Mid-Season Review part 2: Departures

Continuing on in our mid-season review of DC United's roster decisions in the offseason, we move on to the departures. For this entry, our definition of "departure" will be any player who was on the club roster last season, but who is no longer under contract with the team, for reasons other than a trade with another MLS club.

1. Before the start of this season, I figured that it would be the replacement of Gomez with Gallardo as the decision that shaped United's immediate future As it turns out, the decision to sell Troy Perkins to a Norwegian club might actually have been more significant. I guess it's just part of DC United tradition not to keep any goalkeepers for more than a year or two. We've never had a constant back there like Reis and Onstad have been for their clubs (note: the two most successful teams the past 3 years). Simpson, Presthus, and Garlick were all here for too short a time. And of course it made sense at the time to let go of Rimando when Perkins had beaten him out for the starting job, but wouldn't we all love to have Nicky back right now? It's hard to put a number on the amount of wins it has cost us to lose Perkins. Because I can't think of any game specifically that we have lost due only to a poor performance by Zach Wells. But Troy was occasionally a game-changer when it came to making point-blank saves, and the defense as a whole was more composed and more organized with him in net. Perkins was vocal: not afraid to yell at Boswell for making a mistake. That's a trait I've never seen out of Wells. With so much change (and now so many injuries) to the back line this year, it would have made a huge difference to have a constant at the keeper position to keep it all together.

2. It was really unfortunate both to United and to Josh Gros when we learned that he would not be able to play this year. Even if he was never the most technically talented individual, his work rate was known and appreciated across the league. Josh could play both left wing and left midfield, and even though I'm not exactly sure where or if he would fit into our regular starting XI this year in competition with Burch, Quaranta, and McTavish, his consistent play would certainly have come in handy during this stretch of injuries. United would instantly be better were Gros to return to action, if only as an example of hard work. Some of our players would be well served to learn from Gros's dedication.

3. I struggled with whether to put this guy ahead of Gros or not, but lost in the expansion draft to Columbus through way of San Jose was Brian Carroll. I wrote way back when that Carroll was a "true United player", in the Joe Gibbs sense of the term "true Redskin". Like Gros, he had a good work ethic, and although he lost his starting job to Simms last year, BC certainly would have been getting plenty of playing time over the past month if was still with DC.

4. I would guess that Jay Nolly and his parents were probably the only people who were disappointed to hear that he got cut from the team when it happened. Nolly was not a very popular guy among United supporters. But he has been performing quite well for Vancouver this season, and would probably have provided more competition with Wells for the starting keeper job than Carvallo and Thorpe have. Nolly was only taking up a Developmental roster spot, so it wouldn't have taken much to keep him around. I never imagined 6 months ago that I would be talking about Jay Nolly as a significant loss.

5. Some occasional contributors to the first team who are no longer with DCU: Justin Moose, Stephen DeRoux, Nick Addlery, and Guy-Roland Kpene. Despite my constant inclinations to poke fun at Moose, I won't try to pretend that he or DeRoux have really been missed this year. They were useful utility men, but have been replaced fairly well by rookies like Thompson and Cordeiro. There was a brief time early in the year when Emilio was struggling that I kind of wished we'd had the aggressive Addlery around as a back up striker, but that role has now been filled admirably by a much younger Francis Doe. And as for Kpene's role as a semi-creative forward who doesn't know how to score? That was filled by Niell.

6. I've never spoken too highly of Bryan Arguez, but after being a first round pick last year, you would hope that he would have seen a bit of action with the first team this year. United's decision to sell him abroad for some good hard cash probably allowed them the allocation money to bring in los Gonzalos and the other new hires. I'd seen Arguez play in Reserve matches, and although tall, he always seemed clumsy and uninvested. Maybe he stepped it up when trying out for Hertha Berlin, otherwise I don't know what they saw in him. Regardless, central defensive midfield is not necessarily a position of need for us, so Arguez's departure still isn't very high on my list.

7. And finally a group of players who were on the roster last year but saw no time with the first team (and rightfully so): Jamil Walker, Mira Mupier, Jerson Monteiro, Brad North, and Shawn Crowe. You've got to feel bad for Walker, whose main attribute was speed, but never recovered enough from a leg injury to regain that speed. His years spent in a United uniform are not unappreciated, and we wish him luck with his career in the USL. Mupier and Monteiro were both forwards who had spent time previously with other MLS clubs, but both are now out of the league. North and Crowe just couldn't cut it.

