This is our second of four posts in review of the moves DC United has made since the end of last season. Last week we looked at their acquisitions, today we'll look at the players who departed, and then later we'll look at their trades.
1. It's hard to imagine how different DC United's season would be had they retained Marcelo Gallardo in 2009. My guess? He would have spent most of the season in Argentina recovering from a sprained pinkie or RLS or something. When on the field, he did some nice things, scoring 4 goals and adding 3 assists in 15 appearances (yes, just half the season). But the problem was the amount of time he spent off the field, and a seeming lack of desire to return. He's looked like his old self since returning to River Plate, which makes you wonder what could have been if his heart was with DC.
2. Ah, los Gonzalos. This pair of South Americans was brought here to start in central defense, but that didn't last long. Gonzalo Martinez was quickly moved to left back, where he eventually lost his starting job to Marc Burch. Other teammates complained that they never knew what to expect from Martinez. While being slightly more consistent, Gonzalo Peralta struggled with injuries, and never really emerged as anything more than an average central defender by MLS standards. Peralta has returned to the Argentine second division and Martinez to Columbia.
3. A departure that seemed kind of serious at the time was that of Zach Wells, who started 17 games in goal for us in 2008. Had he decided to return to DC this year instead of leaving soccer altogether, the team may never have traded for Josh Wicks, and now we'd be stuck with Crayton and Wells again. Thanks Zach!
4. Everyone's favorite scapegoat last year was Rod Dyachenko, a guy who showed a lot of potential initially, but dropped off in '08. Not only did we trade a first round draft choice to Toronto to retain Dyachenko in 2006, but we also chose to protect him over Brian Carroll in the 2007 Expansion Draft. It's not Rod's fault that we overvalued him. I mean no disrespect to him when I say that he's better off in the USL, which is more to his skill level. I caught a half of a Minnesota/Portland match a couple weeks back and Dyachenko looked like one of the best players on the Thunder.
5. I was truly disappointed when the club decided to part ways with Francis Doe shortly into the 2009 season. But apparently I did not forget Doe's incredible performance against New England last year as quickly as the front office did. I guess I should trust Soehn's opinion more than my own when it comes to weighing players' fitness levels, but right now I would prefer to still have Doe on the roster over N'Silu.
6. Clearly two victims of the new MLS roster constraints were Joe Vide and Domenic Mediate. And while I can't find any recent information on Vide to know if he's playing anywhere, Mediate has been an important player for the first place Puerto Rico Islanders. With MLS adding three more teams in the next two years, these guys might get their chances again.
7. Quavas Kirk is another in the endless line of IMG Academy players and Generation Adidas players who haven't panned out. Never the most technically skilled soccer player, Q-Nasty was probably our most physically gifted player on roster last year. Kirk will now try to develop his skills in the USL with Minnesota.
8. More victims of the roster changes were Ryan Cordeiro and Craig Thompson. Cordeiro brought lots of energy to the field in his 8 appearances, and was often the star of the reserve team. Thompson was consistent, if unimpressive, while serving as decent depth during the team's struggles with injuries last year. After both were surprisingly not invited to traning camp, Cordeiro decided to stay local, signing on with Real Maryland, while Thompson is apparently without a team.
9. DC United cut ties with the entire Carroll family when failing to renew the contracts of Jeff and Pat, ending a run of three consecutive years with two Carrolls on the roster. Jeff Carroll suffered from numerous unfortunate injuries during his time in DC, and after showing some potential early on, wound up sitting out the entire 2008 season. Pat Carroll was inconsistent in three starts for United, sometimes playing steady in defense, but more often failing to provide the coverage we needed for him to earn a permanent spot. Both are now with Real Maryland.
Showing posts with label Gonzalo Martinez. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gonzalo Martinez. Show all posts
Friday, July 3, 2009
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
The offseason to date
I feel like a disgrace for neglecting my wonderful but few readers during this time of year when there is so little else to read in MLS circles. With this blog's constant focus on United roster developments, this should be my Super Bowl! But instead I've been wasting away on the pine. A few life changes have revised my priorities slightly (I'm a new father! Well not really - we got a toy poodle, but it's damn good practice for kids.)
