Monday, February 26, 2007

MLS: Top 100 Single Season Goal Totals

Everybody knows the top few, I covered that when posting about the top multiple year goal totals last April. I think it's fun to see a larger list. Regular season only, of course. Below this one, you'll find a list of the top single season goalscorers in all competitions.



Goals Team Season Nationality
1 Roy Lassiter 27 TB 1996 USA
2 Mamadou Diallo 26 TB 2000 Senegal
2 Stern John 26 CLB 1998 Trinidad
4 Carlos Ruiz 24 LA 2002 Guatemala
5 Raul Diaz Arce 23 DC 1996 El Salvador
5 Taylor Twellman 23 NE 2002 USA
7 Eduardo Hurtado 21 LA 1996 Ecuador
8 Cobi Jones 19 LA 1998 USA
8 Alex Pineda Chacon 19 MIA 2001 Honduras
10 Raul Diaz Arce 18 NE 1998 El Salvador
10 Stern John 18 CLB 1999 Trinidad
10 Jason Kreis 18 DAL 1999 USA
10 Roy Lassiter 18 TB/DC 1998 USA
10 Roy Lassiter 18 DC 1999 USA
10 Preki 18 KC 1996 USA
10 Ante Razov 18 CHI 2000 USA
17 Brian McBride 17 CLB 1996 USA
17 Taylor Twellman 17 NE 2005 USA
17 Welton 17 LA 1998 Brazil
20 Jeff Cunningham 16 CLB 2002 USA
20 Jeff Cunningham 16 RSL 2006 USA
20 Clint Mathis 16 LA/NY 2000 USA
20 Jaime Moreno 16 DC 1997 Bolivia
20 Jaime Moreno 16 DC 1998 Bolivia
20 Jaime Moreno 16 DC 2005 Bolivia
20 Diego Serna 16 MIA 2000 Colombia
20 Adolfo Valencia 16 NY 2000 Colombia
28 Ronald Cerritos 15 SJ 1999 El Salvador
28 Raul Diaz Arce 15 DC 1997 El Salvador
28 Ariel Graziani 15 DAL 2000 Ecuador
28 Wolde Harris 15 NE 2000 Jamaica
28 Joe-Max Moore 15 NE 1999 USA
28 Carlos Ruiz 15 LA 2003 Guatemala
28 Diego Serna 15 MIA 2001 Colombia
28 Taylor Twellman 15 NE 2003 USA
28 Dante Washington 15 CLB 2000 USA
37 Abdul Thompson Conteh 14 DC 2001 Sierra Leone
37 Christian Gomez 14 DC 2006 Argentina
37 Ariel Graziani 14 SJ 2002 Ecuador
37 Steve Rammel 14 DC 1996 USA
37 Ante Razov 14 CHI 1999 USA
37 Ante Razov 14 CHI 2002 USA
37 Ante Razov 14 CHI 2003 USA
37 Ante Razov 14 CHV 2006 USA
37 Giovanni Savarese 14 NY 1997 Venezuela
37 Giovanni Savarese 14 NY 1998 Venezuela
37 John Spencer 14 COL 2001 Scotland
37 John Spencer 14 COL 2003 Scotland
49 Paul Bravo 13 SJ 1996 USA
49 Ronald Cerritos 13 SJ 1998 El Salvador
49 Mauricio Cienfuegos 13 LA 1998 El Salvador
49 Alex Comas 13 NY 2000 Colombia
49 Raul Diaz Arce 13 SJ/TB 1999 El Salvador
49 Wolde Harris 13 COL 1998 Jamaica
49 Jason Kreis 13 DAL 1996 USA
49 Jason Kreis 13 DAL 2002 USA
49 Carlos Ruiz 13 DAL 2006 Guatemala
49 Giovanni Savarese 13 NY 1996 Venezuela
49 Vitalis Takawira 13 KC 1996 Zimbabwe
60 Ronald Cerritos 12 SJ 1997 El Salvador
60 Brian Ching 12 SJ 2004 USA
60 Jeff Cunningham 12 CLB 1999 USA
60 Jeff Cunningham 12 COL 2005 USA
60 Mamadou Diallo 12 NE/NY 2002 Senegal
60 Landon Donovan 12 SJ 2003 USA
60 Landon Donovan 12 LA 2005 USA
60 Landon Donovan 12 LA 2006 USA
60 Rodrigo Faria 12 NY 2002 Brazil
60 Eddie Johnson 12 DAL 2004 USA
60 Brian McBride 12 CLB 2003 USA
60 Miklos Molnar 12 KC 2000 Denmark
60 Jaime Moreno 12 DC 2000 Bolivia
60 Preki 12 KC 1997 USA
60 Preki 12 KC 2003 USA
60 Musa Shannon 12 TB 1999 Liberia
60 Dante Washington 12 DAL 1997 USA
77 Paul Bravo 11 COL 1998 USA
77 Edson Buddle 11 CLB 2004 USA
77 Chris Carrieri 11 COL 2002 USA
77 Ronald Cerritos 11 SJ 2001 El Salvador
77 Brian Ching 11 HOU 2006 USA
77 Mark Chung 11 COL 2002 USA
77 Mark Chung 11 COL 2003 USA
77 Kenny Cooper 11 DAL 2006 USA
77 Damian 11 DAL 1997 Mexico
77 Dwayne De Rosario 11 HOU 2006 Canada
77 Christian Gomez 11 DC 2005 Argentina
77 Herculez Gomez 11 LA 2005 USA
77 Ariel Graziani 11 DAL 2001 Ecuador
77 Amado Guevara 11 NY 2005 Honduras
77 Jean Harbor 11 COL 1996 USA
77 Chris Henderson 11 COL 2002 USA
77 Eduardo Hurtado 11 LA/NY 1998 Ecuador
77 Mo Johnston 11 KC 1998 Scotland
77 Jason Kreis 11 DAL 2000 USA
77 Pete Marino 11 CLB 1996 USA
77 Joe-Max Moore 11 NE 1996 USA
77 Jaime Moreno 11 DC 2006 Bolivia
77 Pat Noonan 11 NE 2004 USA
77 Damani Ralph 11 CHI 2003 Jamaica
77 Damani Ralph 11 CHI 2004 Jamaica
77 Carlos Ruiz 11 LA 2004 Guatemala
77 Carlos Ruiz 11 DAL 2005 Guatemala
77 Diego Serna 11 MIA 1998 Colombia
77 Taylor Twellman 11 NE 2006 USA
77 Welton 11 LA 1997 Brazil


