MLS Offseason 2012-13

You guys beat me to the good news abou LD. Af10 has said my sentiments as well. The big question, for me, is if and when he returns to the USMNT.

The MLS season has really kind of snuck up on me. So I did a quick catch-up on what’s going on with the Canadian teams:

Toronto . . . Kevin Payne has been all over the TV lately and I always thought he was a smart man when he was with DC United, but he’s really, really impressed me with Toronto. He gets it. He knows he’s got a huge mess to clean up and he seems bewildered by how effed up this group is. Every time I hear him talk I think “I know! Isn’t it ridiculous!?”

They’ve tried to shore up the back by adding Darren O’Dea, Danny Califf and Gale Agbossoumonde. Eckersley and Morgan seem likely to remain the outside backs.
Canadian international Jonathan Beaulieu-Bourgault is on trial and playing well. He can play almost anywhere, so I think that should be his trump card. He’s mostly played leftback. Frei has a broken nose, but should start in goal.
The midfield is a mess with Julio Cesar coming in with Frings, Dunfield and Luis Silva. High pick Kyle Bekker is pushing for a spot in the midfield. Jonathan Osorio, a former Canadian U20 and one of the group that ended up going to Uruguay at a young age, is having a good camp and scored as a sub a couple of games ago ...

Up front I figure it’s Justin Braun and Koevermans. Possibly just one a time with someone like Silva or Reggie Lambe playing off of them. Needless to say, it’s going to take some time.

They decided to get rid of Hassli and Ryan Johnson, plus Kocic, Adrian Cann, Aaron Maund, Ty Harden, Joao Plata and Eric Avila. They’re starting fresh once again . . .

Vancouver looks like they’re making some positive strides.

A lot of familiarity in the back with Knighton in goal and YP Lee, O’Brien, DeMerit and Harvey in the back. They’re going to keep Rochat in the midfield with Koffie. Mattocks is up front with Kenny Miller as the No. 10. The two new faces — Daigo Kobayashi from Japan and fourth overall pick Kekuta Manneh — should battle with the likes of Camilo Sanvezzo and Matt Watson to start.

The interesting thing in Vancouver is their trialists. I’m not 100 per cent sure if all of these guys are in camp or are just rumoured to be coming, but one is Nigel Reo-Coker, along with young Honduran Johny Leveron and former Canadian starlet Jamie Peters. Apparently Peters is out of shape and once I realized Reo-Coker was 28 I was far less interested, but Leveron could be great. He’s 23, he’s got pace and skill. I think he could have time to develop and adapt for a season and then step in and start on a very, very old Caps backline.

Montreal is taking a step back I fear. I guess we’ll see. They basically kept the same team. So it will be interesting to see how they fare after unceremoniously dumping Jesse Marsch.

I’m just not sure I like the changes at the top or the direction they’re moving in with their depth players.

It should still be Perkins in goal, Nesta, Ferrari, Rivas, Brovsky and Camara/Iapichino filling the back four. Bernier, Arnaud, Felipe and Collen Warner in the midfield with Nyassi, Di Vaio and Mapp attacking. Obviously that's about 14 guys for 10 spots, but that should be the core group of veterans that see the most minutes.

The Impact added a 31yo Italian forward named Andrea Pisanu on loan from Bologna. I would assume they expect him to figure and possibly pair with Di Vaio? Andres Romero, a young, small Argentine mid. is on loan from a small Brazilian club.

A young academy left back named Maxim Tissot has been really impressing and may be their backup LB. Not bad for a kid I have never heard of. I’m starting to question the CSA’s scouting in Quebec because Karl Ouimette isn’t bad either and he’s never been on the radar.

The Impact moved Josh Gardner, Lamar Neagle and Shavar Thomas. Sebrango and Sutton retired. Corradi is gone.

cheers,
hobbes

Great work hobbes on the prospects for Canada's 3 MLS clubs. Pisanu is DiVaio's buddy from Bologna, a pretty good forward in his own right, he should do better than the eternally inconsistent Corradi. I am very curious to see what a Nesta in training camp from the start of preseason can do with Montreal. The same applies with DiVaio.

I would not expect to see Donovan playing until some time in mid to late April if he is only returning to training at the end of March. Gotta say LA are being very permissive (i.e. subservient) to his desires.

Jonny Leveron did sign with Vancouver. Like hobbes I too think the Honduran international can be a good signing. I can see him working with Jay DeMerit to give Vancouver a solid backline. leveron is a reserve with Honduras' full national team but started on their accomplished Olympic team as a central defender.

Portland have signed veteran central defender and ex Manchester United and Inter player Mikael Silvestre.

And in more Pacific Northwest news, Shalrie Joseph signs with Seattle as he became surplus to Chivas USA's needs. If he recovers his form, Joseph can be an excellent signing for Seattle.

And ex Columbus goalie Will Hesmer has decided to retire.

Houston have traded Je-Vaughn Watson to FC Dallas for a second round draft pick in 2015. This frees up an international slot from a player who had fallen off the back end of the depth chart.

The current rumor out of the UK is that the Dynamo are pursuing Andrew Driver of Hearts. Dynamo president Chris Canetti has confirmed this rumor.

Link to Driver story.

The current rumor out of the UK is that the Dynamo are pursuing Andrew Driver of Hearts.

With Davis and Garcia on the wings, sounds like Driver would just be a reserve. Is it worth pursuing a foreign player just to become a sub? Maybe Houston would be better served going after Minnie Driver instead of Andrew Driver!

Minnie Driver. Where's that wincing smilie when you need it?!

The Joseph trade, can I make an atypical post-trade assertion that this deal 'hurts both clubs'? Seriously, though, I think Sharlie, as towering a figure as he's been in MLS, is guy whose tank is pretty close to E. The Sounders had to take him on as their 3rd DP to make it work. Not sure how great an idea that is.

And Chivas, who put themselves in a terrible negotiating position, gave up a LOT just to get rid of him. (Two draft picks, swapping #3 for #15 in the allocation order, and picking up part of Joseph's salary. This also leaves Chivas, at least for the moment, with just 19 players, only one of whom is a true d-mid, while seemingly committed to playing a three-man back line. I think they've got some work left in the next 10 days.)

Re: Yogi's comments on Donovan---he's the one with the leverage here, so I don't know that Arena/LA had/have much choice but to grin and bear it. He's more-or-less irreplaceable as an MLS player (symbolically, as much as for his quality) and even getting him back in April is better than seeing him come back not refreshed, or have him retire, demand a transfer, etc. I think they concluded that kowtowing to his desire for an extended off-season was the only chance they had to see the LD of old suit it up for the Galaxy again.

Great previews, hobbes. I generally concur with your analysis. I'm very happy to see some general optimism for TFC , but it's a pretty deep hole they're in. I'd imagine most Toronto fans would settle for progress, rather than play-offs, at this point. I hope 2013 is at least seen as the year the turn-around began.

Chivas made it official by signing deLuna, Casillas and Mejia on loan from their parent club in Guadalajara.

Seattle signed former Liverpool defender Djimi Traore to strengthen their central defense after Jeff Parke's departure to Philadelphia.