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McCarthy's Musings: The Friday Five Wraps Up A Busy Week
The transaction wire hummed with activity this week and Kyle McCarthy recaps the all of the moves in the Friday Five.
Jan 22, 2010 2:47:00 AM
By Kyle McCarthy
Open up the flood gates. Players are on the move.
With training camps scheduled to open over the next two weeks and the MLS Players Union announcing yesterday that players would report to them while the Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations continue, MLS clubs completed a series of post-SuperDraft transactions to continue to assemble their rosters for the upcoming 2010 campaign.
The moves are too numerous to encapulsate in a brief space, but the Friday Five picked out a few of the noteworthy roster changes for further inspection:
1. Houston has some serious reconstruction work to do in the center of the park. With Ricardo Clark now on a short-term deal at Eintracht Frankfurt with an eye towards a long-term contract in the summer, the Dynamo has already officially lost its box-to-box midfielder. Replacing its creative presence in central midfield may be the next move after Houston COO Chris Canetti told the Houston Chronicle that he expects Stuart Holden will join Bolton. Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear can shift the versatile Geoff Cameron into midfield to help address the void, but Cameron can't play both spots. A pair of Canadians – the recently-linked Patrice Bernier and the recently-acquired Kevin Harmse – might help to provide some depth, but Houston will likely have to make a more significant move to add some attacking thrust in midfield.
2. New England and Colorado pulled off a mutually beneficial blockbuster. There will be much more to say on this deal in the Monday MLS Breakdown, but it's fair to note for the moment that this is a swap that suits both sides. Colorado gets the best player (Jeff Larentowicz) and a much-needed winger (Wells Thompson), while New England fills two significant holes at left back (Cory Gibbs) and goalkeeper (Preston Burpo) and obtains a few extra spoils for its troubles (allocation money and a third-round draft pick in 2011). The key to the trade: Larentowicz inked a fresh contract with MLS, ensuring that Colorado would have him in uniform for the start of the 2010 season.
3. TFC needed a winger desperately, but does this particular winger make sense? In a related move, Colorado shipped Jacob Peterson to Toronto FC in exchange for allocation money. Peterson, 23, showed potential in flashes during his four years in Colorado, but often performs more like a runner than a footballer. Peterson's cap charge ($100,000 base last season, though the amount is always subject to change in MLS), international designation (an American on a club that needs to make a move to accommodate his nationality) and injury status (sidelined while recovering from a right ACL tear sustained in September) make this move a curious one even with the Reds' acute need for wide players.
4. Chivas USA will miss Paulo Nagamura far more than most people expect. The 26-year-old Brazilian midfielder may have featured frequently during a two-year stint with Los Angeles, but he found his home with the Red-and-White over the past three seasons after a brief stint in Toronto. During an impressive 2009 campaign, Nagamura burnished his credentials as a two-way player in central midfield. Those box-to-box performances - complete with his usual combativeness - caught the eye of scouts south of the border. Nagamura signed a six-month deal with Tigres this week, leaving a significant gap for Chivas USA to fill in its engine room. Others may have received more of the credit, but Nagamura made Chivas USA tick.
5. Blair Gavin may have to play sooner rather than later. With short-timer Harmse headed to Houston, Chivas USA can count on the experienced Jesse Marsch, the rangy and raw Michael Lahoud and the versatile Marcelo Saragosa to possibly form the central midfield duo if Sacha Kljestan remains out wide. One new option may have to play a significant role if Marsch struggles with his aging legs or injury problems or Lahoud and Saragosa fall out of form: recent draft pick Blair Gavin. The fit – a smooth, ball-winning defensive midfielder on a team that plays a possession-oriented style – made as much sense from the outside as it did to Chivas USA coach Martin Vasquez.
“I see him as a number six because he can do the job of a number six, but he can also be a creative player,” Vasquez said moments after the Red-and-White selected Gavin with the tenth overall pick in last week's SuperDraft. “When he was available, he was our man.”
Kyle McCarthy writes the Monday MLS Breakdown and frequently writes opinion pieces during the week for Goal.com. He also covers the New England Revolution for the Boston Herald and MLSnet.com. Contact him with your questions or comments at kyle.mccarthy@goal.com and follow him on Twitter by clicking here.
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page.
Open up the flood gates. Players are on the move.
With training camps scheduled to open over the next two weeks and the MLS Players Union announcing yesterday that players would report to them while the Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations continue, MLS clubs completed a series of post-SuperDraft transactions to continue to assemble their rosters for the upcoming 2010 campaign.
The moves are too numerous to encapulsate in a brief space, but the Friday Five picked out a few of the noteworthy roster changes for further inspection:
1. Houston has some serious reconstruction work to do in the center of the park. With Ricardo Clark now on a short-term deal at Eintracht Frankfurt with an eye towards a long-term contract in the summer, the Dynamo has already officially lost its box-to-box midfielder. Replacing its creative presence in central midfield may be the next move after Houston COO Chris Canetti told the Houston Chronicle that he expects Stuart Holden will join Bolton. Dynamo coach Dominic Kinnear can shift the versatile Geoff Cameron into midfield to help address the void, but Cameron can't play both spots. A pair of Canadians – the recently-linked Patrice Bernier and the recently-acquired Kevin Harmse – might help to provide some depth, but Houston will likely have to make a more significant move to add some attacking thrust in midfield.
2. New England and Colorado pulled off a mutually beneficial blockbuster. There will be much more to say on this deal in the Monday MLS Breakdown, but it's fair to note for the moment that this is a swap that suits both sides. Colorado gets the best player (Jeff Larentowicz) and a much-needed winger (Wells Thompson), while New England fills two significant holes at left back (Cory Gibbs) and goalkeeper (Preston Burpo) and obtains a few extra spoils for its troubles (allocation money and a third-round draft pick in 2011). The key to the trade: Larentowicz inked a fresh contract with MLS, ensuring that Colorado would have him in uniform for the start of the 2010 season.
3. TFC needed a winger desperately, but does this particular winger make sense? In a related move, Colorado shipped Jacob Peterson to Toronto FC in exchange for allocation money. Peterson, 23, showed potential in flashes during his four years in Colorado, but often performs more like a runner than a footballer. Peterson's cap charge ($100,000 base last season, though the amount is always subject to change in MLS), international designation (an American on a club that needs to make a move to accommodate his nationality) and injury status (sidelined while recovering from a right ACL tear sustained in September) make this move a curious one even with the Reds' acute need for wide players.
4. Chivas USA will miss Paulo Nagamura far more than most people expect. The 26-year-old Brazilian midfielder may have featured frequently during a two-year stint with Los Angeles, but he found his home with the Red-and-White over the past three seasons after a brief stint in Toronto. During an impressive 2009 campaign, Nagamura burnished his credentials as a two-way player in central midfield. Those box-to-box performances - complete with his usual combativeness - caught the eye of scouts south of the border. Nagamura signed a six-month deal with Tigres this week, leaving a significant gap for Chivas USA to fill in its engine room. Others may have received more of the credit, but Nagamura made Chivas USA tick.
5. Blair Gavin may have to play sooner rather than later. With short-timer Harmse headed to Houston, Chivas USA can count on the experienced Jesse Marsch, the rangy and raw Michael Lahoud and the versatile Marcelo Saragosa to possibly form the central midfield duo if Sacha Kljestan remains out wide. One new option may have to play a significant role if Marsch struggles with his aging legs or injury problems or Lahoud and Saragosa fall out of form: recent draft pick Blair Gavin. The fit – a smooth, ball-winning defensive midfielder on a team that plays a possession-oriented style – made as much sense from the outside as it did to Chivas USA coach Martin Vasquez.
“I see him as a number six because he can do the job of a number six, but he can also be a creative player,” Vasquez said moments after the Red-and-White selected Gavin with the tenth overall pick in last week's SuperDraft. “When he was available, he was our man.”
Kyle McCarthy writes the Monday MLS Breakdown and frequently writes opinion pieces during the week for Goal.com. He also covers the New England Revolution for the Boston Herald and MLSnet.com. Contact him with your questions or comments at kyle.mccarthy@goal.com and follow him on Twitter by clicking here.
For more on Major League Soccer, visit Goal.com's MLS page.
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