In all competitions, here are the players who have scored 20 times or more in a single season:



Goals Team Season
1 Carlos Ruiz 35 LA 2002
2 Roy Lassiter 34 TB 1996
3 Raul Diaz Arce 30 DC 1996
3 Stern John 30 CLB 1998
5 Mamadou Diallo 29 TB 2000
6 Roy Lassiter 28 TB/DC 1998
7 Stern John 25 CLB 1999
7 Ante Razov 25 CHI 2000
7 Taylor Twellman 25 NE 2002
10 Eduardo Hurtado 24 LA 1996
11 Preki 22 KC 1996
12 Roy Lassiter 21 DC 1999
12 Clint Mathis 21 LA/NY 2000
12 Carlos Ruiz 21 LA 2003
12 Adolfo Valencia 21 NY 2000
16 Jason Kreis 20 DAL 1999
16 Jaime Moreno 20 DC 1997
16 Alex Pineda Chacon 20 MIA 2001
16 Diego Serna 20 MIA 2000

Certainly, older players are helped due to the old best of 3 format the playoffs used to have. Now there are only 4 playoff games per team no matter what. But this year with the Superliga, you have some additional games.

In 1996, Lassiter scored his 34 goals in 36 games. In 1999, John scored 30 in 33, while Diallo scored 29 in 32 back in 2000. The best has to go to Ruiz, who scored his 35 in 36 games. After the MLS Cup he was at 35 in 35, but he failed to score in the US Open Cup final. Can any MLS player ever score a goal per game with that many games?

According to Wikipedia, Ruud van Nistelrooy scored 36 in 36 for Man Utd during the 2001/2 season.

Friday, February 23, 2007

Don Garber, 1999

I couldn't have said it any better. I really wish I had found this quote sooner (lLink).

COACH: Are you contemplating any changes in the game itself that might stimulate scoring? Americans are weaned on home runs, three-point baskets, 50-yard forward passes, and hat tricks. They have problems living with scoreless ties and shoot-outs. Is anything visible being done in this area?

GARBER: There are plenty of NBA fans who like three-point plays and NFL fans who enjoy touchdowns. But there are nearly 50 million fans who love soccer because it is a strategic, highly anticipated hour and a half that doesn't necessarily have to have the scoring that you will see in football and basketball.

Until we are able to get those fans into the fold, we are not going to explode out to people who aren't really soccer fans. I don't think we have a large percentage of people who can be drawn into the game over night.

Our fans are kids who play, people who are watching the Women's World Cup, going to the World Cup games, playing at the grass roots revel, and nobody in that group is complaining about goal scoring.

But, we don't have a large enough percentage of such people in the fold as yet. The problem is this: Do we have to change the game in order to achieve a much broader fan base?

Until we solidify the people who are already soccer-involved, we shouldn't be thinking of going outside that box.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

CONCACAF Champions Cup & MLS

Yeah, it's time for this again. Forget April 7, this is the real beginning of the soccer season in America. DC United and Houston will lead the charge for MLS tomorrow, and for once it seems like our representatives are actually the two best teams in the league. Dallas and New England have both lost key players. Thankfully, the rule change giving the Supporters Shield winner the second spot instead of the MLS Cup loser means that we won't be subjected to seeing the Revs play two away games for the third time.

Last year, for the first time ever, no MLS team advanced in the tournament. A pathetic showing, indeed. The Revs were never expected to advance due to their lack of a home game, although they only conceded a single goal at the end of the second match versus Alajuelense. The Galaxy, on the other hand, were up 2-0 on aggregate against Saprissa at half time of the second leg. As usual for American teams, they couldn't hold it and lost in extra time. It was bitterly disappointing, and what was very disturbing is that in both "home legs," neither MLS team scored a goal.

This time around, the away legs are up first, so they'll have to score a few at home this time. All in all, you want the away legs first, so that's a good sign. What's also a good sign is that Alajuelense and Saprissa both failed to qualify, and Municipal of Guatemala as well. Their opponents this time should be easier to handle, and anything less than both teams advances should be considered a failure. Given all the publicity and money coming into the league, that's the least we should expect. I think we all consider MLS to be stronger than any CONCACAF league other than Mexico (and other than Argentina and Brazil, every league in CONMEBOL as well). Despite the lack of midseason form, we should still beat these teams.

DC's opponent is Olimpia of Honduras. MLS has never lost to a Honduran team, not even a single game. This is definitely the easier match up of the two. Plus, it helps when you sign their best player before you play them. Emelio will be starting up front for DC against his former team. He replaces Alecko Eskandarian, while Ben Olsen will probably start on the right with Clyde Simms taking his spot in the middle. Very little change from the great team they had last year.

Houston is also the same team, minus Adrian Serioux. Brian Ching will probably miss out due to injury, although he may come off the bench. I would expect a guy like Paul Dalglish to play well on the road in a hostile environment, so it's good that they have him. Puntarenas should not be underrated. They defeated Alajuelense 5-0 on aggregate on their way to winning the Central American championship. Alajuelense and Saprissa are like the Rangers and Celtic of Costa Rica, so they must be pretty good.

It would be really cool to see an American team in the Club World Championship. That's the goal.

Quartefinal Matchups/Dates

2/22-Pachuca vs Marquense
2/28-Marquense vs Pachuca

2/21-Puntarenas vs Houston
3/01-Houston vs Puntarenas

2/21-Olimpia vs DC United
3/01-DC United vs Olimpia

2/13-W. Connection 2:1 Guadalajara
2/28-Guadalajara vs W. Connection


MLS in the CONCACAF Champions Cup

(note: A few corrections were made from last year's similar post.)

