Whatever...we have no need for Benny. DeRo is happy where he is and Clark's better at DM anyways (IMHO), plus we have Stuart and Richard as their back-ups.
I'm all for Benny coming to MLS, but Houston????? I thought midfield was the strength of Dynamo. Didn't Corrales got traded to Quakes because he played in a position that wasn't in need? I guess they could still go after a forward later on, but how much cap room would they still have after paying Benny?
My thoughts exactly. Our midfield is fine, defense is good, keeping is eh...strikers is a problem, especially since DeRo has emphatically said he WON'T play as a ST. And yeah, we traded Corrales cause Barrett never misses a game...dude's an ironman and Dom is happy with the kid who is his backup. It's been suggested that he could play double AM with DeRo and only Ching up top.....
Over on goff's blog there are several rumblings in the comment section about Garber leaving the league. Take them fwiw.
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/soccerinsider/ Goff reporting New England will sign Mauricio Castro - M - Olimipia (Honduras)
I think the real issue that people have is not that it's a rumor site -- it's that it's often cited as a source, when it really doesn't have nearly the credibility for that sort of thing considering all the rumors they have are (a)poached from other sites or (b)anonymously mailed in. That's not to say that MLS Rumors is a bad thing. I don't personally check the site all that often, but I can see how it's a useful clearinghouse for everything that pops up on Ives or Goff or various other sources that are uncovered in various MLS:Clubs sections. Increasing numbers of blogs and fansites are just as important indicators of a league as its presence in the print media. I can tell you that I would be less of a fan if not for BigSoccer and Goff, Ives, duNord, et al -- most of my friends aren't soccer fans and few of those who are watch MLS. Blogs and message boards keep things more interesting because they provide a depth and opportunity to interact that print media can't deliver. That being said, MLS Rumors is great for MLS:General, but it's frustrating to see threads in N&A started with the sole source being an MLS Rumors entry because the site doesn't stand up to the journalistic standards required for N&A. Edit: That's not to say that there's anything wrong with dropping a post in this thread....but lately it's been a lot more widespread than that and I think that's where the frustration that leads to the sniping is coming from.
I'm halfway tempted to create a thread in Customer Service suggesting that Huss put a filter on Bigsoccer so that the word "mlsrumors" is *** out so people can't link to the site anymore.
The Boston Globe confirmed the signing of Castro this morning: http://www.boston.com/sports/soccer/articles/2008/02/15/revolution_sign_honduran_castro/ Meanwhile, Costa Rica press reports continue to say that Costa Rica U-20 National Team striker Argenis Fernández has also signed for New England, while there are still rumors New Englands is pursuing defender Gabriel Badilla from Saprissa. Víctor Núñez has indicated he'll be staying in Costa Rica and not signing for the Revs.
Goff reports that DCU has traded the rights for Greg Vanney to LAG, who is in the process of negotiating an agreement with him. This also leads credence to the rumor that LAG is going to cut Abel Xavier loose--that it's a combination of his game has regressed even more with Gullit not being a fan of the X-man. And Goff now reports that DCU got Quavas Kirk for the rights to Vanney.
New England currently has Javier "Javi" Delgado on trial with the club in Bermuda. He's a defender/midfielder from Spain who's most recently played for Xamax in Switzerland: http://www.xamax.ch/pages/club.asp/5-3-111-73-9-4-1/
I hate DC, i really do. But god damit they are proving to everyone the importance of getting your ducks in a row ealier than you competitors. The made those 5 signings right away and planed for transfers and trades. The signed a great DP Aquired another DP spot for nothing Aquired a #1 draft pick of a ************ team Signed 5 latin players that enabled: Trading salary Vanney for low salary Kirk (a young talented player) Anf they banked a ton of allocation $$. Seriously no one else in this league with the execption of Dallas has even come close to this level of planning and preperation in player movement and signins this offseason.
This all starts with scouting and it is pretty clear DC is head and shoulders above other teams in that aspect - at least for South America. They hve enough information that as soon as they identify a need they have a couple players in mind. However, at the end of the day they look great right now on paper - but is just that right now - paper.
Well, i wouldn't say that's the reason, several MLS sides have some decent scouting efforts as well. I think its just that unlike a lot of other clubs DC is always Proactive as a FO while most MLS teams are still very Reactive as FO's. While other teams are busy trying to figure out how to solve problem they discovered when it occured or a problem because they have to trasnfer a player, DC seems to have made long term plans for various scenarios so when it comes time they have already done the work. I can think of a couple other clubs that seem to follow that methodolgoy but not many.
The best part is, it's not over. LA if they want defender Jay Needham (and it looks like they do) will have to pay DC a sum of money or a player for his MLS rights. And Kirk being Generation Addidas means he won't count towards the salary cap. So it is almost like getting a speedy winger for nothing.