With the 1st pick in the 2003 Superdraft....

IF they keep the pick, they ought to look at either a D-mid or a big, target-type striker. The best prospects out there at these spots are most likely underclassmen so for the purposes of argument, we have to assume they sign P40 deals.

Knox Cameron is a 6-3 sophomore at Michigan and Nate Jaqua is a 6-3 junior at Portland. They are members of the U20 and U23 national teams, respectively. Obviously, they have good size but they both have decent ball skills as well and they have the body that will allow them to have a smoother transition to the pro game. If the team goes for a striker - and given how small most of the forwards on this team are, I'm sure they'll consider it, these would be the 2 to look at, especially since they'd be roster exempt.

The best D-mid in college is Furman's Ricardo Clark, a sophomore who is on the U20 team. He is a great athlete who is fast and can jump - I mean, really jump - and unlike all of United's other mids, he doesn't have to look up to make eye contact with anyone out of elementary school. Clark is 5-10 and besides his physical gifts, he likes to push into the attack. Like the aforementioned strikers, he'd be roster-exempt.

Is a D-mid worth the No. 1 pick in the draft? I somehow doubt it. As good as Clark is, if that's who the team wants, they can probably get him a little later in the first round.

Having said all that, I don't see Ray keeping the pick. He doesn't want or, for that matter, need more youth. I see him trading the pick for a veteran player who is a good value and a couple of lower picks.

I will be very surprised if United keeps and uses the top pick in the draft.

 

Sandon's take is in line with mine. I think Knox may be the best in time but is simply too raw and too much of a gamble and will take too much time to develop to warrant the top pick. Ricardo is the best player, but Ray's not going to go with a young Dmid. He'd be more likely to go with Chino than add another young guy at a pivotal position like Dmid.

Nate Jaqua, who was also Cweedchop's choice, would be a nice fit. Skilled, big, has some speed, can play the ball with his feet or head, polished, well taught, has a little interntaional experience, young but not as young as most, and he can finish. I would like to see him as our first round pick.

But, I'm just not sure he's worth the top overall pick in the draft. Lots of good but not great players like David Stokes (non-organizing central defender at UNC sorta like an Eddie Pope type) and Ricky Lewis (wingback at Clemson) are good defenders. Diego Walsh is a good creator (but definitely NOT something we need at United), Alecko Eskandarian another fizzy and creative forward, but small and not super fast.

I'd take Jaqua over the others, but we might be better off taking Ricardo with the top pick and getting a Knox Cameron or Nate Jaqua if they're available in the second round. I'd also look at Hunter Freeman (freshman defender/midfielder at UVa), Jonathon Spector (U-17 defender/midfielder) or Todd Dunivant (college senior? defender) in the second and later rounds. All could provide good depth and except for Dunivant all would be P-40.

By my count, we have Justin Mapp as our P-40, but Santino should be graduating and no one else is really there. Namoff, Ludwig, etc. will not be P-40s. So, we really should draft at least 2 P-40s.

-Tron

 

I was thinking of Ricardo Clark for our second 1st round pick. However I think we have to see what Hudson decides on Etch first. Yes, I think Etch has done well the last few games, shown lots of passion. BUT he has no defensive presence which makes me think that we have to find a foreign d-mid if we keep Etch. If so then Clark makes for a good understudy as we certainly don't want to start him with such a big responsibility right away.

As for the overall #1, our first pick, I'm not so sure about either forward, Jaqua or Cameron. First we need a bona fide starting forward, Moreno (doubt it but we'll see) or someone else. Q1 pairs with this guy. Then we need a solid #3 striker and I'd think long before thinking that Cameron or Jaqua could do this right out of the gate. Q2 could be that #3 though that's not etched in stone as he could use some development too. So then you go to the #4 forward and your choices then become the two college guys or Curtis, possibly Q2, and do we want to use the #1 pick on a #4 forward? possible but I'm not convinced.

I guess lets just see what happens with our other offseason moves first...

 

First, I'm making several assumptions. I'm assuming that Moreno and Etcheverry are both gone (clearing out 2 maximum salary slots). I assuming Richie Williams is gone (b/c this year Spawn of Satan paid most of his salary and we don't want to pay it next year unless he takes a big paycut). Quintanilla was on a "rent to buy" option and there is no guarantee he'll be back next year.

