MLS 2010

[cubaricho]

The expansion draft starts in about 30 minutes on mlssoccer.com.  Portland and Vancouver get their pick of a list of unprotected players around the league.  From what I can gather though it's not a guarantee the players that get chosen will actually have to sign (it's really just agreeing personal terms).

 

Looks like an Orlando native will probably be chosen first.

[Guest ObiChrisKenobi]

Any idea on what 'brand' of football the expansion teams are looking to play? Could be a good indicator.

 

Predicted Draft: http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/predicting-expansion-draft

[cubaricho]

The manager/head coach of Portland wants to have a young, hungry team according to the interviews I've seen with him.  A lot of MLS is built around "old pros" to help try and nurture younger kids but I think Spencer doesn't really believe in a lot of that and really just wants a team with a lot to prove (obviously with skill to back it up) because he sees that as the "heart beat of the city" of Portland.  It's a really young, hip city and wants his team to reflect that in the style they play with on the pitch. 

 

Portland gets the first pick today and it's pretty obvious that Dax McCarthy (young and hungry) will go first even though the only reason he was left unprotected was because he had fallen out with the FC Dallas manager.

[cubaricho]

And for anyone who wants a simple run down of the rules involved with an expansion draft in MLS:

 

Every team has to prepare a list of "protected" players, I think it's something like 10-15 players and the lists don't have to include youth team players.  Then the two expansion teams (Portland and Vancouver) take turns choosing unprotected players from clubs.  Every time a player gets chosen from a certain club that club are allowed to protect one more player and can have no more than two players total taken from their squad.

 

There's lots of strategy between not only the clubs choosing but also the clubs getting chosen from with this which adds an interesting dynamic.

[Guest Heneage]

That sounds brilliant.

[cubaricho]

A lot of the players left unprotected obviously aren't the best players around but they will definitely make good squad players towards the later rounds.  The first three rounds or so will probably be starters or at least on the cusp.

[Guest ObiChrisKenobi]

Hopefully they ease back on the expansion teams for a few seasons, talent pool is pretty thin now.

[cubaricho]

2012 is Montreal and then I think 2013 will be the Cosmos but they said after that they would hold off for a while.

[cubaricho]

Dax goes first.

[Guest ObiChrisKenobi]

They really have to, or you'll be really scrapping the bottom of the barrel for talent. Hopefully, I'll be over there by 2022 working in the Development Leagues. 

 

Dax goes first.

 

Happy with that?

[cubaricho]

Yeah, he's definitely the best player available in this draft.  My only reservation is that he's apparently a shit-stirrer and has fallen out with a few people over the last few years.

[Guest ObiChrisKenobi]

All the 'Greats' have that sort of temperament!

[Guest ObiChrisKenobi]

So after all that Portland trade all the players for draft picks.

[Ameritoon]

All the 'Greats' have that sort of temperament!

 

[cubaricho]

So after all that Portland trade all the players for draft picks.

 

hah, not all, but I see your point!

 

Like I said a few posts above, a lot of it was all strategy.  Get (unprotected) players you know you can trade for (protected) players you actually want.

 

Word around the Timbers camp is that we let McCarty go because we've "found the perfect person in Europe" to fill the position Dax would've played.  There are a few cards yet to be played from what I can tell.

[cubaricho]

Here's the breakdown:

 

portland

 

1. dax mccarty - traded with allocation cash to dcu for d/m rodney wallace, 4th round pick

2. eric brunner

3. adam moffat

4. anthony wallace - traded to colorado for allocation cash

5. david horst

6. robbie findley - out of contract

7. peter lowry

8. jonathan bornstein - signed to tigres

9. jordan graye

10. arturo alvarez - traded to rsl for 2nd round pick

 

vancouver

 

1. sanna nyassi - traded to colorado for allocation cash

2. atiba harris

3. nathan sturgis

4. shea salinas

5. alan gordon - traded to chivas usa for allocation cash and an international roster spot

6. o'brian white - traded to seattle for allocation cash

7. alejandro moreno - traded to chivas usa for allocation cash and an international roster spot

8. joe cannon

9. jonathan leathers

10. john thorrington

[Guest ObiChrisKenobi]

Exciting times, Timbers! Wonder who they've seen in Europe? Michael Bradley?

[cubaricho]

I would love that.  Someone also mentioned Richardo Clark as he's at the end of his contract and good friends with our manager.  Either or would suit me just fine.  I feel like if you can get a midfield of proper ball players then you can boss the MLS.  There's so much forcing and sloppiness that if you have real quality where it counts you'll do really well.

[Guest ObiChrisKenobi]

Yeah, so many games just go from one penalty area to another in MLS, that if you could have a bossing midfield and stop the opposition as they reach the half way line you'd destroy the natural flow that they're used to.

 

I'd like to see Bradley back in the MLS, he seems to just be floating about in Europe not really doing much... apart from getting booked.

[cubaricho]

Yeah I guess that's the term I was really looking for, someone to boss the midfield.  They really just need someone who will put their foot on the ball and let others join in rather than just forcing it out wide to the striker who has pulled out who then crosses it into an empty box.

 

Bradley is interesting because he recently had a falling out with his manager over playing time and also is going to enter the last year of his contract.  He would do really well in the MLS again I think.

[Village Idiot]

Man, I just love American sports and their stupidly complex draft rules

[cubaricho]

The Timbers have started a new ad campaign where feature members of the "Timbers Army" supporters group on huge billboards around the town to garner more interest in the club's inaugural MLS season. I personally think it's awesome.

 

http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/2010/12/08/so-what-do-you-think-of-the-new-timbers-billboards

 

They also have a sweet new commercial.

 

 

(and for some history on the guy cutting the log on the pitch: that log gets wheeled in at the beginning of each season and Timber Joey cuts a slab off for each goal that the Timbers score at each home match and at the end of every home match the squad comes over and holds up the pieces and celebrates with/in the crowd)

 

The new kit gets unveiled tomorrow as well. There have been some pictures floating around but no one can tell if they are real or not (the MLS kits this season look kind of cheesy). We'll be able to tell tomorrow.

[toontownman]

Any news on the Vancouver roster or Coach for next season?

[cubaricho]

Head Coach: Teitur Thordarson

 

The only player of any real note to anyone on here might be Jay DeMerit who played for Watford.

 

Here's the rest of the confirmed squad:

 

— United States GK Joe Cannon

— United States GK Jay Nolly

— United States DF Wes Knight

— United States DF Jonathan Leathers

— Canada MF Philippe Davies

— Saint Kitts MF Atiba Harris

— United States MF Shea Salinas

— United States MF John Thorrington

 

There are still a lot of people to bring in over the course of the next few months before "spring training" begins. The SuperDraft is next month I think.

 

 

 

The Whitecaps will have a pretty swanky new stadium next season too.  They'll be playing in a 54-57k seater stadium but between the top and bottom tiers there will be a retractable roof so when the Whitecaps play the place will only seat 20something thousand people but not look massive from the inside but they can easily expand to more when they have big friendlies.

[Kaizero]

Teitur Thordarson