How bad is Serna's injury and will he be back in time for the Playoffs (I think you'll make it What is up with Chacon? Last year, him and Serna tore the league up.
Serna is out for the remainder of the season. I don't know if he will be in a Rev uniform next year. I guess that depends if he can sell himself somewhere and they are willing to buy out his MLS contract. I'm not sure the revs want him back. Chacon has been a shadow of his 2001 self this year. He's show little of last years skill but much of that may be due to not having the Miami Roster type players around him to make his style of play shine. He's just not fit into the Revs style of play and will be gone next year for sure.
alot of Chacon's goals from last year were from rebounds. He played as a withdrawed forward. I can't recall who the other forward was paired with Serna but they had quite a defense (Mastro, Rooney, Bishop, Llamosa to name a few) to be able to use an attacking mid like chacon. I think many fans got the wrong impression on chacon.
IF Serna returns to MLS and the Revs the idea of his being paired with TnT with Chacon slipping in behind is quite exciting. Serna may be a handful as a person but he is a terrific player and makes those round him better. Personally, I'd love to see him back, assuming an attitude adjustment which being snubbed at various euro ports of call may achieve. An attack of Twellman, Serna, APC, Ralston and an improved Griffiths with Hernandez and Franchino at mid and, maybe, a three person back line could be terrific. We'll see but this is interesting to contemplate. JIM DOW
The only way that we can get away with APC in the midfield is with an upgrade at D-mid. Of the four potential candidates on the roster (Joey, Hernandez, Leo, or Rooney), I'm not sure that any if them can play well enough alone to put APC in the midfield and not cede the center of the field. You might have to go with a 3-5-2 or a 4-4-2 with a sweeper/stopper instead of flat. Frankly, I don't know how much I'd tinker with the lineup to get a one year older APC into the lineup, especially at a position that he didn't excel at this year and didn't really play last year. As for Serna, if he's willing to come back and doesn't disrupt the team, I'd bring him back. The odds are awfully low that we'd replace him with a better player. Also, depending on whether APC comes back, we will have one or two SI slots available (unless Kante moves into a SI slot).
There is always the draft next year, and possibly a foriegn slot... We look so great on paper.... -------Twellman---Serna-------- ------------chacon------------- Griffiths--Hernandez----Ralston Franchino Pierce-----Kante----LLammosa
Do any of you seriously think Chacon will be back? I sure don't. He's an SI and I don't know what his salary is but it's surely in the upper ranges. I'm willing to bet almost anything he's out of here. Kante will be a SI next year. That's 1 Serna is an SI. If he returns: That's 2 I doubt we would waste the third SI slot on a players that doesn't fit the style the team is going to play.
And we looked so good on paper before the start of THIS season that we were widely tipped to win the cup! Let's not forget that Chacon almost didn't get picked up in the dispersal draft. Apparently the Revs weren't the only team that didn't know what to do with APC. As astounding as it sounds it appears that last year's scoring champ is a bench warmer who can't get playing time this year and will likely be gone from MLS next year.
Has Serna and Chacon had playing time together yet? Last year, it took them a while to warm up, but once going there was no stopping either of them.
I don't think Serna will be back, but, I'd want him if he wants to stay. Twellman? The kid deserves a lot more than the $30,000 plus incentives he got this year. APC? Not the creative maestro of my dreams. Let's cut bait and use this SI slot for someone else. Griffiths, please keep him. He's an exciting alternative to Ralston who you GOTTA keep. Hernandez is okay as a defensive midfielder, keep. Franchino has been playing very well of late. Keep him at left fullback ina 4-4-2 alignment. I like Kante, big , tough and no one (except Jamie Curtin of the Fire) is going to beat him in the air. Keep Llamosa, but, he's is slowing, and becoming more & more brittle. Keep Rusty, but, the injury big has bitten him hard as well. Adin Brown is our keeper of the present and future. Our biggest problem has been defense and the lack of depth in defense. As Moacir pointed out pre-season, the defense is frightful. Let's reload with young, talented American defenders. Downing, Cullen & Heaps are not the answer. I think we'll be able to fill these spots through the draft. The question is, where do we use the SI slots? 1 = Serna = keep if he'll stay, otherwise get another foreign "power forward" to complement TT. Are there any more Carlos Ruiz' out there? 2 = Kante = A huge midfield/forward who can play passable defense. #3 = Replacement for APC. Nicol isn't playing him and he doesn't fit in well when he does play. Who and where do we get a midfield maestro?
Franchino has been playing well, very well BUT he isn't a fullback. He is playing well out of position, as is Rusty. The back line is still questionable, for example there is no way that Cunningham should have been unmarked for a diagonal through ball in the 99th minute. No way but he was all alone! Heaps has confunded all the critics and anchors a quite effective right side when combining with Ralston. I suspect Nicol is loathe to break that interaction up and thus plays Rusty in the middle or sits him when Llamosa is healthy. Kante is a revalation at stopper and should be given any and all encouragement to stay here. Joey needs to be moved to D mid, Alvarez-style, using his new found skills and his longtime toughness without giving up much in pace or stature. Llamosa is on the downside but should stay as part time sweeper and father figure to the kid defenders. Rusty can play in the middle with Kante but it is a stretch. He also needs to be completely fit. We need to find a left back and another centerback to groom. On offense we need a distributor and a second striker. If Serna comes back, and I hope he does, we can concentrate on the left back and attacking midfielder. Lots to contemplate. JIM DOW
reply Who needs Serna anyway. He's got hopes for Europe when guys from the NATs can't get contract's over there. I think we'll either cut him loose or make another one of those GREAT Rev trades where we get someone even more useless then him, and then that person gets hurt and can't play. Meanwhile, he goes on a scoring tear.