Practice Observations: Bait
February 26th, 2008 . 2:46 pm . By: Buzz CarrickDang it’s cold. Ok so it’s not Alaska cold, but it’s cold enough when I stand in the wind. Or maybe I just needed another layer. There is a scrimmage tonight at 7:30. It’s on PHP field #8 if you are thinking of going. FCD vs SMU. New, Notes, & Observations- A quick reminder, Drew Moor and Arturo Alvarez are both suspended for opening day of the 2008 season for red card in the playoff decider. - FCD is expecting McCarty and Alvarez to be called into the next U23 camp for the Qualifiers. That roster should be announced tomorrow. - Hunter Freeman is here training with FCD during his time home with family. Morrow let him come in as a favor to Peter Nowak. When I asked why freeman wasn’t with New York, Morrow said he didn’t know as it wasn’t any of his business. (ed note: I think Hunter Freeman is a heck of a player and have since he played PDL locally when he was in high school. I would love to see him in a FCD uniform. Just sayin’.) - Trialist in camp: Polish Defender Mariusz Mowlik a former Polish U20 and may have had a taste or two with their senior side. Morrow says he has American parents, so he is “close” to being a US citizen. Although I thought American parents meant you were a US citizen from birth. Maybe his parents are naturalized after he was born, cause that would explain it. - Goalkeeper Dan Kennedy is also back with the team, which raises a few interesting questions. - Brek Shea is rehabbing with trainer Josh. - Juan Toja was walking laps. A contusion is just painful and takes some time to heal. There’s not really any way to rehab it like a muscle injury. - Dello-Russo, Pitchkolan, Rhine, and Ibrahim stayed out and worked on build out combinations with Ferruzzi after normal training. - Sala and the new goalkeeper coach stayed out and worked Josh Lambo extra. Cut Down Day ComingRoster cut down day is March 1st. FCD will file their moves with the league this week as they are leaving for Brazil. Only players currently under contract need to be trimmed down, any trialist doesn’t count. If you look at the Roster Dance you will see that FCD is in effect roster complaint already. FCD has a agreement in principle with Roberto Mina, but he isn’t signed until he gets a work visa. That means he should be able to stay with the team and work on his fitness and try to gain a spot. So in effect Mina is on trial. If Morrow decides to keep him later on they’ll get Mina a visa and add him to the roster, thus requiring someone else to be cut to make room. The trialist list should also include Scott Jones, DouDou Toure, Dan Kennedy, and now Mariusz Mowlik. While FCD may make a decision between Wileman and Jones for the last developmental roster spot, it appears by rule they will not yet be forced to. Catching up with MorrowAs usual the translations are a bit, don’t get excited. I’m not touching the first one as it’s a sensitive topic. Can you comment on the contract remarks Pablo made last week?
Is there a timeline on when you want to bring a player in?
Buzz’s Coach Speak Translator: Now. Seriously, what the hell is taking so long? Do you feel positive about your chances to get Navia?
Buzz’s Coach Speak Translator: Yes. Do you have your mind made up about cut downs?
Buzz’s Coach Speak Translator: I got my roster knife all sharp and ready to go. What will playing in Olympic Qualifiers do for McCarty and Alvarez?
