DC should trade for Wolff this off season. It is well known that Chicago is going to have to move Wolff for salary reasons. He is even expecting to be moved (see joshwolff.net). He is injured now, but will be ready around the beginning of next year and would solve DC's forward problems. A combination of Wolff, Moreno, Quaranta and Quintnilla would be solid on paper and could even probably persevere if one is injured. If Etch retires (as he should) the salary for Wolff would/should not be a problem either.
Who the hell do we have that we could trade for Wolf? If Chicago was dumb enough to take Etch straight up, I'd say go for it, but I can't see how they would take a rapidly-deteriorting 30-whatever year old SI for a still-improving 25 (?) year old American. The only other possibilities would be Pope and Olsen, and I don't see us ever voluntarily parting with either of those two. You might as well start a "Trade for Zidane" thread.
Chicago is in the "forced to give away" mode that DC was in in their glory days. DC could probably give a 1st round pick and a player such as Convey, Prideaux, or Curtis.
Villegas had trade power this year due to his ridiculously low salary - next year I think he is due a big increase and goes from an average player playing for peanuts to an average player playing for an average salary - assuming he stays in the league.
Here is another reason to hate Rongen - a little birdy told me Jason Kreis was this close "-" to coming here but Rongen choose draft picks from SJ instead. My oh my what a combo Jason and Jaime would have been.
I'd rule Villegas out...if he's not "all bark" then it sounds like he won't be in America next season
any realistic trade scenerio involving wolff coming to D.C. would send draft picks and/or cheaper players to chicago. just something to keep in mind.
That is why Villegas was mentioned but it is unlikely he will stick in the league next year. Of course, we would have an extra 2nd round pick but instead decided on Zambrano - Grrr Cheap eh? - Q1, Q2, Prideuax, Curtis My guess is those would be the quality players that are cheap but Q1 is about due for a raise if he hasn't already received one yet.
I would not move Q1 or Q2 for Wolff. Prideuax maybe, Curtis absolutly. With Prideuax or Curtis a pick or two would have to be added.
Why move Prideaux when our defense is actually starting to look somewhat cohesive? Package together a couple of our forwards who can't score, throw in one of our three or four defensive midfielders, and maybe top it off with a low-round draft pick. Hudson doesn't know what to do with them anyway.
Another good thing about getting Kreis would be that we would never have to worry about Nat call ups.
Low - true, but low. Maybe it has something to do with the fact he almost hit The Bruce with a golf ball as well.
I like Josh Wolff's game a lot, and as a person he seems to be a good guy as well. But, the LAST thing DC United needs is yet another injury-prone striker, particularly one with a high salary that has never lead his team in scoring. No, we simply cannot add another fragile player to the mix, it's just unwise. Now if we had gotten rid of Moreno, Etch and Pope already then it might be a consideration, but I doubt we'll do that (and I hope we do NOT), and with those guys it just isn't feasible or sensible. Olsen, Convey and Santino aren't the most durable of attackers either. Let's find more players like Prideaux, that play all of the games and play a solid game for a decent salary. Prideaux's production per salary ratio is fantastic. Probably second only to Rimando's, because Niki Tiki Tavi is horribly underpaid ... and I assume that will be addressed in the offseason. -Tron
First, I don't believe the Kreis rumor. Yallop has said repeatedly that he is the one who initiated the trade for Agoos (and Payne and Rongen confirmed--they were going to keep Agoos but Yallop opened talked and was persistent). So there was no "Kreis for Agoos" deal that was done. Especially, since that deal solves nothing for us--we were in cap trouble, needed to move several big salaries. So trading money for money doesn't work. Second, I love Wolff as a player. Anyone who makes such intelligent runs off the ball--how can you not appreciate that intelligence? Plus speed and a flair for important goals in big games. That said.... --he makes the salary max; --he's never played more than 2/3rds of his team's games and has a history not of small injuries (muscle pull) but knee injuries and broken bones. You think Etcheverry is an old 33 or Moreno and old 30, see Wolff in 2 years; --despite all the hype, he's never led the Fire in scoring for any season he's been on the team. He's a very spotty finisher (think Moreno with more speed, better off-the-ball runs, worse distribution, and more inconsistent finishing). We have alot we could trade Chicago for Wolff: a first round pick, Convey, Quaranta, Mapp, maybe Reyes (unlikely), maybe Rimando. They would not do a deal for Moreno, Etcheverry, Pope or even Olsen. The reason why is: Chicago needs cap room. So do we! The question isn't--do I like Wolff? Of course I do. The question is--can we can a better finisher who plays in more games for the maximum salary? And the answer is--"yes"!