1997
(final tournament held in Washington D.C.)

Qualifier

Los Angeles 4:1 Santos Laguna

Quarterfinals

D.C. United 1:0 United Petrotrin
Los Angeles 2:0 Luis Angel Firpo

Semifinals

D.C. United 0:1 Los Angeles

3rd Place

D.C. United 2:2 Guadalajara

Final

Los Angeles 3:5 Cruz Azul


1998 (final tournament held in Washington D.C.)

Qualifier

Colorado 1:0 Leon
Leon 4:2 Colorado

Quarterfinals

D.C. United 8:0 Joe Public

Semifinals

D.C. United 2:0 Leon

Final

D.C. United 1:0 Toluca


1999 (final tournament held in Las Vegas)

Qualifier

Los Angeles 1:1 (3-4 pens) Necaxa

Quarterfinals

D.C. United 1:0 Olimpia
Chicago 2:0 Joe Public

Semifinals

D.C. United 1:3 Necaxa
Chicago 1:1 (4-5 pens) Alajuenense

3rd Place

D.C. United 2:2 Chicago


2000 (final tournament held in Los Angeles, in January 2001)

Quarterfinals

D.C. United 2:1 Alajuenense
Los Angeles 0:0 (5-3 pens) Real Espana

Semifinals

Los Angeles 1:1 (4-2 pens) D.C. United

3rd Place

D.C. United 1:2 Pachuca

Final

Los Angeles 3:2 Olimpia


2001 - no tournament


2002

Round of 16

Olimpia 0:1 San Jose
San Jose 3:1 Olimpia

W. Connection 0:1 Kansas City
Kansas City 2:0 W. Connection

Comunicaciones 4:0 D.C. United
D.C. United 2:1 Comunicaciones

Municipal 0:1 Chicago
Chicago 2:0 Municipal

Quarterfinals

Pachuca 3:0 San Jose
San Jose 1:0 Pachuca

Santos Laguna 2:1 Kansas City
Kansas City 2:0 Santos Laguna

Morelia 2:0 Chicago
Chicago 2:1 Morelia

Semifinals

Morelia 6:1 Kansas City
Kansas City 1:1 Morelia


2003

Round of 16

Arabe Unido 2:1 Columbus
Columbus 3:0 Arabe Unido

Alajuelense 4:0 New England
Alajuelense 1:3 New England (home leg)

Municipal 4:2 San Jose
San Jose 2:1 Municipal

Motagua 2:2 Los Angeles
Los Angeles 1:0 Motagua

Quarterfinals

Morelia 6:0 Columbus
Columbus 2:0 Morelia

Los Angeles 1:4 Necaxa
Necaxa 2:1 Los Angeles


2004

Quarterfinals

Alajuelense 3:0 San Jose
San Jose 1:0 Alajuelense

San Juan Jabloteh 5:2 Chicago
Chicago 4:0 San Juan Jabloteh

Semifinals

Saprissa 2:0 Chicago
Chicago 2:1 Saprissa


2005

Quarterfinals

Kansas City 0:0 Saprissa
Saprissa 2:1 Kansas City (AET)

D.C. United 2:1 Harbour View
Harbour View 1:2 D.C. United

Semifinals

D.C. United 1:1 UNAM Pumas
UNAM Pumas 5:0 D.C. United


2006

Quarterfinals

New England 0:0 Alajuelense (home leg in Bermuda)
Alajuelense 1:0 New England

Los Angeles 0:0 Saprissa
Saprissa 3:2 Los Angeles (AET)


Alltime Records


W L D Pts GF GA GD
DC United 9 5 4 31 29 25 4
Chicago 6 3 2 20 18 14 4
Los Angeles 5 4 5 20 22 21 1
San Jose 5 3 0 15 10 12 -2
Kansas City 3 3 2 11 9 11 -2
Columbus 2 2 0 6 6 8 -2
New England 1 2 1 4 3 6 -3
Colorado 1 1 0 3 3 4 -1


Top Goalscorers

Roy Lassiter 6
Edson Buddle 4
Eduardo Hurtado 4
Dema Kovalenko 4
Carey Talley 4
Landon Donovan 3
Ezra Hendrickson 3
Ben Olsen 3
Ante Razov 3
A.J. Wood 3

Sunday, February 18, 2007

2010 Today

What if the 2010 World Cup was next week? Who would the 23 man USA roster be comprised of? Now that Bob Bradley's had a few months at the helm, and two games under his belt, we can start to see who he's favoring as of now.

YanksAbroad.com has their "23 Tickets to Africa" feature, where they predict what the roster then will look like. This post is not meant to be a prediction, but rather what our team would look like at the current moment. It's decided based on playing time, selections to camps, and the ability of the players, and assumes full health.

Goalkeepers

Picks: Hahnemann, Howard, Keller
Others: Cannon, Guzan, Perkins, Reis

Until they're unseated, it's a no brainer. Those are the top three. Who's next? Reis started against Denmark, while Cannon was on the bench for that game and also against Mexico. So those two appear to make up fourth and fifth.


Defense

Picks: Albright, Bocanegra, Bornstein, Boswell, Conrad, Cherundolo, Gibbs, Onyewu
Others: Califf, DeMerit, Dunivant, Namoff, Parkhurst, Pearce, D.Robinson, E.Robinson, Spector

Bornstein was given the start in both friendlies, and certainly he'll be playing in one of the big tournaments this summer. Pearce and Spector haven't got much of a shot yet, so who knows where they stand. I think Pearce is overhyped; let's wait until he actually does something to get excited about (like a move to a bigger club). That goes for DeMerit too. Starting for Watford is not a huge accomplishment. If Gibbs is healthy, he would definitely get the nod over him.


Midfield

Picks: Beasley, Carroll, Clark, Convey, Dempsey, Mapp, Mastroeni
Others: Adu, Beckerman, Bradley, Feilhaber, Gros, Kljestan, Mullan, Noonan, O'Brien

Clark and Mastroeni seem to be the pairing of choice for Bradley. Mapp has impressed too, while Carroll got playing time in both friendlies. I suppose Convey and Dempsey would be the starters on the left and right.