Second, many teams are (as usual) cap stretched. Teams like Columbus and Chicago are in trouble (heck, so are we unless we cut some big salary players). That means those two teams in particular would want that pick--b/c they could add a player who might be a key sub for them and (if he's a P-40 player) won't count on the roster. So we might be picking up a middle level veteran from one of those clubs (Dante Washington) in exchange for that pick. NE could also be in=play here (since the current side is not Nichol's and if they lose to the Scum, you can expect another remake).

Third, unless someone like Conor Casey or the Maryland kid (name escapes me) who signed for Germany last year (and wasn't drafted) goes into the Superdraft, I see no-one we'd draft that would help us as a starter at striker or attacking midfield right now. Maybe as a sub. That's not to argue it's a waste of time, only that we are not going to fill a key game with this pick unless it's someone returning home from overseas OR we trade the pick for a veteran who fills a hole.

As for our P-40 openings, it's been a couple of months since I've read the MLS regs so my memory may be wrong. But I thought you were allowed a combination of 4 P-40 or developmental slots, it doesn't have to be 2 and 2--am I wrong on that? And, there will be lotteries (like there were for Akwari and Countess) plus lots of P-40's in the draft (heck, we drafted Cooks and Salas in the 4th round didn't we?).

 

Here's the thingy with D-mid's: they need lots of experience to develop, generally. The position requires insane tactical understanding and athletic tools, especially with guys in front of you who may not play that much D. The skill level required is not phenomenal, but compusure is an absolute requirement. Composure is part inherent and part learned through experience/exposure.

In MLS, there are only a handful of solid D-mids and only a few exceptional ones. They are in high-demand in the league and are becoming a critical tactical position as it develops. It is my opinion that the type that we need is just too coveted in this league. I think we would have to pay more than the first pick to get the cream of the crop. And nothing short of Elliott, Mastroeni, etc would really be worthwhile, in my opinion. Too steep of an asking price.

Hence, I say we utilize our first pick to trade for a gifted forward who may be on the bubble with his squad, like Washington, Wolff, or Pineda Chacon.

For the D-mid, I would like to see a Reyes-type acquisition...a foreign player who is hard, athletic, and seasoned. Then again, I'm not the coach and Ray certainly has bemoaned our striking to the point that I think he'll use every resource he has to get Graziani. But there's hope.

Tim

 

Project-40 is for US players.

What do they pile into the draft? College players, High Schoolers, P-40's, A-League guys.......what else?

I don't think United needs some wet behind the ears kid to set them straight (hasn't worked the last three years....) they need some leadership and character. It's tough to just find that in some kid in his first pro year.

 

Does United have two first round picks, again?

I agree with much of what Sandon and DigitalTron wrote in terms of judging the collegiate talent. However, keep in mind that it's possible Hudson can plug holes in other ways. Just because United needs a forward and a defensive midfielder now, that doesn't necessarily mean those two positions will be needs on draft day.

The only name I haven't heard brought up that I think might fit a need for United and be available later in the first round is Wake Forest's Brian Carroll, who's a pretty good defensive midfielder, I think.

With the first pick in the draft, I think Hudson and Kasper should draft whichever player they decide has the most talent, and work from there. Where teams in MLS get burned is when they start skipping over talented players in order to fill a need. Look at what the Revolution did this year - they had Diallo, Pineda Chacon, and Harris on the roster, and they STILL picked Twellman with the #2 pick. Adding a fourth forward to the roster was never a need, but it worked out for them in the end.

Were I in charge of United, I take my chances with someone like Cameron, and see what I could get in a trade for Zambrano or Moreno or even Quintanilla.

Pineda Chacon for the #1 pick in the draft? Done. Where do I sign?

I think it would be a big mistake for Hudson to deal the #1 pick. In a salary cap league, it's better to have a talented low-salaried player than a talented high-salaried player.

 

I think you could expand that statement to just about every position on the field. We need starters at left mid, d-mid, a-mid, and striker. Two of those will probably come from overseas, leaving 2 starters needed. I imagine Ray will be tempted to trade the 1st pick as part of a deal to get a good player at one of those positions. United simply have too many needs to not shop the pick.

 

No way would I trade the #1 pick for APC. It's not that I think the pick with worth a lot. If we can trade it for a veteran who starts, that a good deal. It's that I don't think APC is worth that much. He's a reserve on a bad team, over 30 and has had 1 good season (out of two) in the league.