Senior roster appears set

At least it appears that way as far as I see. Goff told us this morning that David Blumer and Josh Gardner would not be offered contracts by the club. So if you look back at this post, you'd realize that there are only 18 players left who I've considered as being in competition for the 18 senior roster spots. And with Gardner and Blumer out of the picture, it looks like the final senior roster spot will probably go to Jamil Walker. This is again based on the assumption that Burch, McTavish, and Dyachenko will all remain on the senior roster like they were last year, and that Kpene will remain on the developmental roster like he was last year.

Thanks to some more excellent reporting by Goff, we also learned today the 18 man roster that will travel to Jamaica for the opening leg of United's debut in the Champions' Cup. Really not any surprises here, as I think we probably could have guessed this roster following the lineup used in the Renegade match. But one name does stick out to me, and that's Dan Stratford. This Suppie was named to the gameday roster ahead of the more experienced Justin Moose and Guy Kpene, and Stratford has maybe locked up the role of Clyde Simms' chief backup. Also kind of important to note here that Dyachenko remains ahead of Kpene and Walker on the depth chart.

Lastly, following a 1-1 tie with United earlier today, the Houston Dynamo added yet another trophy to their case: The Texas Pro-Soccer Championship! The team might have to move their two MLS Cup trophies into a closet to make room for this coveted award. Although DC finished with the same 2-0-1 record as Houston, the Dynamo were called champions just because they scored more goals than us on lowly TFC (although they gave up 3 goals to TFC also - so what does THAT say?).

A rule change that actually benefits DC

Gasp! And here we were thinking that MLS only made rule changes in order to benefit the Galaxy!

Maybe this was announced earlier and I missed it, but a change to the MLS roster rules has come up today only because of Goff's latest post announcing the signing of Justin Moose to a Developmental contract, and the news that Kpene and Dyachenko are still eligible for Developmental contracts. Wait a minute... Didn't we previously count all three of them as being in competition for Senior roster slots?

Let's go back two months to a Roster Analysis post I wrote back on December 27th. Here's an excerpt:

What has not changed is the basic breakdown of 18 senior roster players and 10 developmental roster players. Straight from the MLS Roster Composition page: "Developmental players can be either domestic or international and must be 24 years of age (goalkeepers may be 25) or younger during the calendar year of competition."

That was a direct quote from the 2007 Player Rules, but when you click on the link now, the 2008 Player Rules says: "Developmental players can be either domestic or international and must be 25 years of age or younger during the calendar year of competition."

This is huge news for DC United, and it completely alters all of our previous forecasts of who is in competition for what spots. What a difference a year makes! So who is definitively eligible for the Developmental roster? The easiest thing to do is just look at the team's website and everyone born in 1983 or later is technically eligible, which means Burch and McTavish could technically be relegated if they were ever to fall out of favor with the coaching staff. Jose Carvallo and Franco Niell are also technically eligible, but I doubt they would have left their home countries for Developmental contracts. So here's how we see it playing out...

18 Senior roster players:
1 Emilio, 2 Moreno, 3 Niell, 4 Gallardo, 5 Fred, 6 Olsen, 7 Simms, 8 Martinez, 9 Peralta, 10 Namoff, 11 Burch, 12 McTavish, 13 Wells, 14 Carvallo, 15 Mediate, 16 Dyachenko. With the competition for the final 2 slots now coming down to Santino Quaranta, Jamil Walker, David Blumer, and Josh Gardner (born in 1982 - I checked). I've got to think Quaranta is probably back, and Walker and Blumer will go at it for the last spot. Sounds like another potential Versus.

10 Developmental roster players:
1 J. Carroll, 2 P. Carroll, 3 Kirk, 4 Moose, 5 Owens, 6 Stratford, 7 Thorpe, 8 Cordeiro, 9 Kpene. With the competition for the final slot now coming down to Tony Schmitz, Dane Murphy and Cezar. Cezar is an unknown so we'll see what the coaches think of him, but right now I think the edge has to go to Murphy since Schmitz has apparently not been traveling with the team (still in school - what a poor excuse!)

So why do I list Dyachenko on the full roster and Kpene on the Dev roster? Others might argue with me, but I feel like Rod has done more to earn the full roster slot and the salary that comes with it. Also, he was on the full roster last year and Kpene was not, so I don't see why they would change it. And lastly, with Niell on the roster and a healthy Jamil Walker (or Blumer), we're a lot deeper at forward now than we were last year, so Kpene will likely be seeing much less playing time, and actually could be potential trade bait if they sign Cezar too.

8 International players:
Competition has definitely increased on the international front. Let's see, we've got 1 Emilio, 2 Niell, 3 Gallardo, 4 Fred, 5 Martinez, 6 Peralta, 7 Carvallo, 8 Stratford, 9... Uh oh... This is a bad sign for Cezar. All indications out of camp seem to be that Stratford has earned his way onto the roster, and may even compete with Dyachenko for playing time. The Brazilian will really have to impress to make the team. David Blumer? According to Goff he's got a US Passport so he won't count against the international quota.