Forwards

Picks: Ching, Donovan, Johnson, Rolfe, Twellman
Others: Cooper, Eskandarian, Jaqua, Wolff

No surprises here. Ching and Twellman both have had injuries this offseason, and I was going to pick one, but I just decided to put down both. Rolfe has started both friendlies so far, while Johnson continues to get opportunities.


Roster - February 18, 2007

G-Hahnemann, Howard, Keller
D-Albright, Bocanegra, Bornstein, Boswell, Conrad, Cherundolo, Gibbs, Onyewu
M-Beasley, Carroll, Clark, Convey, Dempsey, Mapp, Mastroeni
F-Ching, Donovan, Johnson, Rolfe, Twellman

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

MLS Transaction Analysis - 2/13/2007

Part two continued from yesterday, this time dealing with the Western conference. Once again, all dates are to the best of my knowledge and all starting lineups include only players who are officially on the rosters.

CD CHIVAS USA

Lost D-Tim Regan to Toronto in the expansion draft. [11/17]

Acquired M-Amado Guevara from New York for a designated player slot and a 2007 third round Superdraft pick (Sinisa Ubiparipovic). [11/27]

Lost D-Johnnie Garcia, M-Juan Pablo Garcia, F-Jesus Morales, and F-Francisco Palencia who all returned to Mexico. [1/1]

Acquired F-David Arvizu from New York for a 2007 fourth round supplemental draft pick (Danny Cepero). [1/12]

Drafted F-John Cunliffe and D-Cameron Dunn in the 2007 Superdraft. [1/12]

Drafted D-Desmond Brooks, M-Erasmo Solorzano, M-Raul Batista, F-Anthony Hamilton, and F-Lyle Martin in the 2007 supplemental draft. [1/18]

Thoughts: Number one priority is replacing the SIs they lost. I guess Guevara essentially replaces Garcia as the guy who spearheads the attack, and that's an upgrade. If you aren't going to use the DP spot, then you might as well get something for it. And Guevara has a green card, so he isn't an SI.

As usual, they'll be bringing in "reinforcements" from Guadalajara. While they haven't been officially announced, defender Jorge Barrera and forward Edwin Borboa will join on loan. They're both young guys (23/24) but definitely not stars. Barrera will probably start at right back. They could use some higher profile guys. Maykel Galindo, the Cuban forward who defected during the last Gold Cup and who now plays for the Seattle Sounders, played for Chivas in their first preseason game. He would be a good signing.

It looks like John O'Brien will not return. If he doesn't, at least they'll get something from another team for his rights. Overall, Chivas has a mix of talented young players and talented older players. You have to be worried about how long Razov, Marsch, and Suarez can play at a high level.

Possible Starting Lineup:

........Bornstein.....Razov.....Mendoza.......
........Marsch.....Guevara.....Kljestan........
...Perez...Suarez...Hernandez...Vaughn...
..........................Guzan................................


COLORADO RAPIDS

Waived D-Eric Denton, M-Alain Nkong, F-Luchi Gonzalez, F-Sasha Gotsmanov, F-Aaron King and F-Melvin Tarley. [11/21]

Acquired D-Ugo Ihemelu, F-Herculez Gomez, and a 2007 second round Superdraft pick (traded to Dallas) from Los Angeles for GK-Joe Cannon and a 2007 second round Superdraft pick (Ty Harden).[12/1]

Acquired D-Brandon Prideaux from DC United for a 2007 second round (Jay Needham) and 2008 third round Superdraft picks. [12/12]

Lost F-Thiago Martins after contract was not renewed. [1/1]

Acquired D-Greg Vanney and 2008 third round Superdraft pick from Dallas for 2007 second round Superdraft pick (Andrew Daniels) and 2008 third round Superdraft pick. [1/12]

Drafted M-Nico Colaluca, M-Greg Dalby, F-Omar Cummings, M-Nick LaBrocca, and GK-Justin Hughes in the 2007 Superdraft. [1/12]

Drafted M-John DiRaimondo, M-Kosuke Kimura, and F-Riley O'Neill in the 2007 supplemental draft. [1/18]

Signed F-Roberto Brown. [2/5]

Thoughts: If the Rapids don't improve in 2007, it certainly won't be for lack of trying. They were actually worse last season in Fernando Clavijo's second year in charge. So despite the playoff victory, they couldn't stand still. They've made some good trades and look to have more depth. But is the first XI really that much better?

They got Vanney for virtually nothing, and Prideaux is solid enough. The Cannon trade was especially good. They got two solid players from LA. Granted, they now have a big whole at goalkeeper (Zach Thornton anyone?) but it makes the rest of the team solid. Plus, what they were doing wasn't working. Vanney will play left back, which leaves Ihemelu and Petke in the middle. From what I've read on Bigsoccer, Aitor Karanka will not be back which is unfortunate.

Brown should be a quality player. His arrival gives the Rapids a bunch of decent forwards, along with Gomez and Nicolas Hernandez. We could actually see both Mathis and Kirovski on the bench when the year starts. Maybe they can trade for John O'Brien too. They failed to sign Jared Borgetti, however. The big question is who will play on the left. They have reportedly already signed Costa Rican U20 Yerhland McDonald, although who knows if he's good enough. Hopefully he's better than Pablo Brenes.

Possible Starting Lineup:

.......................Gomez........Brown............................
...Hernandez...Beckerman...Mastroeni...Cooke...
........Vanney...Ihemelu...Petke...Freeman...........
..................................Jordan....................................