Buzz’s Coach Speak Translator: Boys to men. TrainingAfter the a warmup and some hurdles, Morrow broke out a set of 22 players for a mini-scrimmage and walk though that is typical pre game preparation. The rest of the team worked on a near by field. I think it’s safe to assume these 22 are playing tonight against SMU. Although it’s unclear which group will go. Both teams were again in a 3-4-3. Green
Blue
After the walk through Team Blue was excused, raising the possibility they are tonight’s starters. Team green was joined by the rest of the squad and ran through the shooting gallery drill players enjoy so much. 5v5 with keepers in 35 yard field, 5 players on the outside of the offensive end, so it’s rapid fire 10v5 in a sense on each end. Green: Sala Blue: Lambo Thought of the DayI must say both Ricchetti and Morrow have been remarkably restrained in their public comments in regards to Ricchetti wanting a new deal. This is the kind of situation that frequently gets ugly. Both parties I think should be commended for their reticence and discretion. For example, Morrow didn’t take the bait today when I asked him about the story I ran this weekend. Both Morrow and Ricchetti seem to be very content to handle it behind closed doors, at least they do beyond the most basic statements that have appeared in the press. I’m quite sure there is a much more going on here that we don’t know anything about. MLS is not an ideal situation for players in terms of negotiating; without free agency they don’t have other teams here bidding for their services and they can’t really leave easily if they are under contract because of the mismatched transfer windows. I can sympathize with a player who wants security and money, particularly one who has a family to support and isn’t so young. On the other hand, when a player has a contract they perhaps shouldn’t be shocked the team expects them to play it out. One would think that in a modern era of agents and savvy players that they would understand that if it’s not in writing it doesn’t count. Surly the team and league shouldn’t be held hostage when there is signed contract in place. So which side does one come down on? I suppose that depends on which of the two parties you like better. In the end this is likely to be a he said he said kinda deals that will result in hurt feelings and little more. Ricchetti can’t really leave and Morrow won’t want to give away a good player for nothing. It may take some time before either party gives in and trusts the other again, heck it may never happen. 27 Comments Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI Leave a comment | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
once again, thanks for the awesome insight Buzz. I love the practice reports. Keep up the good work.
i really hope Pablo and FCD can get something worked out soon. We are a different team with his leadership.
Sounds like Mina is history. Kennedy? Are we talking a Burse release or trade for allocation $? Is Lambo good enough that they are promising him the job after Sala retires or loses out? I’m getting a bad feeling that Navia will take Ricchetti’s international spot. Pablo was gold before Denilson and is likely far more useful to FCD than Navia.
So if/when we do sign Navia is that another international spot that we are going to have to free up? Looks like Mina will take one and I think Dom might be the odd man out
(he is my favorite player) but what about Navia’s spot who gets the axe then?
Thanks for the report! I love reading them.
I really hope that something can be worked out and Pablo stays. This, more than anything else (even the Denilson business) that has gone on in my limited experience with FCD really bothers me. From everything we can see , as fans, Pablo seems like such an outstanding player, leader, and person. So this is hard to understand/fathom. I hope it works out.
I’m with Buzz – I’d love to see Freeman in Hoops, though given the 3-5-2 system we seem to be adopting, and Freeman’s usefulness on the wing, that would mean another player in an already packed midfield.
thanks for braving that breeze, it was blowing pieces of my house off last night. otoh as they say in Ireland, there’s no bad weather, there’s only inappropriate clothes. wink-icon
I like Ricchetti, and I sympathize with his plight, but it was a mistake, and a very unprofessional one IMO, to air the team’s dirty laundry in public. For me, Morrow has shown the higher degree of “reticence and discretion.” And stop calling me Shirley.
doesn’t Freeman play exactly Drew Moor’s best position of RB?
Am I having a brain fart, or wasnt it Hunter Freeman that Dario knocked out after the Rapids game 2 years ago?
“Goalkeeper Dan Kennedy is also back with the team, which raises a few interesting questions.”
Sala stays out to work with GK coach and Lambo…
Looks like Burse is starting the scrimmage…
who’s going, who’s staying, and who’s our #1 to start the season?
i hate to say it, but pablo needs FCD more than FCD needs pablo. i love him as a player b/c of the tough mentality and leadership he brings, but he is in a really bad position. why would fcd give him more money when they are laden w/ CDMs on the roster. the best way for pablo is to play it out like coop, and make them see how worth it he is.
if we do sign navia and marcelo gets his green card, that means we have 1 int’l spot left…if i remember things correctly. which means it’ll be a battle b/w mina and dom. at least dom is used to the bench.
Is Richetti going to Brazil?