I hate to keep bringing back the NBA as an anology but I think it works in this situation. We need to view our maximum salary slots ask worth their weight in gold. We have 2, maybe 3 such slots at most (and 3 would be if we dump Pope, Etcheverry, AND Pope). The criteria for people to fill those slots:
--fill key roles on the team (holding mid, attacking mid, creative forward, finisher--those are key roles, outside mid is not one of them);
--be able to play or likely play 90% of our games (again, injuries happen but we need someone who you pencil into your lineup automatically, not 50% or 60% of the time).
--able to dominate games at times and probably win us a couple of games outright during the course of the year (no, I'm not saying we're looking for Maradona. But look at what Twellman and Ruiz have done. Take each of those players off their respective teams and they lose 4-7 games each I'd bet. Our max salary players not only need to be good, they need to be guys who some games our on another planet).

APC in 2001 probably met those criteria. I know he didn't mesh well with Nicols but he still got his opportunities and didn't produce. Right now, NE would love to dump APC. I'd love to have him--for half of what he's making. Otherwise, I think we can get a better player for less money.

As for Wolff--wouldn't take him--even for free. He's never played more than 65% of Chicago's games, he's never led them in scoring. He's a fast, talented American who makes $265K. We can't afford that. Unless you expect him to play 22 matches (which he's never done) and score 15-20 goals (which he's never done) next year. Don't get me wrong--Wolff's a great player. Just not for our situation.

As for trading Zambrano and Quintanilla. Q2 is on loan (technically it's not called a loan). United doesn't own him. We'd need to purchase and sign him from his club in ES. Not sure that will happen. As for Zambrano, he's the property of the league. We got him for free b/c he was league property, Columbus wouldn't trade us Dante Washington and Henry was on loan to Millonarios but owned by MLS. I bet his contract expires at the end of this season.

People are dramatically overestimating what trade value most players have. People want to dump salaries, not take on more. Moreno, even in his current state, could play for any team in MLS and start for most. But most MLS teams can't afford to take on Moreno's salary. Even if they had cap room for a $265k player, they'd prefer to go out and try to sign Des Walker or Daniel Amokachi or another John Spencer--guys who will produce more for them for that amount of money. That is why the bulk of the guys on the Miami and TB rosters weren't claimed and the bulk of the guys cut by the league in the offseason ended up nowhere. Paul Bravo ain't an allstart but he can still play. But he won't play for 30K--and that's all people will pay him. So he retired to take a job with Colorado.

 

Off season trades

This year has shown us our weakspots and where we need to improve. While grabbing a great young player would be nice, it is probably going to be easier to trade for some quality players.

How about Villegas and Williams to NE for Chacon and Hernandez? They get two starters and we get one plus a guy who can play attacking mid just behind Q1 and Moreno. Or even throw Curtis in there to sweeten the pot. While I like having him as a supersub, I can't think that a seasons-long worthless performance can be eliminated with a couple of good games at the end. With Hernandez we also get someone who can take set pieces and is a legitimate threat to score.

I'd also love to have Antonio Martinez but I don't see Dallas getting rid of him anytime soon. Other players to consier: Zach Kingsley from Colorado, Kyle Martino from Columbus, Igor Simutenkov from KC. Of course, we'd need SWEET pots to get them.

 

JoeW is exactly right. Dead on.

I wasn't aware of the arrangement with Zambrano or Quintanilla. My main point was that I wouldn't view those two as an obstacle to drafting Cameron on Jacqua.

Don't hold your breath.

 

How about if we throw in Lazo Alavanja's car?

 

What!?! We can't package all the crap players for three or four world class footballers?

I think that in moving players such as Villegas, all you're going to get is a similar type of player. This is what Hudson has referred to all year in that they traded for similar parts. Sometimes you make these trades and they work, a player was just in the wrong situation and clicks in the new one.

 

Just to throw another wrench on the works, Ryan Nelsen may not be back next season. He has stated that he won't be back if it's at his current salary and his contract has ended although there is an option year on it. I think that come January we might be looking for another defender for next season.

 

trades

Unless you've got your heart set on a specific player, you don't necessarily have to have someone to trade, look at how Dallas landed Bonseu.