FC DALLAS

Acquired D/M-Adrian Serioux and a 2007 second round Superdraft pick (Abdus Ibrahim) from Toronto for M-Ronnie O'Brien. [11/17]

Waived F-Alex Smith. [11/21]

Lost M-Simo Valakari after his contract was not renewed. [1/1]

Acquired 2007 second round Superdraft pick (Andrew Daniels) and 2008 third round Superdraft pick from Colorado for D-Greg Vanney and 2008 third round Superdraft pick. [1/12]

Acquired 2008 fourth round Superdraft pick from Salt Lake for a 2007 fourth round Superdraft pick (traded to New England). [1/12]

Drafted D/M-Anthony Wallace, F-Abdus Ibrahim, F-Andrew Daniels, F-Ryan Guy, M-Scott Jones, and F-Tommy Krizanovic in the 2007 Superdraft. [1/12]

Drafted M-Sandi Gbandi and M-Chase Wileman in the 2007 supplemental draft. [1/18]

Announced GK-Jeff Cassar has retired to become Dallas' goalkeeper coach. [1/23]

Re-signed D-Bobby Rhine. [1/30]

Thoughts: Not the greatest of offseasons. O'Brien for Serioux is not a great trade, and they let Vanney go for virtually nothing. Serioux replaces him, but who replaces O'Brien? Or Valakari for that matter? They don't have a bunch of stars like DC, HOU, and NE, so they could be in a for a fall.

The failure to sign Edgar Davids looms large. But he probably wouldn't have been worth the money anyway. Steve Morrow needs to do something to improve the team. The good news is that according to 3rd Degree, both Shaka Hislop and Ramon Nunez are close to green cards which opens up foreign spots.

Possible Starting Lineup:

................Cooper.........Ruiz................
...Alvarez.............................Nunez....
...........Mulrooney.....Saragosa..........
...Gbandi...Serioux...Moor...Rhine...
..............................Sala........................


HOUSTON DYNAMO

Lost D/M-Adrian Serioux to Toronto in the expansion draft. [11/17]

Waived D-Chris Aloisi. [11/21]

Drafted M-John Michael Hayden, M/F-Corey Ashe, Mike Sambursky, and M-Eric Ebert in the 2007 Superdraft. [1/12]

Drafted M-Nick Hatzke, F-Erik Ustruck, and D-Justin Douglass in the 2007 supplemental draft. [1/18]

Signed GK-Jordan James. [1/26]

Waived GK-Martin Hutton, M-Aaron Lanes, and M-Marcus Storey. [1/30]

Thoughts: Dynamo should be as strong as ever. Losing Serioux is the only major occurrence of the offseason. Cochrane played the MLS Cup so he's ready to step in. I suppose Patrick Ianni may get finally some playing time as a backup since we all know Dominic Kinnear's feelings on rookies.

The good news is that young players like Ianni, Stuart Holden and Chris Wondolowski all will improve if things go to plan, giving the team more depth. They'll need it with the Gold Cup and Copa America in the summer, especially since De Rosario will certainly be called up. Now that Ramiro Corrales has been deported, he would be a good guy to sign as the fans on Bigsoccer have suggested.

Possible Starting Lineup:

...................Ching.........Dalglish....................
...........................De Rosario..........................
....Davis........................................Mullan......
...............................Clark................................
...Barrett...Robinson...Cochrane...Waibel...
..............................Onstad..............................


LOS ANGELES GALAXY

Lost M-Paulo Nagamura to Toronto in the expansion draft. [11/17]

Waived F-Michael Enfield. [11/22]

Acquired GK-Joe Cannon and a 2007 second round Superdraft pick (Ty Harden) from Colorado for D-Ugo Ihemelu, F-Herculez Gomez, and a 2007 second round Superdraft pick (traded to Dallas).[12/1]

Acquired F-Nate Jaqua from Toronto for a partial allocation. [12/15]

Acquired second round Superdraft picks in 2007 (Robbie Findlay) and 2008 from Kansas City for GK-Kevin Hartman. [12/15]

Re-signed M/F-Santino Quaranta. [12/18]

Signed M-David Beckham. [1/11]

Drafted F-Robbie Findlay, M-Josh Tudela, D-Ty Harden, GK-Tally Hall, and F-Bobby Burling in the 2007 Superdraft. [1/12]

Drafted D-Steve Purdy, D-Gordon Kljestan, D-Kevin Long, D-Zach Kirby, M/F-Taylor Canel, and D-Kiel McClung in the 2007 supplemental draft. [1/18]

Acquired conditional 2008 Superdraft third round pick from Columbus for M-Stefani Miglioranzi. [1/19]

Waived GK-Josh Saunders, M-Memo Gonzalez, F-Josh Hansen, and F-Cornell Glen. [2/2]

Thoughts: Yeah yeah, Becks. I know. Let's talk about the other stuff. The Cannon trade seemed like a lot to give up, even though it's an upgrade at that position. They made up for it partly by getting draft picks for Hartman, but now they have to replace Ihemelu. Can Roberts fill his shoes?

Nagamura is not a huge loss, while getting Jaqua was an absolute steal. Glen's departure offsets that a little, but they never had him for long anyway.

I don't think the Galaxy were horrible last year; just like in 2005, they were much better statistically when Donovan was on the field (and Albright). The bad news is they'll miss those guys again for a number of games, while Beckham will miss half the year. They're decent on paper, at least.

Possible Starting Lineup:

.................Donovan.....Jaqua......................
...Quaranta...Vagenas...Beckham...Kirk...
...Jazic...Roberts...Marshall...Albright......
.........................Cannon................................


REAL SALT LAKE

Lost F-Jason Kreis to Toronto in the expansion draft. [11/17]

Acquired F-Jason Kreis from Toronto for a partial allocation. [11/17]

Acquired M-Freddy Adu and GK-Nick Rimando, and future considerations from DC United for GK-Jay Nolly, a major allocation, and cash. [12/11]

Waived D-Jake Besagno, D-Cameron Knowles, D-Douglas Sequeira, and M-Seth Trembly. [12/11]

Signed F-Luis Tejada (loan). [12/14]

Acquired 2007 fourth round Superdraft pick (traded to New England) from Dallas for a 2008 fourth round Superdraft pick. [1/12]

Acquired F-Kyle Brown from New England for 2007 fourth round Superdraft pick (Adam Christman). [1/12]

Drafted GK-Chris Seitz and M-Steven Curfman in the 2007 Superdraft. [1/12]

Drafted D-Haddon Kirk, M-Jared Kent, GK-Kyle Reynish, and D-Dustin Kirby in the 2007 supplemental draft. [1/18]

Signed D/M-Chris Lancos. [1/31]

Waived D-Nelson Akwari, F-Adam Acosta, and F-Jafet Soto. [2/1]

Thoughts: The Kreis thing symbolized the franchise's short history, giving away an allocation for nothing due to their own stupidity. Not that they had a lot of bad choices of those to protect, but still. Other than that, the Tejada signing is a good one and the Adu trade makes sense off the field. On the field, they might as well take a chance. It's good for Adu, at least.