You have repeated this last sentence (or variations thereof) in various threads. It is getting the better of my curiosity. I am not sure that is absolutely true. I don't think there is any Central American finisher who will play for the league maximum that is better than Wolff. The few that I think are up there on his level (i.e. Wanchope, Pavon, Nunez, Blanco & Borghetti) would either be payed much more than the league maximum or are not available. Even if there is someone out there (whom I am not aware of), DC United would have to get rid of a SI. I for one, do not see Etcheverry leaving or retiring next year. I would trade Convey for Wolff.
Jose, let me be a bit more specific. Wolff may evolve into a deadly finisher. He has failed to earn a consistent starting position with the US National side b/c (a) he gets hurt a lot and (b) he is a very streaky finisher (even big fans in Chicago admit this). I don't care for Razov much as a player but look at the numbers--Razov is a better finisher than is Wolff. I think there are a number of players in MLS who are better finishers than Wolff (quite a lot actually). I"m not trying to bash Josh Wolff--I hope he becomes a better player and stays healthy. I want him to be a force for the Men's National team. But its very hard to not say that Serna, Diallo, Moreno (even with this poor year), Twellman, Ruiz, Spencer, Graziani, Kreis, Razov, and maybe Dante Washington, just in MLS, are better and more consistent finishers than Wolff. DC United is in trouble in big part b/c it pays 2/3rds of the cap to players who can't stay on the field consistently (if you include Olsen in that figure) and/or players who may still be very good but no longer dominate and win matches in key moments. Wolff, to me, is a player who would fall into the same mold--a very good, attractive american star who also isn't going to be capable of staying on the field, dominating his position and/or winning a couple of games b/c of his ability to perform at key moments.
That explantion truly clarifies your position, thanks. While I would agree with you to a certain extent about the injuries and the impact they have had on Wolff and all the DC United Maxers, I also like to think that things could be different. The astroturf, or a variation of it, in Naperville certainly played a role in his injury. The same can be said for Moreno, Etcheverry & Olsen, albeit with respect to the "go to players" attribute of their games. When Wolff is added to the equation, opposing defenders cannot solely concentrate and hack our "go to players" as much since, they would have more things to worry about. Furthermore, given Marco, Jaime & Ben, Wolff would be much more explosive than the others you mentioned due to the style of play here at DC United (Chicago is a much more route 1 type of team). If it is a straight Convey for Wolff I would do it in a heartbeat.
We have Chino, Villeagas, Mapp and the other Bums that are on the bench. So we had players to give up. Even I would of put Moreno on that list. So DCFAN there you go.
No, Ante takes more shots, that's all. He leads the league in shots. But how many go in... ? Wolff is deadly because of his work off the ball, Ante is deadly because he takes shots. Different strengths completely.
I agree that Razov takes a lot of shots and is limited as a player. I also agree that there is much to admire about Wolff as a player. I"m not arguing Wolff is crap. My position is actually a pretty simple one. DC United doesn't need a pretty good player. We need to add 2-3 players who the team can build around. For instance, an attacking mid who has the kind of impact that Donovan or Nowak (or Etcheverry 3 years ago) has for their teams--consistent threat, influence the game, able to take it over at key moments and make the game their own. On the frontline, we need someone who is a finisher above all else--someone who you can reasonable expect to score 15-20 goals if they get decent service. There is much to like about Wolff. But he plays for the best coach in MLS, the best organized team, has generally been surrounded by some offensive talent (breaking in with Kosecki, Prodbozny, Nowak) and has generated those kinds of numbers. Doesn't make him a bum. But it does mean DCU shouldn't trade for him (unless we give up nothing--even then I'm not sure) b/c by having him, we can't acquire a striker who will (a) play all or most of the season and (b) score 15-20 goals.
Did I ever say it was simply a Kreis for Agoos deal? No - you did. I simply said that Kreis was real close to being traded to DC. I don't know what the deal was but knew it involved Goose and Kreis. Kreis had told his family he was going to DC and was about to board a plane to look for a house. Also, let's not forget - Agoos is from Dallas. And yes, Yallop may have initiated the trade for Agoos but do you think Payne/Rongen didn't bother to negotiate with anyone else in the league?