RSL finally addressing it’s striker issues

• Yes, RSL has finally shown that they realize what this team needs, a good striking force that can beat opponents in the air, on the ground, and anywhere on the field. We’ve finally made a run for a target forward by offering a contract to an obscure Scot named Kenny Deuchar. This guy is big (6′3″), and he has tons of experience. He’s a great goal scorer and currently plays for Gretna FC in Scotland, a second division side. In fact, Deuchar has spent his entire career in lower division league. The most interesting part of this acquisition, to me, is that Kenny Deuchar is a practicing doctor. He wants to be able to practice medicine in America and play soccer here. This concerns me, as well as many other fans. I wonder if his loyalties will remain with soccer, or with medicine. This also explains Garth’s recent trip to Scotland to ’scout players’.
•  Another thing that I found interesting is that RSL has extended the Singaporean star Indra Sahdan Daud’s trial. This guy is the golden child of football in Singapore, and RSL has already gained many fans from him just trialing with us. In the first six days of his trial, James Edward said that Indra’s chances of making the team were slim, however, his last two days have been spectacular. Those two days were enough to make RSL extend his trial, which will carry into the Argentina leg of the preseason. I really hope this guy makes the team, he has so much support from his countrymen and I just feel hopeful that he’ll get a contract and play well with this team.

Kotschau waived, is Talley next?

James Edward announced today that RSL has waived Ritchie Kotschau, but he also includes a little tidbit about our friend Carey Talley who broke his foot in pre-season camp. Many of us RSL fans know the terror that is Carey Talley, and many expect to see him waived this offseason. I think that with this injury, the waiving becomes inevitable. We have six rookies in camp this year that have been spectacular. Kevin Reiman and Brennan Tennelle will likely be the two starting wing-mids on our reserve squad. Tino Nunez, who we picked up in the supplemental draft, has scored goals and given assists in almost every game this pre-season. Tony Beltran is a candidate for starting in our right mid spot, with David Horst competing in the middle. Alex Nimo is the next great American Superstar. In the pre-season camp roster, I see way too many talented players to be waived to make room for old man Talley. My advice? Waive the man. If you find someone that you want to waive during the season, then pick him back up. The acquisition of Dema Kovalenko is also a sign that Talley may be waived soon.  He plays the same positions as Talley, albeit better than him too. We’re paying Talley too much for him to be falling so far down the ladder, and I think we could get some quality talent for that kind of money. Many use the excuse of Talley’s 2006 season, which was, and I will admit it, spectacular. Behind Jeff Cunningham, Talley was easily the most exciting player to watch. Well, it’s been two years since we got Talley, and his most recent season was horrendous. So do we hope he had a bad season last year? Or do we just look at the facts, and notice that we sucked in 2006? This team is changing, and it’s time to let him go. 

Dema Kovalenko joins RSL

• RSL has added another player today, Dema Kovalenko, formerly of the New York Red Bulls. Dema has a reputation around the league of being one of the more violent players, which we’ve seen plenty of with Atiba Harris. Dema is a midfielder (gasp! another one!?!?) who is actually very versatile and can be played in many positions including D-Mid, Right-Mid and hopefully Left-Mid (that’s our weak spot). He won’t back down from any challenge, which is a trait that RSL has struggled with in recent years. Recently, however, Dema hasn’t been playing up to the level he did a few years ago. He’s still feisty as ever, but his play seems to have gone down. I hope that Coach Kreis can bring back his game, which will make this a great move for RSL. We only sent away a late-round draft pick in next years draft (according to this AYLSoccer article). I’d say our lineup looks a little something like this:
• ————–Rimando————–
• Mantilla-Borchers-Olave-Joy– 
• ————Kovalenko————
• –Cordoba———–Beckerman–
• ————-Morales —————
• —-Movsisyan—Espindola—– 

• That lineup is fantastic from my point of view. The defense is all experienced and skilled players, our midfield can be swayed in either an attacking or defending position, and we don’t have two a-mids by accident (Mr. Adu). Our forward line is still young, but I think that Espindola has got the speed, touch, and skill to work well with Yura’s size and tenacity.  I think if we were to sign one more player before the season starts, it would be an experienced target forward to lead the team offensively.

2008 League Predictions

With the lack of real soccer action going on in America right now, and a lack of new RSL news as well, I’ve decided that it’s finally time for my 2008 league predictions. These will undoubtedly change soon, but this is how I feel things will go down right now. Keep in mind that I don’t follow every team super-attentively, and I apologize for any misconceptions I may have.

