team jumped on this guy even with his "pedegree", right? There must be a reason his deal with Fulham last year fell through at the last minute, right? Bob Bradley. NOT a moron.
I agree with you there but I think that your reasons for why Bob is dumping him are not the one's why he is being dumped. The main thing is he sucked both offensively and defensively. But if he was a GREAT offensive player but didnt do much for defence he would have STILL had been kept on. The guy had lots of skill, but unfortuantely its the same case as A Will. He just didnt have the style and most importantly, the work ethic he was looking for. Doesn't mean that he has to play defense.
Ive's chimes in with some comments: http://www.northjersey.com/page.php...lRUV5eTYzNDk0MDImeXJpcnk3ZjcxN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2
I have to say I'm a bit confused with some decisions that we have made as of late. Rosas is 22, a young player who presumably had lots of upside aka Brad Dacis or Nelson Akwari. So instead of Rosas our big signing is Richie Williams -- one of the most talentless players in the MLS (though I credit him for being hard-working)? I'm not going to criticize Bradley before the season starts, but I am looking to those who have followed the team for longer than I have to shed some light on this. I liked the trade for Pope and Moreno, but was baffled by the trade of Brad Davis who has the makings of a sensational player (left-footed no less). So far everyone that Bradley has brought into camp hasn't made the grade...Rosas, Garnero, Sheppard. But aren't they better than the Klingers of the world?
Bob Bradley had time to look at Brad Davis. He had time to look at Mike Magee. He thinks Magee has a larger upside than Davis. Davis gets traded for Magee. Bob Bradley had time to look at Nelson Akwari. He had time to look at Tim Regan. He thinks Regan has a larger upside than Akwari. Akwari gets traded for Regan. Bob Bradley had time to look at Mario Rosas. He doesn't think Rosas is good enough to spend salary cap money on him. He thinks the money is best used somewhere else. Sheppard is still in the picture. Guevara, Meyrieu still are. Be patient. Bob Bradley. NOT a moron.
ok, fair enough Dan. But what was your impression of Brad Davis? I watched most Metros games last year, and I thought Davis looked like a player who could eventually contend for a spot on the national team. Or am I overstating his value? I just don't see how a 35-yr. old Frenchman who hasn't played in a year can contribute more than Rosas. I will be patient though, and support our team, no matter the record. But with the two quality forwards we now have, a little bit of service could be the difference between not making the play-offs and winning it all.
Celta, I respectfully disagree on several counts: 1) "Rosas is 22, a young player who presumably had lots of upside aka Brad Dacis or Nelson Akwari. So instead of Rosas our big signing is Richie Williams -- one of the most talentless players in the MLS : We don't know how good Rosa was because we never saw him play, so I will defer to Bradley, a man with a proven track record of evaluating talent. If Rosa doesn't fit his style, maybe a veteran like Frederick Meyrieu does. As for Davis, he could go forward but had no defensive capabilities. As for Akwari, he really wasn't anything special. Let's see what the talent we got in return (via the draft picks we rec'd in exchange) looks like on the field before we knock the deals. As for Williams, he's not here to be Johan Cryuff. he's here to break up plays. It's an ugly job but someone's got to do it. Last year, we had no one who could do it and look where it got us. 2) "I'm not going to criticize Bradley before the season starts." Please don't. Building a team takes time. Metros' yearly attempt to quick fix-it backfires every year. better we should go out in the first round of the playoffs this year and win the next three championships than go out in the second round each of the nxt four years. 3) "So far everyone that Bradley has brought into camp hasn't made the grade...Rosas, Garnero, Sheppard." Rosas either didn't make the grade or was Hristo'd away. Sheppard had a good camp and is still in the picture as per Ives Galcarep's column today: "South African midfielder Dillon Sheppard's future with the Metros is still a possibility. The 23-year-old returned to South Africa last week after an impressive showing in camp." Garnero may rejoin the team in Argentina. Bradley has until 4/12/03 to find eleven starters. Don't panic. Personally, my guess is Sheppard & Meyreiu get signed to play left and center mid. The right side is a mystery. As it stands now, LeBlanc is winning the spot but I expect more candidates to join the Metros in Argentina. Perhaps Gueverra is an option there or he can play in the center with Meyrreiu on the right. This is just speculation though. Have Faith in Bradley. If he fails, question his judgment at year's end. In the meantime, have faith.
Brad Davis is a good player. But Bob Bradley thinks Magee can be something special. So he thinks it's wise to take a chance here. We'll see.
Correction. Not a moron IN CHICAGO. Performance in NY completely unproven. The glare of the big lights has enfeebled several "not morons" before Bradley arrived. Bradley looking very shaky as of now. I think quite highly of his ability in general, but if the bright lights of the big apple put the zap on his head, it wouldn't be the first time.
Correction. We're talking MLS. What bright lights? The ones in Secaucus? Poor poor Bob Bradley, can't handle the lights of New Jersey. Too bad he lived most of his life here, no? What "not morons"? Half-dead Firmani? Always smiling "I belong in a mental home" Bora? "I don't know MLS rules" CAP? Bradley on shaky ground? Puh-lease. What's your excuse for being a moron in Dallas? Does that mean you'll be a bigger one if you move to Jersey? Hard to imagine, no?
I didn't follow thre Fire during preseason of their first year, but what was Bob's experience then? My impression is that he auditioned alot of players and didn't the starting eleven in place when the season began. Sort of like the experience now. Am I totally off on this, or can someone enlighten me?
The bright lights of the Big Apple rarely shine on East Rutherford when Metro is in town. The wattage is reserved for the Giants and Jets.
Definitely give Bradley a chance to get his preferred players on the field for a few games before you question his ability. He did a great job in Chicago, and so far many of his draft picks seem like they could be players in this league. And that's not considering Clark, Gaven and Magee who haven't spent much time with the team. It's human nature to be impatient; I know I am after futility has reigned for so long at GS. But we finally have a guy who understands the salary cap and is a great judge of talent. I doubt the Metros will be the most talented team this year, but they aren't going to roll over as they have many times in the past. I'm looking forward to an interesting season.
Oh please pardon me for daring to question the almighty God, Bob Bradley. Of course 17-year old Mike Magee will score 200 goals this season and rookie Ricardo Clark will be starting for Barcelona by midseason. Tim "who?" Regan will replace Lucio in the Bundesliga and the Metro midfield of Richie Williams, Mark Lisi, Clark and Craig Ziadie will put new discovery signing Rivaldo on the bench after only one game. What was I thinking? It's all so obvious. I mean look at the roster Bradley has assembled!