Just checked the Rev web site. The Roster they have had hasn't changed for quite awhile and still has TF3 listed. I just sent an e-mail suggesting it might be good to list the roster we will be starting the season with (sigh). Was there any comment at Meet the Coach as to who was going to fill our Dev Roster slots?
MLSnet has our roster updated as of 4/4 looking like this: Senior Roster (17, 1 SI?) GK - Adin Brown GK - Matt Reis D - Joe Franchino D - Shalrie Joseph D - Daouda Kante (SI) D - Carlos Llamosa D - Rusty Pierce D/M - Jay Heaps D/M - Leo Cullen D/M - Daniel Hernandez D/M - Brian Kamler M - Winston Griffiths M - Steve Ralston M/F - Pat Noonan F - Wolde Harris F - Joe-Max Moore F - Taylor Twellman Developmental Roster (4) GK - Kyle Singer D - Nick Downing (P40) M - Tony Frias III M - Marshall Leonard I think that Wolde has a green card but I didn't think Griffiths did, therefore we should have only obe SI slot open not two. Looking at other rosters on MLSnet they show green cards for players but not on ours, something seems to be wrong there... As for TF III both MLS and MFLS have announced us as signing him. It appears he doesn't turn 24 until 11/03, after the season ends, so he qualifies for one last year on the Developmental Roster... We have room for one more senior (Moeller?, Ngodzo?, Westfield?) and two developmental players. My guess is we eventually fill that last senior roster slot but not the developmental ones.
I suspect the 5th DR slot will be filled by I. Kante which means the only open slot on the roster is the SI senior slot.
The snow is getting to me. Can't SN wait for his EPL-style, two-way central midfielder, even if this means waiting until the end of the European season? Maybe we could get a consortium of British businessmen to underwrite the signing of a player from the British WC team so that his salary wouldn't count against the cap? I'm thinking Steven Gerrard, since Liverpool are due to be dismantled at the end of the year. Actually, I think only Houllier will be dismantled. Anyone have any realistic ideas?
I think there are two conflicting pressures on this decision: ~The small roster size that means every slot needs to be filled with a quality, flexable player suggesting that the sooner we fill the slot the better ~The MLS playoff and CUP system allows a team to have a poor regular season but if they are strong in the playoffs they can win the whole thing suggests that waiting is worthwhile. My bet is that SN won't wait. He will select a player that fits his style and adds depth and defer finding THE PLAYER for some future time. This makes more sense to me because: ~Finding another Nowack type player is very hard with the Cap restrictions ~Even when you find what you want it takes a long time to get the player in place ~When you have them it only takes one moment of injury to wipe them out for the season--better to build your style around depth rather than one special player.
SN said that it was coming close to the time he needs to do something about "the search", but it wasn't clear what he meant - whether it was attempting to sign the best trialist he's seen, using a spot for another position or just resolving that they're going with what they've got.
It looks like Nick Downing may end up being on loan to the A-League Portland Timbers for the 2003 season: http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/sports/1049976529238411.xml
Even though this doesn't free up a roster spot, I like this move. Nick wasn't going to see much pt this year, if any. I still think that Nick could be a decent player if he gets playing time and confidence.
There will be a decision on Jason Moore today. My guess is that we sign him and continue to look at Trialists for the AMF slot. When (IF) we find the AMF that SN wants we will either trade away someone for a draft pick (LLamosa to DCU) or cut someone--Griffith.
So even though we loan Downing to an A-League team on the other side of the country so he can start every game and get experience, he remains on our roster? Is that so we retain his rights for next year? Otherwise, I assume, if we got roster relief, what would the difference be between just releasing him? If teams could "park" young players like him in the A-League, get roster/cap releif, and keep his rights, everyone would be doing this. Maybe there should be a limit of 1-2 players they could do this with, so it wouldn't be a common way of abusing the rules. Still, this is good for Downing, good for the Timbers, and if Downing comes back a better player next year, good for the Revs. Tom
I don't know for sure, but I doubt we get roster relief. Right now, though, we have a glut of defenders ahead of Downing, and he isn't going to get much better sitting on the end of the bench. We could probably get him back if we had injury problems, or at the end of the season, as the A-league season should end before ours. He's not on the regular roster anyways. We're not stashing players like Martino or Quaranta or EJ on our P-40/dev roster, so the fact that we basically have 5 and not 6 slots isn't going to affect our depth. Ok, I should have said 4 instead of 5 as TF3 doesn't really count, but you get the point...
DOH! I forgot that Little Nicky was a P-40. He's been with us for a while, and actually saw some game action from time to time, so I was thinking of him as a senior roster player. Is he from the West Coast? I find it odd that they wouldn't try to loan him to an eastern A-League team if possible, just in case we do need to get him back in an emergency situation. Maybe it was a case of Portland wanting him. Or is the agreement that he plays the whole season for the Timbers? If that's the case, it doesn't matter where he goes as long as he gets regular playing time in a system that Nicol is OK with. Tom
Downing is originally from the Seattle area, I believe - so I'm sure he'd be thrilled with a move to the West Coast.
Nick will be a good MLS player in time. I like this move and I'm sure the Seattle area fans will enjoy having Nick back in town. He was the Gatorade National Player of the Year while in High School.
Did Ibrahim Kante officially sign yet? Did Douda Kante officially sign yet? Did Jason Moore sign as reported this week?
Rev's Roster Senior Roster: 1) Adin Brown 2) Leo Cullen 3) Joe Franchino 4) Winston Griffiths 5) Wolde Harris 6) Jay Heaps 7) Daniel Hernandez 8) Shalrie Joseph 9) Brian Kamler 10) Daouda Kante 11) Carlos Llamosa 12) Jason Moore 13) Joe-Max Moore 14) Pat Noonan 15) Rusty Pierce 16) Steve Ralston 17) Matt Reis 18) Taylor Twellman Developmental Roster: 1) Nick Downing 2) Tony Frias III 3) Marshall Leonard 4) Kyle Singer 5) Dimelon Westfield
This isn't correct. Westfield is still in school and hasn't been signed. I also think that due to his age he cannot fill a DR slot. When he does come knocking for work he will need to fight for a regular roster slot. Also, Douda's brother Ibraham Kante has signed a DR contract as far as I know. Your list of our current Senior Roster is correct ---at least for now. If we sign one of our Trialists I'm betting Griffith is history. Signing Jason Morre pushes him way down on the depth chart and with the roster size limitations I suspect it sends him packing.
Griffith to be waived today according the Little Frank in todays paper. This frees up a regular roster slot to sign one of the two trialists for the AMF SN has been searching for.
Unless he signs someone this week, I would have waited until after the next game. Griffiths could always sit on the bench as an emergency forward.
I also was struck by the timing. Why now? Why not wait till you have someone ready to sign before you send a player packing? I'm thinking there are things going on here we don't know.
I agree with George that their will likely be more news, but WG was toast when JaM was signed. WG's release may have only been a courteous gesture to give him time to find a team at the beginning of the season. Noonan is already the fourth forward. The question, of course, is: Is Ngodzo what his press claimed?
Though I'd hope he is, when was the last time a Revs SI ever lived up to his pre-MLS press? Zenga? I'm not holding my breath that the Ngreat Ngodzo is going to be particularly special.
That's one of the questions. If that one gets a positive answer, the other questions will revolve around: -contract demands -salary cap space -who has his "rights"? -immigration status -attitude -expectations -fitness -durability -discovery issues What makes these trialists such longshots is that you need a positive outlook for all of these issues.