Who above us actually need a keeper? Though and IF marcus wants to play in Seattle and we want him we will get him.
Chicago. Johnson is good, but he needs an experienced GK to give him the help he needs to improve his consistency and get to the next level. Hahnemann would definitely help with that.
They may not need a keeper but they may decide it is worth using their allocation to get Marcus knowing we will then be forced to trade something for him if we want him. Same thing happened with McBride. He wanted to go to Chicago but I believe a trade had to be orchestrated since Toronto(?) claimed him. So yes in the end I see him landing here, but I believe there is a good chance we will have to give up something, be it a player, or allocation money that seems non-existant at the moment, or draft picks.
If this happens, Seattle would move one up on the order while the one who took Marcus would move to the bottom.
Yes I am aware of that. And that has not stopped this exact situation from happening previously. Seriously who do we have abroad in the national team pool that we think may be coming home anytime soon. DMB? Adu? I think it is a safe bet that Dempsey is never coming back, Gooch will most likely never play at home, Friedel, Howard, Bradley, Goodison? They will all stay in Europe. So what does a team that needs help stand to lose by doing a claim and trade? The National team allocation system worked decently when there were only 10 teams. But now you are looking at 19 with Montreal is it really I mean we could literally go another 3 seasons before we reach number 1 again. One allocation every 5 years I think as a GM I would be willing to deal that every 5th year possibility for real help today.
I'm ready to get rid of this allocation system, but at the same point, I'm okay giving something up for Hahnemann. Montano?
MLS will get rid of it when it becomes useless, and we're getting close. The goal was too make sure that returning USMNT players weren't going to the best teams and destroying parity. Now, the only USMNT players that could do that are likely to draw DP salaries anyway. The returning national team players that won't draw DP salaries aren't measurably better than Rosales, Juninho or George John. In fact, I can imageine Hahnemann saying, "If I have to risk playing for Chivas I might as well retire." The day isn't far off when the allocation rules actively discourage USMNT players from returning to MLS. The allocation rules are dumb and must go.
We should offer Hope Solo the goalie spot. She's a National team player. Would the allocation order apply to her as well?
That loophole in giving a USMNT player a DP salary to avoid allocation has already been closed from what i'm heard And that is exactly why they aren't getting rid of it. If there is no allocation then they would be subject under discovery claim and NY LA and who else can just stock pile their discovery claims on returning nats. Of course what then if more then 2 teams put a discovery claim on a returning nat. What you want is free agency and guess what that anit happening any time soon.
It's even worse than that Ed.. Allocation order is reset every season. So even though the Sounders are currently #7 on the allocation order, if we win the MLS Cup, we'll be #19 at the start of next season. Realistically, you have to be one of the worst 3 or 4 teams in the league to even have a shot at a returning USMNT player.
I think where there may ultimately be some give in the allocation rules is for returning retired Nat team players. Or setting a number of appearances over X period. Make it tiered and there you go. Who knows maybe they already do this.
Appears to be age related. If the returning player is young and hasn't had any caps, or very few, for the senior USMNT, then they got into a lottery system. Otherwise, allocation order.
So then a threshold system could conceivably work. Not sure what that would entail. Or perhaps we will always have this somewhat odd item even when we have 24 teams and you can count an allocation every decade.
Still dying of curiosity as to who Adrian is targetting... And I still think it's weird that Cisse signed for Lazio...
Not a player transfer, but perhaps a coaching transfer? Bob Bradly is a goner, is their implications with Sigi?
Unlikely Mayers talked about sigi regarding it and sigi said he wasn't asked about it and was happy where he's at. USSF wouldn't made this move if there wasn't anyone available NOW.
Would Sigi have just signed a new contract with the Sounders if he thought he was up for the National team job? Seems unlikely.
Don't know where to post this but saw on the VC Fusion website that mf Jacob Husted did some training with the Sounders (although he's back with Fusion now as they gear up for playoffs). Didn't know if you all knew that or if it mattered. I have watched him for 3 years at Cal Poly. He has left Poly now after his Junior year.. was supposed to transfer to UCLA but not sure if that's worked out. Solid technically, very fast, was one of my very favorite Poly players this past few years. (P.S. Gotta brag .. another former Poly player just signed with Walsall.) http://www.vcstar.com/news/2011/jul/08/fusion/
It's been strangely quiet. Two weeks in and you'd think we'd have heard something by now. Clock's ticking. Only two more weeks....
It's been quiet on the news front, but more because the Sounders haven't been able to get the guys they want. Based on the news reports I've seen it sounds like they are trying to get filet mignon on a Big Mac budget. On the plus side, Hoffenheim really wants to get rid of Tagoe, so I'm wondering if the Sounders are hoping that the closer they get to the start of the Bundesliga season the more willing Hoffenheim will get to drop their price.