1.  DC United: DC is just an excellent club all around. With the acquisition of Marcello Gallardo and the return of Luciano Emilio, I can’t see DC anywhere but at the top of the league. Their midfield is slightly lacking, due to the loss of Christian Gomez, but I still think they’ll pull out an excellent year.
2. New England Revolution: The Revolution have the best coach in MLS, hands down. Steve Nicol has led this team passionately for many years, and has brought about great success. They have lost Pat Noonan, but they picked up four excellent prospects in the SuperDraft which will help them on their way to victory.
3. FC Dallas: Dallas has a solid club. The loss of Carlos Ruiz will effect their front line, which seems to have weakened a bit. However, their midfield and defensive arenas are spectacular and should provide solid service to a sub-par frontline. Duilio Davino will lead Dallas forward.
4. Chivas USA: Chivas has improved tremendously ever since MLS great Preki has taken over as head coach. They are perhaps the team with the most talented young players in MLS, with Sacha Kljestan, Brad Guzan, Jonathan Bornstein, and Maykel Galindo. Expect to see a lethal striking force coming out of this team, and maybe even a cameo from Alecko Eskandarian.
5. Houston Dynamo: Houston is the two-time defending MLS champ, and this is the year I believe they’ll fall off their high horse. They’ve lost both Joseph Ngwenya and Nate Jacqua to foreign lands and Brian Ching appears to be losing his touch. Their front line is now lacking tremendously, and you can’t win if you can’t score. Also, Dwayne de Rosario seems to think that the only time he needs to play is in crunch time, so the Canadian’s value may go down. Stewart Holden will be the stand out in the Houston midfield this season.
6. New York Red Bulls: I struggle for a reason why I put New York so high up on the list, but I can only think of two. Those reasons are the young star Jozy Altidore and the returning Juan Pablo Angel. These two guys are a killer pair and should easily be the best striking pair in the league. Look for Francis Doe to pull it all out this season, and create endless chances for the aforementioned forwards.
7. Real Salt Lake: This may seem like a surprise to some, but Real Salt Lake has put together a quality team this year. Head coach Jason Kreis has gone around the world looking for new talent and have picked up names like Ian Joy, Jamilson Olave, Matias Cordoba, and Nat Borchers. The strength and depth of RSL’s defense is now top class, perhaps even the best in the league. The weakest point in the lineup for Real is their forwards, which according to General Manager Garth Lagerway, is being addressed abroad right now.
8. Chicago Fire: Chicago has been consistently sub-par in recent years, and I think they’ll continue this trend in 2008. Their front line, which will likely consist of forwards Chris Rolfe and Andy Herron does not look to great, however, their offense will be carried by the old man Cuatehmoc Blanco. Blanco was a great addition for the Fire last year, and will bring an exciting new level of play to Chicago again this year.
9. Los Angeles Galaxy: Sure, LA has some spectacular players in Landon Donovan, David Beckham, Carlos Ruiz, and Abel Xavier, but just look at the rest of that roster! They’ll score ridiculous amounts of goals, but Steve Cronin’s GAA will be somewhere near 3.65.
10. Colorado Rapids: Fernando Clavijo’s team has been lackluster, to say the least, in recent times. His roster has remained almost unchanged, with the exception of the additions of Jose Burciaga, Jr. and Christian Gomez, this offseason. Colorado has the worst front line in the league, with nobody but Herculez Gomez to lead the team. Luckily, Terry Cooke and Mehdi Ballouchy will get the offense going from the midfield.
11. Kansas City Wizards: Even the Wizard’s fans can see that this year will be a severe disappointment. The departures of Eddie Johnson and Jose Burciaga, Jr. will leave a large hole in both ends of the field for Curt Onalfo’s club. Look for #1 SuperDraft pick Chance Myers to be the defensive stand out for the Wizards.
12. Columbus Crew: Even with the amazing skill of the Argentinian Guillermo Barros Schelotto leading the midfield, I have no doubt that Colubus will struggle to do well. The lineup for the Crew is too thin in every position, especially in the keeper position. Look for Frankie Hejduk and Eddie Gaven to hold the torch for the Crew, no matter how dim it may be burning.
13. Toronto FC: On paper, Toronto’s roster looks to be fairly solid, mostly in the forward and midfield areas. However, the chemistry in the team seems to never fit right. If he ends up signing with TFC, look for Joe Lapira to make an instant impact. Also expect Jeff Cunningham, Maurice Edu, and Collin Samuel to be impact players. The defense is where this team lacks, and that’s the most critical of all the puzzle pieces.
14. San Jose Earthquakes: The enthusiasm of the Earthquake fans reminds me of mine when RSL first came to town. I quickly learned that my optimism was misdirected. San Jose fans will find the same. Head Coach Frank Yallop is struggling to fill a roster, even if he must sign small caliber players to do it. Ramrio Corrales will lead the midfield, while Joe Cannon will be the one calling all the shots. Expect to see a lot of playing time for Gavin Glinton, the former Galaxy forward, and some good stuff from rookie Shea Salinas.