Whew. The MLS Rules committee really knows how to keep us bloggers on our toes. It must be a cool job to be able to just change the rules as you go along without ever really telling anybody. But I'm sure we've all had bosses like that.

'Tino versus 'Mil versus Moose

That's how it looks like this is developing. And after only one day of officially training with the team, I think it may be the newcomer with the inside track. It should be noted that Quaranta at age 23 is technically eligible for a Developmental roster slot for one more year. But judging from the fact that he already has offers from other clubs, I find it unlikely that he will accept a Developmental contract here with the salary that that would carry. That's why I think he's in competition for the final roster spot on the full team.

For my professional in-depth analysis of Moose and Walker, take a look at this previous thread, but for now let's focus on the kid.

Santino Quaranta
Strengths:
1. Talent - There's no doubt that 'Tino would be among the most talented players on the team from the day he signs. If he signs.
2. Value - If Quaranta earns a contract, I'm guessing it would be in the range of $40K to $60K. Purely a guess. But that's down from the over $100K that he has earned for the rest of his career. If he's as good as we thought he would be six years ago, then we'll be getting him now at a huge bargain.
3. Popularity - And I don't mean with the fans, although that will come too if he makes the team. I mean with his teammates. I'm sure Walker and Moose are likeable guys too, but if Coach Olsen wants to lobby Coach Soehn to add Q to the roster…
4. Dedication/Hunger - More than anybody else on the team, Quaranta has a heluva lot to prove. And he knows it. He's out there fighting for his career. But of course so are Walker and Moose.

Weaknesses:
1. Dedication/Laziness - He was traded and cut by his previous two teams for a reason. I'd like to take 'Tino at his word when he says that he'll work harder this time around, but his history cannot be ignored.
2. Injuries - We used this as a knock against Walker too, but Quaranta has been injured several times now, so it's definitely a concern. Although he does say he's in the "best condition of my life."

The theme for this offseason, as we've discussed before and will discuss again, is replacing the known with the unknown. That's why I think Quaranta will earn his way onto the team. That and these other two hints:

1. These quotes from Walker and Soehn that he's not at full speed or full strength.

2. Moose being in North Carolina the past couple of days instead of training with the team in DC. If he's smart, he's down there doing some job interviews.

I've been rooting for Moose all along, because he's got so much energy, but mostly because he's an easy target to poke fun at. But I've got to say that as a blogger, Quaranta looks like he could provide us with some great material.

'Mil versus Moose

No, it's not some new stupid reality game show. It's the first installment in a new occasional series of posts highlighting some of the position battles that will undoubtedly take place throughout this season of change for DC United.

If you were with us this morning, you saw my analysis of the senior roster as it currently stands, with the final slot likely to be a competition between Justin Moose and Jamil Walker. The conventional wisdom has been for many months that Moose is unlikely to make the team, but I think he's got a shot. So let's break it down...

Justin Moose
Strengths:
1. Energy - With Gros gone, we need someone who can run up and down the wing all day.
2. Position - Wide midfield was identified by many as an area of need for United this offseason. If Olsen's injuries persist, then Moose could be second on the depth chart behind Mediate at right midfield. He's also spent some time in a CAM role in scrimmages, and could provide another option behind Dyachenko if Gallardo gets injured or needs a break.
3. Music - Moose is the sickness
Weaknesses:
1. Defense - He just doesn't play it. At least not well. In this aspect he is very un-Grosian
2. Height - We've already filled our quota of dwarves this year. Moose would have a lot of walks if he played baseball. He's got no strike zone. I mean how do you pitch to a guy whose shoulders and knees are in basically the same location?

Jamil Walker
Strengths:
1. Speed - He reminds me of Kpene. That is if Kpene knew what a net looked like.
2. Experience - This is huge. He had 41 appearances with the first team from 2005-2006, with 3 goals and 8 assists.
Weaknesses:
1. Injuries - Sat out the entire 2007 campaign.
2. Position - Unless he can surpass Kpene or Niell on the depth chart, Walker is likely in competition with a younger Jerson Monteiro for the fourth forward position. Not a good place to be.

So with all of that said, it looks like we're giving the slight edge to Moose based solely on his musical ability. Maybe if we found out that 'Mil could dance then this would be a draw.

Time for another roster analysis

I came up with most of this while standing in line outside in 20 degree weather for two hours to see Barack Obama speak in College Park yesterday (well worth it).