Anyway, let's catch up on the roster changes so far this offseason, then we'll turn our eyes towards the future in an upcoming post:
Clyde Simms was inked by the club to a long term extension. Simmsy was the only player to start all 30 regular season games and led the team in minutes. He's a vital part of the midfield and we're glad to have him back.
Bryan Namoff is our other out-of-contract Ironman, but unfortunately the team doesn't seem to have made much progress with him. That's a bad sign for the only consistent piece of our defense in 2008.
Los Gonzalos both had their options declined by the club for next season. United supposedly still wants to bring back Peralta at a lower salary, but Martinez's playing days in the US are likely over.
Rod Dyachenko and Quavas Kirk similarly had their options declined. Kirk could still return next year, but it certainly won't be at his inflated Genaration Adidas salary. With Dyachenko's departure, the United blogging community will be on the search for a new scapegoat.
Marc Burch and Devon McTavish, who might never get away from always being mentioned together, were both signed to contract extensions. This is a positive step towards establishing some defensive consistency after the abomination that was the 2007-2008 offseason. These two young Americans have a lot of potential and should contribute to the organization for years to come.
Ben Olsen appears more and more likely to be heading towards retirement. It would be a sad end to a legendary career, but we're all pulling for Benny to ride his white horse on back here and return some respectability to the club.
Francis Doe has seemingly returned to his Ghanian club because DC United could not afford to purchase his contract, but are still hoping to extend his loan for another season. If an MLS team can't afford to purchase a player from a team from Ghana, then the league really is in worse financial shape than I thought. I assume that I needn't remind the front office again that Doe's performance just two months ago against New England single-handedly kept our team alive for one more week.
Jeff Carroll became the first casualty of the Developmental roster reduction, and was waived. I feel bad for the guy because I really thought 2008 would be his year to finally earn some time on the first team, but injuries kept him out the entire season and essentially ended his career. United may have to go searching for one of his cousins to fulfill the annual "Two Carroll Quota".
I'll be back later in the week with some thoughts for the future, as we actively await a new WIWFC thread.
Anyway, let's catch up on the roster changes so far this offseason, then we'll turn our eyes towards the future in an upcoming post:
Clyde Simms was inked by the club to a long term extension. Simmsy was the only player to start all 30 regular season games and led the team in minutes. He's a vital part of the midfield and we're glad to have him back.
Bryan Namoff is our other out-of-contract Ironman, but unfortunately the team doesn't seem to have made much progress with him. That's a bad sign for the only consistent piece of our defense in 2008.
Los Gonzalos both had their options declined by the club for next season. United supposedly still wants to bring back Peralta at a lower salary, but Martinez's playing days in the US are likely over.
Rod Dyachenko and Quavas Kirk similarly had their options declined. Kirk could still return next year, but it certainly won't be at his inflated Genaration Adidas salary. With Dyachenko's departure, the United blogging community will be on the search for a new scapegoat.
Marc Burch and Devon McTavish, who might never get away from always being mentioned together, were both signed to contract extensions. This is a positive step towards establishing some defensive consistency after the abomination that was the 2007-2008 offseason. These two young Americans have a lot of potential and should contribute to the organization for years to come.
Ben Olsen appears more and more likely to be heading towards retirement. It would be a sad end to a legendary career, but we're all pulling for Benny to ride his white horse on back here and return some respectability to the club.
Francis Doe has seemingly returned to his Ghanian club because DC United could not afford to purchase his contract, but are still hoping to extend his loan for another season. If an MLS team can't afford to purchase a player from a team from Ghana, then the league really is in worse financial shape than I thought. I assume that I needn't remind the front office again that Doe's performance just two months ago against New England single-handedly kept our team alive for one more week.Jeff Carroll became the first casualty of the Developmental roster reduction, and was waived. I feel bad for the guy because I really thought 2008 would be his year to finally earn some time on the first team, but injuries kept him out the entire season and essentially ended his career. United may have to go searching for one of his cousins to fulfill the annual "Two Carroll Quota".