That, of course, leaves the final standings at:

 

1)DC UNITED

2)NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION

3)FC DALLAS

4)CD CHIVAS USA

5)HOUSTON DYNAMO

6)NEW YORK RED BULLS

7)REAL SALT LAKE

8)CHICAGO FIRE

9)LOS ANGELES GALAXY

10) COLORADO RAPIDS

11)KANSAS CITY WIZARDS

12)COLUMBUS CREW

13)TORONTO FC

14)SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES

 

RSL pursuing Brazilian Forward Reinaldo

1. Queensland Roar braced for Reinaldo exit to US league   
2. Player Profile for the Queensland Roar

Looks like RSL is in a little bidding war with the Rapids over a Brazilian forward named Reinaldo, who currently plays for the Queensland Roar, of the Australian League. The most exciting thing about RSL going for this guy is that he’s actually a target forward! The guy is huge, 6′4″ – 184 lbs. Our front line is the weakest thing on this team right now, and I think that if we signed this guy and Indra, our front line would be plenty improved for the season.  Here’s a compilation of his goals for Queensland:

Random Off-Season Thoughts: 2/14/08

First off, a happy Valentine’s Day to all.

•  Borchers is at RSL!  

American Soccer Daily – Borchers Deal Inked

This signing is a good one, in my opinion. When Nat was with the Crapids, I liked to watch him play. After two years abroad, I’d expect him to return better than ever. This makes me feel like we might actually have depth in our defense for the first time since our team’s inception.

• Indra finds his way to RSL ———->

Indra Sahdan, the captain of the Singaporean national team, has found his way to RSL as a trialist. He’s small, but he’s an amazing finisher with quick feet. Apparently he’s good enough to play in the EPL, but just hasn’t been picked up due to his size. He’d definitely help our currently lacking front line, and he should make the team with ease.

• Jamie Watson’s multi-country tour 

Our favorite little pain in the butt has left us, and now he’s traveling around the country (and even through some others) to find a new home. He trained at Dallas for a few weeks, and was invited to stay, but instead went up to Canada to hang out with Mojo and the canadians. I guess he would just rather be a bottom-dweller.

•  Lineup…my favorite topic!

All these new acquisitions bring up my favorite little blogging topic, the lineup for this season. Speculation is so fun, I just can’t resist!

 

I’m thinking we’ll see something like this:

 

—————Rimando———–

-Borchers-Mantilla-Olave-Joy-

————–Beckerman———-                    Subs: Talley, Wingert, Williams,

—–Cordoba———Espindola-                               Beltran, Findley, Seitz, Sturgis

—————Morales————

—–Indra————Movsisyan-

 

What a shiny new lineup! Of those eleven, ten have been brought here by our buddy Jason Kreis. Of the subs, three of the seven are Ellinger-era players. It’s so weird to say it, but it looks like Jason is turning this team around. Yes, I believe he’s doing a good job. I see the playoffs in our near future.

 

Random Off-Season Thoughts: 2/09/08

• 1)Are these seven goals for real? A few days ago, RSL battled it out against the PDL’s Venture County Fusion, and clobbered them 7-0 . The question in my mind is: Is this our skill or their lack of skill? For the Fusion, their season is still three months away, they’ve just lost many players to the draft (including #1 pick Chance Myers, who went to Kansas City), and their team has only been training for three days together. I’m guessing we just looked good because they were so bad. However, I was impressed to find that a player who was recently cut from the Fusion, and is now on trial with RSL, Tino Nunez, was able to play so well. He pulled out an assist after 13 minutes. I also was impressed with Yura Movsisyan’s supposed goal-scoring prowess, I just wonder if he can show the same skill against MLS-caliber teams. 
• 2) Nat Borchers…..?Well according to several rumors at BigSoccer , former Crapid Nat Borchers is heading to Salt Lake from Odd Grenland in Norway. It has been reported that he’s leaving Odd Grenland for MLS, but the question is whether or not RSL will be able to pick him up, due to the allocation lists that are so cryptic. RSL is third in line to pick him up if he ends up hopping the pond. I think Borchers would be a great pick up, and would really solidify our defense, which is already looking like it’ll be one of the best in MLS. My question is why we’re still spending time trying to overflow our filled defensive holes, rather than addressing the forward debacle.

 3) Who’s going to be in our neighborhood?I’m just speculating on the final roster. Apparently many of ours trialists have showed very well, and have a very good chance of making the team. So who will go? Who will stay?   Boy, how I love the off-season.