 

At halftime last night we telling Ryan to stay, that we want him to stay....ok we were begging the guy to stay. he told us "you have to talk to them" obviously refering to DC.

I don't know if that is in reference to salary or what, I will let you guys debate that as I am not gifted with such inside knowledge.

 

Nelsen told me that "it is in their hands." After I spent several minutes harrassing him about being in DC next season. I just don't want another Tony Sanneh situation, where they let a good quality player go because the league refuses to budge on his salary!

Screw the policy of just keeping the "Superstars!" Without quality around them the stars can't play well! Witness Cowlumbus or New England or Metroscum!

 

What is Nelsen asking? I would thin $100,000 is over paying consider they paid that to albright for years. Nelsen and Pope in the middle could be solid for years. He is only going to get better.

 

If Albright got $100k, then Nellie deserves $1.4mil. Just based on MLS goals scored.

 

Gang, think NBA. Here is why a deal of Williams and Villegas to NE for APC and Hernandez ain't gone to happen. IF the Revs would do it (and they won't), we'd have to cut Moreno and Prideaux--just cut them outright. Why? B/c Villegas makes minimum (less than Hernandez I believe). B/c Williams doesn't count on our cap this year--almost all his salary is being paid by Spawn of Satan.

We need cap room. By trading those 2 guys (Villegas and ABMOD), we clear no cap room, we just vacate 2 roster positions at 1 minimum salary. You couldn't sign 2 A-league players to fill those positions--you'd be over the cap.

I think we can get a player for $265 who will produce better than APC and is probably younger or with better pedigree. But in any case, to get APC (if he's stays at the same salary) would mean cutting outright either Moreno, Etcheverry or Pope. Trade him you say? Not likely--NE needs cap room. They're pretty much capped out and Twellman was signed at the league minimum for 1 year. If he gets the kind of increase he deserves (which might be the league max or close to it), than APC gets cut outright. Even than, the Revs will still be capped out.

Stop thinking trades. Trading Villegas, Alavanja, Namoff, etc. is nonsense. Maybe someone is interested. Usually though guys making the minimum salary do nothing for us--they don't free up cap room and if someone said "we'll trade you Josh Wolff for Villegas" we still couldn't do the deal unless we cut Eddie Pope (b/c Villegas is at the minimum and Wolff is at the max).

It's all about cap space. The way to clear it is give up maximum salary slots. If we acquire APC, that means that if we release Williams, Amman, Nelsen, Pope, Moreno and Etcheverry, we are able to add 1 more maximum salary player, handle pay raises for the rest of the squad (for those due them or promised them--like Ramando and Quaranta and McKinley and Prideaux) and trade our #1 pick for Dante Washington. That's not much of a remake folks.

I'm not trying to be depressing here. The point is this--I'm not that interested in trading for a maximum salary player (ala Wolff, Nowak, Graziani, Stoichkov, APC, McBride--all of whom may or will be shopped) unless you're convinced he'll play in 90% of our games, be a force on the field and win us 2-5 games outright. Otherwise, they're not worth $265K.

As for Nelsen, the deal here is this--he intended to go to Europe, got shafted at the last minute, came to MLS (and United) expecting to get an extra $20K of playoff money a year. Basically, it's like he took a salary cut of 35% of what he expected to get for 2 years. United will bring him back unless they feel they can get a better guy for the same amount. Probably not (especially since Ray is an admirer of his now--his grit, work and scoring). But who knows? I don't think it will be a Sanneh situation. Then, the team (Arena and Payne) was pushing for his signing and Arena would have created cap room by dealing someone else. But the league (and Gulati) disagreed. Now the league tends to do what teams want. You want a Ruiz or Reyes for X $? They'll sign him to that amount and then let you figure out how to fit him under your cap.

 

It's about getting production for your money.

If you make a lot of money riding the pine, you're no good in MLS. There is too little extra money, some would say none, in a typical MLS budget. Your 11 starters should be your 11 highest paid guys, and a handful of reletively cheap reserves.

Defensively, this will put United in a bind. Hudson has prefered the 3-man back in the past. He has stated that he's wanted to play with 3 all year, and it compiments Marco's game. Fine, his team his strategy. But look at the four defenders, Reyes, Pope, Prideaux, Nelsen.

If Nelsen wants to make $100k, he better learn to play defensive mid, because for that money, he needs to be on the field, and that would mean shipping out Prideaux or Pope.