I'll be back later in the week with some thoughts for the future, as we actively await a new WIWFC thread.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Re: Priority and Strategy
Early candidate for blog post of the year goes to the DCenters, with this lengthy and incredibly well-written (we're talking Sports Illustrated material) piece on the club's role in developing American talent versus using any means necessary to pursue championships. I started writing this as a comment to D's post, and then just decided to move it here, because I stray from the main topic a bit. I guess the whole Super Tuesday thing is making me take this to a different level...
What I find most interesting, and possibly ironic, about this whole situation is the timeliness of the argument. DC United is not doing anything new this offseason. The acquisition of five new foreign players may be more than most years, but we have been identifying, pursuing, and signing foreign talent since the team's inception. Last year brought Fred and Emilio, without any complaints. And how many people were yelling about nationalism when Etcheverry, Moreno, and Diaz Arce brought home the MLS Cup in 1996 and 1997?
But the political arena was much different in 1996. Immigration was not a major issue in the presidential campaign of 1996, like it has been in 2008. We weren't building fences along our borders, or talking about bussing 4 million people back to Mexico, just because they were trying to make better lives for their families. And we also weren't worried about our white collar jobs being outsourced overseas.
Some of the immigration debate is spurred by racism, but most is not.
As we've discussed before, and as many others have suggested, one supposed problem with MLS is its inability to retain talented American players, due to the possibility of higher salaries in Europe. I don't know if that's a systematic flaw or not, but that's just the way it is, and it's not changing anytime soon. But regardless of that, most of those guys are getting good experience that will benefit them on the national level, whether they are playing in the MLS or not. The US doesn't need DC United to develop American talent: Europe is doing it for us.
Now put yourself in the shoes of a guy like Jose Carvallo. He comes to the US not specifically to make more money, because he might actually be able to make more if he stayed in South America. No, instead he comes here for a better way of life. And to try to get noticed by European clubs. He wants the chance to make the most of his opportunities. That's the freakin American Dream!!! The land of opportunity!
If your company hired a new tech support guy who just happened to be Indian, you would assume that they hired him not because of his race, but because he was the smartest, best candidate for the job. You wouldn't hold it against your company for not hiring a white guy who might not be as smart, would you? So when DC United signs, for example, Gonzalo Martinez, they are signing the best available center back, regardless of his race and nationality. DC United has no more obligation to hire Americans than any other company in the US. It's as simple as that.
What I find most interesting, and possibly ironic, about this whole situation is the timeliness of the argument. DC United is not doing anything new this offseason. The acquisition of five new foreign players may be more than most years, but we have been identifying, pursuing, and signing foreign talent since the team's inception. Last year brought Fred and Emilio, without any complaints. And how many people were yelling about nationalism when Etcheverry, Moreno, and Diaz Arce brought home the MLS Cup in 1996 and 1997?
But the political arena was much different in 1996. Immigration was not a major issue in the presidential campaign of 1996, like it has been in 2008. We weren't building fences along our borders, or talking about bussing 4 million people back to Mexico, just because they were trying to make better lives for their families. And we also weren't worried about our white collar jobs being outsourced overseas.
Some of the immigration debate is spurred by racism, but most is not.
As we've discussed before, and as many others have suggested, one supposed problem with MLS is its inability to retain talented American players, due to the possibility of higher salaries in Europe. I don't know if that's a systematic flaw or not, but that's just the way it is, and it's not changing anytime soon. But regardless of that, most of those guys are getting good experience that will benefit them on the national level, whether they are playing in the MLS or not. The US doesn't need DC United to develop American talent: Europe is doing it for us.
Now put yourself in the shoes of a guy like Jose Carvallo. He comes to the US not specifically to make more money, because he might actually be able to make more if he stayed in South America. No, instead he comes here for a better way of life. And to try to get noticed by European clubs. He wants the chance to make the most of his opportunities. That's the freakin American Dream!!! The land of opportunity!
If your company hired a new tech support guy who just happened to be Indian, you would assume that they hired him not because of his race, but because he was the smartest, best candidate for the job. You wouldn't hold it against your company for not hiring a white guy who might not be as smart, would you? So when DC United signs, for example, Gonzalo Martinez, they are signing the best available center back, regardless of his race and nationality. DC United has no more obligation to hire Americans than any other company in the US. It's as simple as that.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Follow me on Twitter:
