Davis, Howarth, LaPonte, Russell, and Velaj no longer are on the Thorns roster list, so apparently have been cut. Thanks to Chris Henderson at AllWhiteKit for pointing this out. The roster list also includes a new player, Aline Reis, a GK from Brazil via University of Central Florida. This puts the Thorns current roster at 27. Any sightings of Tina Ellertson?
Reis was always on the preseason roster, I think you just missed her on your first glance. I remember reading somewhere that neither Ellertson nor Michelle Weissenhofer was in camp.
Hoffer only wants to play for Chicago. She isn't going to move out to Portland for the measly salary they would pay her. Portland should just release her rights, or trade her and a 4th round pick to Chicago, for a 3rd round pick (to even out the draft picks). But Parlow isn't too excited about draft picks.
This one is easy. If the Red Stars want her, let them offer Quon . She'll come to Portland. If Hoffer won't move and the Red Stars can't come up with a player to trade for, she can go make tons of money in Russia. That's what owning player's rights in a league is all about. She should not have declared herself eligible and taken her chances on the free agent market.
Another nice video piece about Sinclair, LeBlanc, and Buehler joining the Thorns for training (finally). I'm really enjoying these regular updates: http://www.portlandtimbers.com/video/2013/03/21/thorns-preseason-2013-national-team-players-arrive
Both of the Thorns' mexican allocations (Sandoval and Saucedo) are removed from their roster, reasons in the article: http://www.stumptownfooty.com/2013/...thorns-fc-mexican-players-removed-from-roster
Wow - that's a big surprise (well, to me at least). I'll be interested to see further explanations for the withdrawals. Given Tina Ellertson's continued absence from training, I guess it provides a great opportunity for one or both of the trialist midfield/defenders, Courtney Wetzel and Emilee O'Neill, to nail a place on the squad.
Yeah, it kinda threw me a bit when it popped into my RSS reader, because it showed up immediately after the article on how the Canadian and US WNT players were starting to show up.
Damn... that makes three Mexicans pulled from NWSL by the FMF (after KC's Diaz). I wonder what's up...
Well the worst part was the stupid excuse they came up with. If they dont think Saucedo is ready at this point in her career when do they think she'll be ready?
Portland has no Mexican players now. WNY (and other teams) still have two. The league should move (Mexican subsidized goalkeeper) Pamela Tajonar from WNY to Portland. Technically Tajonar is WNY's 3rd string goalkeeper behind Franch and Val Henderson. I don't think WNY would mind. And Portland could use Tajonar as their 2nd string keeper. It would work out for Tajonar (more playing time), and Portland. And I don't think WNY would mind all that much. They wouldn't be forced to keep a 3rd string goalkeeper because she was subsidized to them.
Portland could send a 3rd round draft pick to WNY, for WNY's 4th round pick. WNY upgrades by one round in the draft, for the price of their 3rd string goalkeeper.
I'm guessing there's quite a bit more to this than we know and possibly quite a bit going on behind the scenes. Edit: Questions I'm wondering about: What if a team wants to cut one of the national team allocated players? What if a team tells one of the national federations that their allocated player is not going to get any playing time? Does a team get an increase in the salary cap if one of the national federations withdraws that team's allocated player? What if a team wants to cut one of the national team allocated players but thinks there's another player from that country that it would like to have, who is not yet an allocated player? Can the nation withdraw one allocated player and substitute another? Is there some strategerie going on here?
Portland's opening day roster? F - Morgan, Sinclair, Foxhoven, Radovcic, Shufelt MF - Long, Washington, Kerr, Edwards, Wetzel (DM, from Oregon State) D - Marshall, Dalmy, Williamson, Buehler, Avant GK - LeBlanc, Aline Reis (from UCF, from Brazil) Who fills in the missing roster spots? Brooks and Heath won't be there until later in the year, and we still don't know whether Brooks will show up or not. We already know that Weissenhofer, Ellertson, Sandoval, and Saucedo, won't be playing for them. The hidden gem, Courtney Wetzel, will have the coolest hair-do on the team .... http://www.osubeavers.com/sports/w-soccer/mtt/wetzel_courtney00.html
I'm hoping it becomes, simply, heres good money that you can only give to a US player. You can see Portland maybe dropping Heath from the allocation spot and giving the money to someone like Edwards instead. It would be a clear signal that the spot is earned . . . not given.
Send a signal? You play with federation players, you are playing with fire. Federations are saving these clubs 10s of thousands of dollars and giving them FREE brand name players. Maybe a well financed club like WNY can complain but the smaller ones, ESP if they don't have good attendance, would fold faster than WPS teams. Don't play with a good thing, play with what is paid for. I am assuming you cant mess with USSoccer contract players, and you shouldn't be able to. If I had a franchise, give me half the roster with them. I would make it work.
I clearly said US player. I shouldn't have to elaborate what that means. Instead you take a conversation and turn it upside down for no reason. Sometimes I feel like your trolling me for kicks. The USSF obviously would not let a team use the money for a no name player, and the teams wouldn't want that either. That being said how many fans are going to go to games to watch Winters? How much more or less name power does Winters have over a Edwards? What about Ashlyn Harris? How much name power can she possibly have? Wouldn't it be reasonable to have other players available to recieve the subsidary money outside the 24 already named? Don't we want incentives for Press & Yael to come to the NWSL?
And you missed the response. If that is heath's money and she is covered under the new player agreement, then how you move her money to another player of lesser name? ok, press may have EQUAL billing but not Edwards or Yael or even Kling. Take what the Federations give and call it a day. I'm sure Philly and Atlanta would be around for this type of deal with USSoccer and its' MAJOR sponsors. Oh, and as an owner, I could careless, if Edwards beat her out in practice, since she is paid for, but it's a good debate for fans.
So, what rights is the NWSL going to give the Thorns to compensate for their loss of both of their Mexico team players? NWSL precedent says that they are due some significant rights.
To be honest, it should be two other Mexican players from their pool. Fans won't know the difference. The sell points for the thorns are Sinclair and Morgan . If not, then the Thorns have to add two to their payroll. Isnt the point to get a couple of top quality national level players on the roster free of charge? In other words, if i lost cristie and thalia for brasil, you could compensate me with thais and amanda. and there isn't much drop off between those pairs. i'm sure mexico can do the same.
new I was originally answering cpt's questions, which involved team's being short or not using an allocated spot. You took my answer out of context and started a completely different argument with it. Heath is going to get paid by the USSF regardless. I think we are going to find out that the funds a player receives for being a member of the national team are going to be separate than the subsidization funds they will get for playing in the NWSL, but only if they are playing in the NWSL. Those funds should be available to the team to apply to a US player of their choice, from a list of players approved by the USSF. The allocation process was a mess but necessary to start the league. However some teams not got shorted players and significant money compensation. So far all I've seen from the USSF in response is them telling a team they can spend more money . . . in cap space. Thanks . . . I guess? The money has to be given to the teams, not the players, otherwise you completely defeat the point of building a sustainable league
Not too many Mexican players want to come up to the U.S. at this point. It's too cold in America right now.