Given their defensive problems (worst in the league last year), it was surprising to read that John Ellinger will be using a 3-5-2 this year. It appears that Kreis will be a holding midfielder along with Carey Talley, which is very interesting. Ellinger himself says "the midfield is going to be crazy." (lol) I don't doubt that he's capable of success there, but Forko/Torres and Stewart as starting defenders don't inspire confidence.

It could work, or it could fail spectacularly and get Ellinger fired a month into the season. Either way it should be fun to watch.

Possible Starting Lineup:

..........Cunningham.....Tejada............
...Ballouchy........Adu.............Klein....
..................Talley........Kreis..............
............Forko.....Pope.....Stewart......
..........................Garlick.......................

Monday, February 12, 2007

MLS Transaction Analysis - 2/12/2007

This idea is taken from Baseball Prospectus, where they regularly go over the latest MLB moves and discuss how the teams will be impacted. I thought I would do the same for MLS, starting today with all of the offseason stuff. Today I'll do the Eastern conference, followed the by the West tomorrow. In addition, I plan on doing this once every week or two from now on.

Thanks goes to PhantomTollbooth for his great Bigsoccer thread detailing all the moves. Only moves and signings officially announced are listed, and only players officially on the roster are used in the possible starting lineups. Some dates may be wrong.

CHICAGO FIRE

Lost M/F-Nate Jaqua to Toronto in the expansion draft. [11/17]

Announced M-John Thorrington's option will not be picked up. [1/12]

Acquired 2007 first round Superdraft pick (Bakary Soumare) and F-Ryan Coiner from Columbus for F-Andy Herron. [1/12]

Drafted D-Bakary Soumare, F-Jerson Monteiro, M-Nate Norman, M-Mike Banner, and F-Simon Omekanda in the 2007 Superdraft. [1/12]

Re-signed M-Chris Armas. [1/18]
Drafted GK-Nick Noble, M-Mark Totten, D-Osei Telesford, F-Asmir Pervan, and D-Daniel Woolard in the 2007 supplemental draft. [1/18]

Announced F-Ryan Coiner has retired. [2/5]

Thoughts: The Fire have added little in the offseason, sticking with their core of young stars. They'll have to overcome the losses of Nate Jaqua and Andy Herron, so hopefully Calen Carr is ready to step up. Jaqua's loss was a bad move, as they gave him away for nothing and Toronto was able to use him for an allocation. I know he was a free agent and considering Europe, but I don't think that justifies protecting Logan Pause over him.

Tony Sanneh and Zach Thornton are unlikely to return. Soumare could see plenty of time at center back, considering how Dave Sarachan wasn't shy about using Dasan Robinson last year. He was the top defensive prospect in the draft, although he's supposed to be raw. So they needed somebody to replace Sanneh, but I hope they know what they're doing since Herron was the team MVP last year. A bigger need is the right side of midfield, which is where an SI could make a real difference. They could also use another quality forward.

The Fire's young players should continue to improve, but they'll be counting on a draft pick or two to make a real difference (again).

Possible Starting Lineup:

.................Rolfe.........Barrett.................
...Segares...........Thiago.........Mapp......
...............Guerrero......Armas...............
.........Robinson....Curtin....Brown.........
.........................Pickens..........................


COLUMBUS CREW

Waived M-Eric Vasquez and F-Knox Cameron. [11/17]

Lost D-Ritchie Kotschau to Toronto in the expansion draft. [11/17]

Acquired GK-Will Hesmer and M-Danny O'Rourke from Toronto for a partial allocation. [11/17]

Lost M-Sebastian Rozental after his contract was not renewed. [1/1]

Waived GK-Noah Palmer. [1/11]

Re-signed M-Ricardo Virtuoso to a multi-year deal using a partial allocation. [1/11]

Acquired F-Andy Herron from Chicago for a 2007 first round Superdraft pick (Bakary Soumare) and F-Ryan Coiner. [1/12]

Drafted F-Brad Evans, F-Aaron Chandler, and F-Ben Hunter in the 2007 Superdraft. [1/12]

Drafted D-Ryan Junge, M-Tonci Skroce, M-Ted Niziolek, and M-Kevin Burns in the 2007 supplemental draft. [1/18]

Acquired M-Stefani Miglioranzi from Los Angeles for a conditional 2008 Superdraft third round pick. [1/19]

Re-signed D/M-Frankie Hejduk to a two year deal. [1/25]

Announced GK-Jonny Walker has retired. [1/26]

Thoughts: They need to make the playoffs after two bad years, and they certainly are making moves. But will any of these guys make a difference? It was a good move to get Herron, as they needed somebody to score goals. But he isn't that big of an impact player. I know that they have a number of injured guys coming back (Gaven, Szetela, Hejduk, Busch), but it still seems like they're a couple of players away from being a good team. And no, Rozental wouldn't have got the job done. He was nothing special.

Speaking of Busch, as one Bigsoccer poster humorously put it, he's one big injury away from a real estate career. Hesmer's arrival probably means goodbye for Bill Gaudette, while I don't think anyone expects much out of Miglioranzi. What I want to know is, is Virtuoso the real deal? He looked good in the last couple games, but can he be an above-average MLS starter?

Sigi Schmid is a coach whose teams have been good on defensive and bad on offense. They were certainly better on defense last season. But there was no real improvement from 2005. They were tied for 7th both years in goals allowed, and went from 10th in goals scored in 2005 to last in 2006. At least the defense seems somewhat solid this year. But in the midfield and up top, you have a bunch of guys who are either unproven or inconsistent in this league. The Crew's lineup certainly has the potential to be good, at least.

Possible Starting Lineup:

................Herron........Ngwenya...............
....Virtuoso.............................Gaven..........
..............O'Rourke.......Szetela...................
...Ward...Gonzalez...Marshall...Hejduk...
............................Busch..............................


DC UNITED

Lost M-Rod Dyachenko to Toronto in the expansion draft. [11/17]

Waived M-Andy Metcalf, F-Matt Nickell, and F-Robert Ssejjemba. [11/21]

Acquired GK-Jay Nolly, a major allocation, and cash from Salt Lake for M-Freddy Adu, GK-Nick Rimando, and future considerations. [12/11]

Acquired a 2007 second round (Jay Needham) and 2008 third round Superdraft picks from Colorado for D-Brandon Prideaux. [12/12]

Acquired partial allocation from Toronto for F-Alecko Eskandarian. [12/22]

Lost M-Matias Donnet after his contract was not renewed. [1/1]

Drafted D/M-Bryan Arguez, F-Brad North, D/M-Jay Needham, F-Ricky Schramm, and GK-Luis Robles in the 2007 Superdraft. [1/12]

Signed F-Luciano Emilio. [1/16]

Drafted GK-Shawn Crowe and F-Guy-Roland Kpene in the 2007 supplemental draft. [1/18]

Re-signed M-Brian Carroll. [1/23]

Acquired M-Rod Dyachenko from Toronto for a 2008 first round Superdraft pick. [2/1]

Lost GK-Luis Robles when he signed with a foreign team. [2/2]

Thoughts: Lots of talent gone here, but nothing they can't replace. It all depends on the foreign signings. Emilio should be a capable replacement for Eskandarian. A scoring champion in Honduras probably means that he's an improvement. However, that doesn't excuse letting him go for virtually nothing. Donnet won't really be missed, while Adu would be playing out of position again thanks to Christian Gomez. That trade seems like a good deal for both teams. They just need a foreign right sided player, after the failure to sign the Brazilian Ruy.

I'm also surprised they got two decent picks from Colorado for Prideaux. Seems like a lot considering how certain guys are basically given away (Arvizu, van den Bergh). Dyachenko is worth a first round pick, as he seems like a decent prospect. They'll need a new backup goalkeeper because Nolly doesn't look likely to sign.

The biggest news of all for DC was the re-signing of Carroll. That was one guy they didn't want to lose. Now they have a the luxury of a talented Clyde Simms coming off the bench.

Possible Starting Lineup:

............Moreno........Emilio...............
........................Gomez.......................
....Gros.................................Olsen.....
...............Carroll......Simms...............
.........Namoff...Boswell...Erpen........
........................Perkins......................

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS

Lost GK-Will Hessmer to Toronto in the expansion draft. [11/17]

Waived GK-Bo Oshoniyi, M-Ryan McMahen, M-Sergei Raad, D/M-Stephen Shirley. [11/27]

Lost F-Josh Wolff as a free agent to 1860 Munich. [12/6]

Announced D-Brian Roberts would retire to become the Wizards' Youth Soccer Account Executive. [12/12]

Acquired GK-Kevin Hartman from Los Angeles for second round Superdraft picks in 2007 (Robbie Findlay) and 2008. [12/15]

Acquired 2007 third round supplemental draft pick (A.J. Godbolt) from New York for M-Dave van den Bergh. [1/11]

Drafted D-Michael Harrington, M/F-Edson Elcock, and F-Kurt Morsink in the 2007 Superdraft. [1/12]

Drafted D/M-Aaron Hohlbein, F-Michael Todd, GK-Chris Konopka, M-Eric Frimpong, M-A.J. Godbolt, M/F-Michael Kraus, and F-Willy Guadarrama in the 2007 supplemental draft. [1/18]

Thoughts: They've done less than the Crew, although they had more talent to begin with. With the loss of Wolff, the onus is directly on Johnson this season to score goals. They definitely need more firepower. I hate to think who they'll be starting up top during the Gold Cup.

The Hartman trade addressed one of their biggest weaknesses, so it was a good deal. But they negated that by giving away van den Bergh for nothing. It's not like they needed to free the SI spot. Onalfo needs to come through with some decent foreigners. With the parity of MLS, they could easily make the playoffs by standing pat. But it's hard to see a championship in their future with the current team.

Possible Starting Lineup:

.................Johnson........Sealy...................
............................Arnaud...........................
..Victorine..............................Jewsbury...
..........................Zavagnin..........................
...Burciaga...Conrad...Thomas...Garcia...
...........................Hartman..........................


NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION

Waived D-Pat Haggerty, D/M-Danny Wynn, M-Jani Galik, and M-Adam Williamson. [11/16]

Lost M-Jose Cancela to Toronto in the expansion draft. [11/17]

Lost F-Jose Manuel Abundis after his contract was not renewed. [11/27]

Re-signed D-Joe Franchino, D/M-Daniel Hernandez, and M/F-Pat Noonan. [12/28]

Sold M/F-Clint Dempsey on a transfer (Fulham). [1/10]

Acquired 2007 fourth round Superdraft pick (Adam Christman) from Salt Lake for F-Kyle Brown. [1/12]

Drafted M-Wells Thompson, D-Amaechi Igwe, M-Ryan Solle, M-Bryan Byrne, F-Adam Cristman, and D-Kyle Helton in the 2007 Superdraft. [1/12]

Drafted GK-Phil Marfuggi, D-Gary Flood, and F-Chris Loftus in the 2007 supplemental draft. [1/18]

Re-signed GK-Doug Warren and M-Marshall Leonard. [1/23]

Waived GK-T.J. Tomasso. [1/23]

Thoughts: No major moves here. Dempsey's gone, but they return every other major contributer. That includes Avery John, who apparently did not catch on in Europe. Cancela's loss was no big deal, as he didn't seem to be in Steve Nicol's plans (much to Paul Gardner's dismay).

Drafting Igwe and Thompson means that Nicol is serious about finding a better option on the left side of midfield. Franchino ain't gonna cut it. They also have Leonard returning from injury, as well as Khano Smith. So one of those guys should step up and claim the job.

The biggest move of the offseason was MLS rejecting Celtic's $2 million offer for Joseph. Looks like he won't be moving until after the 2007 season.

Possible Starting Lineup:

.................Twellman........Noonan.................
.....Franchino.........Dorman...........Ralston...
.................Joseph..........Hernandez...............
.............John.....Parkhurst.....Heaps.............
................................Reis.................................


RED BULL NEW YORK

Announced M-Youri Djorkaeff and F-Jordan Cila have retired [11/14].

Lost M-Danny O'Rourke to Toronto in the expansion draft. [11/17]

Acquired D-Tim Regan from Toronto for F-Edson Buddle. [11/22]

Waived GK-Tony Meola, D-Steve Jolley, M-Chris Henderson, and M-Peter Canero. [11/22]

Drafted D-Eric Denton in waiver draft. [11/22]

Acquired a designated player slot and a 2007 third round Superdraft pick (Sinisa Ubiparipovic) from Chivas for M-Amado Guevara. [1/27]

Announced M-Mark Lisi has retired. [11/29]

Acquired M-Dave van den Bergh from Kansas City for 2007 third round supplemental draft pick (A.J. Godbolt). [1/11]

Acquired 2007 fourth round supplemental draft pick (Danny Cepero) from Chivas USA for F-David Arvizu. [1/12]

Drafted M/F-Dane Richards and M/F-Sinisa Ubiparipovic in the 2007 Superdraft. [1/12]

Drafted F-Randi Patterson, Sal Cacavale and GK-Danny Cepero in the 2007 supplemental draft. [1/18]

Signed M-Claudio Reyna. [1/24]

Acquired 2008 fourth round Superdraft pick and allocation from Toronto for F-Abbe Ibrahim and allocation. [1/25]

Signed GK-Ronald Waterreus. [1/29]

Acquired GK-Nick Rimando from Real Salt Lake for future considerations. [2/9]

Thoughts: Waterreus/Rimando is much better than Meola/Conway. With Denton and Regan, they'll have more depth on defense. Good moves to get cheap help, although you would think Buddle is worth more than just Regan. The Guevara deal was essentially for Reyna, and that should be an improvement. Guevara is very good, but Reyna is better when healthy and they haven't won anything with Amado.

Getting van den Bergh was an absolute steal, and even more so if he gets his green card. Now they should have him and Schopp on the wings, which is much better than Stammler and Henderson.

If the rumored moves for Austin Delgado and Alecko Eskandarian (for Conway, what a steal) happen as expected, they will easily be the league's most improved team, and one of the best overall. With Arena at the helm, it would be hard to bet against them. They could use another center back, but they look pretty solid otherwise.

Possible Starting Lineup:

...................Wolyniec....Altidore...............
...v.d.Bergh...............................Schopp.....
................Reyna.....Kovalenko..................
...Dunivant...Mendes...Parke...Wynne....
..........................Waterreus.........................


TORONTO FC

Signed M-Jim Brennan. [9/8]

Drafted M-Paulo Nagamura, M-Danny O'Rourke, M-Jose Cancela, D/M-Adrian Serioux, F-Nate Jaqua, M-Rod Dyachenko, F-Jason Kreis, D-Tim Regan, D-Ritchie Kotschau, and GK-Will Hesmer in the expansion draft. [11/17]

Acquired a partial allocation from Salt Lake for F-Jason Kreis. [11/17]

Acquired a partial allocation from Columbus for GK-Will Hesmer and M-Danny O'Rourke. [11/17]

Acquired M-Ronnie O'Brien from Dallas for D/M-Adrian Serioux and a 2007 second round Superdraft pick (Abdus Ibrahim). [11/17]

Acquired F-Edson Buddle from New York for D-Tim Regan. [11/22]

Signed D-Adam Braz, D-Chris Pozniak, and D-Marco Reza. [11/22]

Signed GK-Greg Sutton. [12/1]

Acquired a partial allocation from Los Angeles for F-Nate Jaqua. [12/15]

Acquired F-Alecko Eskandarian from DC United for a partial allocation. [12/22]

Drafted M-Maurice Edu, D-Andrew Boyens, M-Rich Asante, and F-Jeff Gonsalves in the 2007 Superdraft. [1/12]

Drafted F-Jarrod Smith, F-Daryl Roberts, F-Hunter West, and M-Tyler Hemming in the 2007 supplemental draft. [1/18]

Acquired F-Abbe Ibrahim and allocation from New York for 2008 fourth round Superdraft pick and allocation. [1/25]

Acquired a 2008 first round Superdraft pick from DC United for M-Rod Dyachenko. [2/1]

Waived D-Ritchie Kotschau. [2/1]

Signed M-Carl Robinson. [2/1]

Thoughts: Johnston and Toronto have done a good job with their trades. The expansion draft and the moves after it were nothing short of brilliant. Afterwards, they had gotten O'Brien, Buddle and lots of allocation money. Taking Kreis and Jaqua was very smart. Now they have a first round pick next year for Dyachenko as well. That's the advantage of having a coach that understands the league and how it works.

The hard part will be the Canadian players. Are there enough quality guys out there to fill up a senior roster on MLS salaries? Besides the 4 SIs, Toronto will be allowed 3 additional American "SIs." As it stands now, they have Robinson/O'Brien/Cancela/Buddle/Eskandarian, which takes up 5/7 spots. Conor Casey, when that is officially announced, leaves only one spot. They're rumored to trade Esky for Jon Conway, which would still leave them with one. Johnston just stated that he has about $1 million in allocation money, so he should be able to buy a decent Canadian star or two with that.

I'm not familiar with the Canadian defenders they've signed, who will make up the defense. They're all national team members though, and Sutton is a quality keeper as well. Superdraft number one pick Edu might have to open the season playing behind Nagamura. Overall, Toronto certainly looks much better than the last two expansion teams.

Possible Starting Lineup:

.........Buddle...........Eskandarian.......
........................Cancela........................
...Robinson.........................O'Brien....
......................Nagamura.....................
...Brennan...Braz...Reda...Pozniak....
..........................Sutton........................