KEEP RICHETTI IN HOOPS…..Can’t we all just get along!?
RBNY is heading fr Austria, maybe Nowak new he wanted hunter in camp. nevertheless, when has that happen?
Interesting to have Buzz revisit FCD’s mistake in taking Moor over Freeman, we needed a right back then and still do. Got cb’s then and now so the organization contines to pay for that mistake.
MLS continues to screw players with this long term deals and single owner structure so yes they will continue to be pissed and if they are good enough they will play out their contacts and leave like badson.
Great article Buzz and thanks for standing up to the cold.
Also good comments and insight from all on the thread.
I still feel that with Pablo, Rocha, Serioux, Toja, and Saragosa in the middle, one of these guys has to go and it won’t be Toja or Rocha. If Serioux plays in the back, then it’s between Pablo and Saragosa. If Saragosa gets a green card, is Pablo the odd man out?
I would say Pablo but possibly Serioux. I haven’t seen a healthy Serioux in hoops so IDK.
Buzz,
what do you think about the roster? who do you think is gone?
Right this minute everyone basically fits, except for either Wileman or Jones.
Each add costs someone from here on though. If Mina makes it Oduro is likley out, or Ricardinho maybe. After that it gets more complicated if they sign Navia for example. That might cost them one of the midfeidlers mentioned.
Ask me again in a month.
i know people tend to like the hometown kids, but why all the clamor for guys like Hunter Freeman or Jay Needham? Are they really going to help our team? Methinks not so much cuz Needham is considered a developmental guy around MLS and Freeman was an ok fantasy guy early last season but he’s a typical right back.
I know they are decent players, but Drew Moor, Needham, and Freeman are the same basic player…..smart, active, outside backs that hustle. Moor is considered more advanced cuz of his national team credentials.
When is Marcelo’s green card coming?
speaking for myself there is only a fascination with players I think are good, of which all three are, they just happen to also be local.
Moor by the way is a center back, he just played right back last season as there wasn’t anyone else to do it. Needham is also a center back, he also had to learn a new position last year to play wide out of need. Both playing at a high level out of position shows their quality.
Freeman on the other hand is a pure outside back in the modern mold. Fast, serious running, gets up and down. Hes always been an outside back. He would be an ideal wingback if a team needed one.
Which is a moot point since he is still owned by Red Bull.
I would not hold my breath for Saragosa’s green card. At this point I don’t expect it by the start of the season.
The team screwed up drafting Moor when they needed a centerback then and now, Freeman was taken with the next pick. We have lots of holding mf’s because CC and now SN don’t get players based on need just the best at any position they can find, stupid, stupid, stupid…
well what about this dudu guy?how does he fit into the roster
DouDou Toure is a 16 year old trialist at this point. FCD has filed a discovery on him but has not made an offer as of last time I asked. They may be trying to figure out what to do with him, how he could be added and where he might fit. It’s possible they’ll see if he can play for their youth club and have the team hold his rights.
High school age players are very complicated. It’s unclear how they will proceed.
Buzz. I think if you have American parents but was born in another country, you are not automatically citizen of US. But will be after filing the paperwork. So, if they didn’t get his US papers he is still a citizen of his country of birth….
Here it is about US citizenship:
Citizenship is one of the most coveted gifts that the U.S. government can bestow, and the most important immigration benefit that USCIS can grant. Most people become U.S. citizens in one of two ways:
By birth, either within the territory of the United States or to U.S. citizen parents, or
By Naturalization.
So he should be a US Citizen cuz he was born to US parents, no matter if they are naturalized or born here.
The clamor about Needham is that he is good, and most people who have watched him play are impressed with his positioning, leadership and passing. I’ve watched him play at several levels and he has raised his level and exceeded everywhere he has been.
Does that guarantee that he’ll be a “great” MLS player? No, but neither does winning the Hermann Trophy having the name Chris Gbandi or Luchi Gonzalez.