Major League Soccer is probably unlike any other league in the world that I can think of in its limitation of foreign players and players over the age of 25. The ACLU could have a field day with the MLS rules committee if they wanted to. Because of these rules, it's pretty much required that we review the current roster every other month or so.

18 players on the Senior roster:
First, the senior players from last year who are more or less guaranteed a spot on the senior roster again: 1 Emilio, 2 Moreno, 3 Kpene, 4 Olsen, 5 Fred, 6 Simms, 7 Dyachenko, 8 Mediate, 9 Burch, 10 Namoff, 11 McTavish. (Although McTavish and Burch are both still young enough to be eligible for the Developmental roster - born in 1984 - they were promoted to the Senior roster last year and will likely remain there.)

Next, we have our offseason acquisitions: 12 Wells, 13 Gallardo, 14 Martinez, 15 Peralta, 16 Niell.

That leaves 2 spots left. 17 will likely go to Jose Carvallo. He's only 21 years old so he's eligible for a Developmental contract, but would he leave his Peru club team to make less than $30,000 a year? Unlikely. So he's probably occupying another Senior roster slot. That leaves only spot 18 left, and the competition probably comes down to Justin Moose and Jamil Walker. We'll see how this plays out.

10 players on the Developmental roster:
Assuming Carvallo is on the Senior roster, we've got exactly 10 players remaining who are eligible (born in 1984 or later): 1 Jerson Monteiro, 2 Jeff Carroll, 3 Ryan Cordeiro, 4 Tony Schmitz, 5 Dan Owens, 6 Dan Stratford, 7 James Thorpe, 8 Pat Carroll, 9 Ardalan Attar, 10 Grady Renfrow.

8 International players:
Again we have some controversy, and it involves the same player. We've got: 1 Emilio, 2 Fred, 3 Gallardo, 4 Martinez, 5 Peralta, 6 Niell. If rookie Dan Stratford makes the team, he becomes 7. And finally, there have been unconfirmed rumors that Jose Carvallo has a green card, and therefore would not take up an international slot. But if not, he would be 8. That would put Stratford on very shaky ground, because if the team struggles early in the season, and maybe even if they don't, then they are likely to pursue additional foreign talent before the international transfer window closes in July, and in order to sign anyone else, United will need to cut somebody first. Stratford appears to be the low man on the totem poll, so he'll have to impress.

All of that leaves us in pretty decent shape. We've addressed a lot of needs for depth, but have very little room to add new players if the need arrises. The only area where we're potentially light is, as usual, defense. What happens if say Namoff gets injured, and then one of los Gonzalos (© CL) sits out with a red card? Who do you start? Obviously McTavish should be able to fill in anywhere on the back line, but after that we're down to either Owens or one of the Carrolls. Someone's going to have to step up.

Roster analysis

First of all, here's a link to what the Fullback wants for Christmas. That's required reading for all DCU fans this offseason.

Secondly, with all the recent roster moves, and with the rule changes for 2008, I think it's time that we reset and take a look at where we currently stand.

The rule changes seem to be pretty minor in relation to DCU, and probably most other teams in the league. The biggest changes are that there is no longer any distinction between "Senior Internationals" and "Youth Internationals", and that teams can now trade international slots in player deals.

I don't see this change having any effect on DC United. At season's end, we've only got 3 international players (Emilio, Fred, Gomez), and they all fall under the "Senior" classification anyway. The only way it could affect us is that DC now has the opportunity to trade away a couple of their extra international slots if they want, and if there is a market for them (doubtful).

What has not changed is the basic breakdown of 18 senior roster players and 10 developmental roster players. Straight from the MLS Roster Composition page: "Developmental players can be either domestic or international and must be 24 years of age (goalkeepers may be 25) or younger during the calendar year of competition." But a team can also elect to promote a player 24 or younger to the Senior roster, as DC United did for Devon McTavish and Marc Burch this year.

Of course all of this could change at any moment, but acting under the assumption that Moreno will return, that Gomez and Vanney will work out a deal, and that Gros will retire, we currently have:

• (3) players with "Developmental" status (Arguez, J. Carroll, Monteiro)
  
• (19) players with "Senior" status

Uh oh.

And that's before United makes any other acquisitions.

So what does that mean for United? It means that we're already one player over the limit on the Senior roster, and it means that we will have to cut one player for every new player over age 24 that is signed in the offseason. This is because we've got 4 players (DeRoux, Dyachenko, Kpene, Moose) turning 25 in 2008, and Nolly is turning 26.

As promising as some of them may be, this could mean a world of trouble for guys like Moose, Addlery, Kpene, Walker, and DeRoux.

Now if only the MLS would change the rules again so we could maybe trade 2 international spots for another senior roster spot or something crazy like that.