Since you guys obviously are out of contention for the play-offs and will probably build for the future, is there any chance you may trade some of your more experienced players for draft picks and/or younger, prospective players? I know this is only Davis' second year in the league, but he has a great left foot and probably will be playing for the USMNT soon, so is there any chance he may be traded somewhere?
If Jeffries has his way, I'm sure he'd love to trade away every decent player we have. If we have anything resembling decent management left in the front office, this will not be allowed.
I don't think so, not Davis anyway. The people that are on the roster that will be, or are likely to be gone by Christmas are: Deering, if his contract is up now Nhelko, who is not impressing Morrow, who's two year gig is up Oscar Pareja, if he retires or his contract is up Cassar, who is a cheap backup, but Countess needs bench time Other people that could be had for a draft pick, or could be traded with LA's first pick for a starter Rhine Cerritos People you'd have to give up a starting defender or forward for, but whom he would talk trade Vaca Johnson Kreis Glinton People I don't think he'd trade at all, unless it was for an allocation/national team player that was beyond reach by other means. Thomas (why I have no idea) Gbandi (see above) Bonseu Countess J. Thompson Urbas Salyer Davis Behnke EZ Ronnie O'Brien J. Stone The one guy I have no idea about, is Rosenbran who's not had a minute of time in MLS that I know of. That's the wreckage of the Dallas Burn 2003. Let's make a deal
Viking. If you saw last nights game you would be changing your mind about a few of those guys you want to cut or trade. Damn I'm even going to jump on the EJ bandwagon if someone gives me a lift up. Another goal or two next week would do it..
Well, I'm glad to hear that. BUT, one game does not make this season, or next, or 05 in the new stadium. MLS teams are a mixture of veterans, rookies, foreign and domestic, P-40 and the approaching 40's. Coaches have to be alchemists to blend it into an 11 person starting squad, plus provide rest for older ones, experience and minutes for younger ones, and still win games. You have to mix age, experience, and positions all at once. We've been debating for two years whether to "blow it up and start over" or to "add just one, two, or three players and we'll have enough to go the distance." I have been debating that for over 2 years now with people here, and in the Inferno. Jeffries, like Dir did pretty well, does the alchemy to make it work. Look at the composition of this team right now, and what do you see? I see an unfortunate convergence of over-30 players all hitting the finish line of their careers 24 to 36 months from now. Morrow, Pareja, Deering, and Kreis are all over 30, and MJ went and added EZ who is also over 30. On the other end, he's got Shavar Thomas and Gbandi, who should be competent starters by their age, and THEY ARE NOT. If Stone was 24, he'd be ready to step into Chad's spot. Right now he's not as good as Deering, on the two days a year Chad is what Chad could be. Vaca is also 2-3 years shy of taking Pareja's spot in the full sense of the word. Johnson is 2 or 3 from Jason's, maybe less if we're lucky (or, if ever). (Remember, MJ traded Suarez, Chivas, and Broome, all of them in their mid 20's) The Burn has a lot of 23 and unders that are not ready to be MLS starters. The players like Rhine, Cerritos, are not going to be the calibre of Kreis or Pareja, or Deering, to become the "seasoned veterans" that carry the team periodically, and give it composure and stability on the field. Ronnie O'Brien is. Salyer, if he ever got minutes, might be. Bonseu is perfect. Vaca, very close, Davis etc...now perhaps you see the logic of my previous list. Their form from last week to this week is not relevent. What matters is where will be in 8 months, 12 months, and 20 months from now. So, unless Jeffries off-loads the over-30s, there's no room (salary or roster) to bring in a 27 year old center mid from Argentina, a 28 year old defensive mid badass from Bulgaria, and a new Steve Morrow from Germany with a green card, 31 with the finesse to make it work at that age. That is why last year's first round meltdown was such a bad thing. Deering, Pareja, Kreis, Morrow, Jordan, they were all still in the range of play (and age) that told you "yea, a little luck and some good play, and we can make MLS Cup." Today they are a year older, we're a lot farther away from MLS Cup, and they will not be any younger when they put on their boots in 04. In closing, that's why HSG's apparent willingness to wait until 05 to make a coaching move is so penny-wise and pound-foolish. When you look at it this way, '05 could be a rebuilding year that will make this year look like a run for the roses. Unless most of the players from 19 to 24 (born from 1979 to 84, of which there are 12) become much better than they show today.
Viking being far away has left you a little behind on player evaluations. Stone should be playing every game now. Eddie partners well with Toni because of his speed and that has opened up room in the midfield. That has now happened for two games as Kreis got hurt early Wednesday. The defense was the real let down Wednesday the offense was purcolating a little. With that room Vaca was all over the place, intercepting, running, spinning creating and even shooting and scoring. When Toni went out Glinton came in and continued the speed assault. It doesn't always work but it creates panic and room for the mids. The defense even looked better and could become decent if they stick with those four. Morrow adds a lot but when he gets injured we are awful the first game he is gone, and he is now starting to miss a lot. Oscar has looked better with the extra room also, but Deering does not seem better than Stone. Too many long passes that go astray while the kid plays simple and he and Eddie have that Beasley / Donovan understanding.
Agree with Pegasus. The youngsters should be playing, as they are our future. Inconsistency and mistakes and lack of chemistry are part of the growing process at least this year. One game of course does not turn the season, but KC showed a glimmer of the future: the effort, verve, speed, and developing chemistry was there with the youngsters on the field. Stick with them; that's the best way to prepare for the future.
Actually, it's the fact that the damn platinum package has not had a Rojinegro game in weeks. But, I'm glad to hear it. If the Burn starts players under 25 who are ready to compete for a spot in the playoffs, well, the sky is the limit, and for a long time too. Problem I have...is the mental mistakes the young defense seems to keep making. Either the mental mistakes disappear because of experience, or...they never do. Matt Jordan was a good goalie, but he made mistakes that left you wondering "when is he going to quit doing that?" Well, maybe he's quit making them in Belgium, I don't get to see him play there. Thanks for the comments. Was not my thread, but great to talk about it.
OK, tomorrow is the "MLS Trade and Discovery Deadline". Can we still get 1 or 2 players? I thought we were supposed to get a replacement for Ronnie? Do we also get one for Kreis?