Seattle Sounders FC took the following players in the expansion draft that took place today:
1. Nate Jaqua (F, Houston)
2. Stephen King (M, Chicago)
3. Brad Evans (M, Coumbus)
4. Khano Smith (D/M, New England)
5. Jarrod Smith (F, Toronto)
6. Jeff Parke (D, New York)
7. Tyson Wahl (D, Kansas City)
8. Nathan Sturgis (D/M, RSL)
9. Peter Vagenas (M, Los Angeles)
10. James Riley (D, San Jose)
So I guess I am not very good at predictions, as I only guessed 4 out of 10 correctly. For me the selections fall into 3 categories: Nice pick, Wait and See, and Really?.
In the nice pick category, I have Nate Jaqua (Seattle boy, solid target forward), Stephen King (cheap, versatile midfielder out of Maryland), Tyson Wahl (Young, solid defender to pair with the veteran CB yet to be signed), and Brad Evans ( cheap, talented, box-to-box midfielder).
In the wait and see category, you got Khano Smith (tall, athletic winger, but with a heavy first touch and an occassional attitude problem), James Riley (versatile defender played lots of minutes for San Jose but did not consistently impress), Nathan Sturgis (young defender will turn out to be a great signing if he can stay healthy), and Jeff Parke (Solid, proven back but one who still has a suspension to serve and might bolt for Europe).
Finally, in the "Really?" category, there is Peter Vagenas (veteran midfielder would have been a great pick-up a few years back but at 30, a step slower, and with a $144,000 price tag seems like a strange pick) and Jarrod Smith (a young New Zealand international who only played in 6 games last year for TFC). These last two seem odd to me with talent like Jorge Flores, Aaron Pitchkolan, Johann Smith, and Francis Doe available. Seattle did not choose any players from DC, Dallas, Chivas, or Colorado.
Let the offseason trading begin....
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
The Following Players Get to Rock These....
As We Wait For the Expansion Draft
The Expansion Draft takes place at 1 pm, and should kick off some player movement around MLS. Here are the highlights from yesterday's Champions League match between Bayern Munich and Steaua Bucuresti, two teams with connections to MLS; Landon Donovan is expected to be playing for Bayern soon and former FC Dallas player, Juan Toja, is on the books for Steaua.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Expansion Draft Tomorrow
Although every blogger and soccer reporter has already talked about this story, I figured I might as well share my opinion. Plus American soccer news is slow today, so sue me. Last year, the San Jose Earthquakes used the expansion draft (as well as some trades) to build their team from the back to the front, and it served them relatively well. Unfortunately, their lack of firepower up top caused them to start the season horribly, until some mid-season trades (Darren Huckerby, Arturo Alvarez) helped them solve that problem.
Look for Seattle to focus on defense in the expansion draft as well because unlike San Jose last year, they already have some quality players on the roster. They have already signed Kasey Keller (GK), Sebastien Le Toux (F), Sanna Nyassi (M), and their DP Freddie Ljunberg (M). With these players available, who would you take? Following these rules, my picks are after the jump.
Player (Team, Pos., Salary)
1. Nate Jaqua (Houston, F, 156,000)
2. Brandon Prideaux (Chicago, D, 72,000)
3. Pat Phelan (New England, D/M, 33,000)
4. Brad Evans (Columbus, M, 33,000)
5. James Riley (San Jose, D, 33,000)
6. Tyson Wahl (Kansas City, D, 33,000)
7. Jorge Flores (Chivas USA, M/F, 17,700)
8. Aaron Pitchkolan (FC Dallas, D, 33,000)
9. Francis Doe (DC United, F, 33,000)
10. Michael Randolph (LA Galaxy, D/M, 33,000)
I wanted to take Eddie Gaven (Columbus, M, 165,000) and Nate Sturgis (Real Salt lake, D/M, 75,000), but I thought the price tag was too high for Gaven (when you already have 2 outside mids on the roster) and I am not convinced that Sturgis will ever be able to stay healthy.
Jake One is the Truth
Jake One has got beats for days. Got his new album "White Van Music" a little while ago and it has been on constant rotation since. With cameos from Royce da 5'9", M.O.P., Busta Rhymes, Bishop Lamont, Little Brother, Young Buck, and Freeway; the album has an interesting mix of mainstream and below the radar artists rapping over Jake One's productions. The full video for "The Truth" by Jake One featuring Freeway and Brother Ali is after the jump. Check it out and I'll be back later with some soccer news, that's the point of this blog right?
Frank Ribery as the Pink Panther
I usually stick to the realm of the US Men's National team and hip hop, but after seeing this over at http://elitaste.com/blog/ I had to post it. Nice to see Ribery showing off some of his acting chops, and his always beautiful smile. I am sure all the players out there who love the Nike Mercurial Vapors and have Cam'ron on their ipods, are especially excited for these boots to hit the stores.
Monday, November 24, 2008
An Early Reason to Give Thanks
In order to cash in on early holiday shoppers and boost their numbers, Ludacris and Kanye West are dropping their new albums today. Now you can get a "The Theater of the Mind" and "808's and Hearthbreak" a day earlier than expected. Above is "Undisputed" from Ludacris' album and you can check out the first single from Kanye's below.
Personally, I'm excited to hear some experimentation from Kanye (as long as he hits us with a classic hip hop album next time) and am always pleased with what Luda brings to the table. I plan on picking these up later, but if you already have, let me know what you think.
U-20 Friendly Result and Qualifying Dates
Thomas Rongen's U-20 squad finished up their camp in Spain with a 2-0 loss to the Rayo Vallencano reserves. The team went 0-2-1 on their trip but the time together should have given Rongen a good chance to evaluate the talent he has available for the upcoming qualifiers.
Speaking of the qualifying tournament, it will take place in early March, in Trinidad & Tobago. Here is the link to the announcement from US Soccer, and a highlight video from the highly entertaining US vs. Poland game, from the last U-20 World Cup. A little taste, to get you excited for upcoming tourney.
Columbus Wins and Other MLS News
The Columbus Crew are MLS Cup Champions. GBS put in a masterful performance, Chad Marshall continued his aerial dominance, and Frankie Hejduk capped off the game with a goal and his first MLS Cup during his long tenure in the league. No complaints should be heard from soccer purists, as the team with the best record in the regular season went on to win the cup.
That's not all that happened this weekend, as Commish Don Garber delivered his State of the League address and the draws for the Hexagonal and the Confederations cup took place. To get the full recap of all the news, check out this post over at DuNord.
I'll be back later with some more soccer and a little music, as some big releases are coming out today.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
MLS Cup Preview
Here is the MLS Cup preview courtesy of ESPN. The winner of the Supporter's Shield, Columbus Crew, taking on the resilient, and surprising New York Red Bulls. Who do you have taking home the cup? I am going to go with a 2-1 victory for the Columbus Crew, behind goals for Alejandro Moreno and GBS, with Juan Pablo Angel pulling one back for the underdogs. Think differently? Let's hear your predictions in the comments section.
Getting Fired Up Courtesy of Bergkamp
MLS Cup is today. Two teams without a championship, and one will not have to wait much longer. I leave you with a video to get you hyped for the beautiful game on national TV today (3:30 pm ET, ABC). I know it is not MLS related, but every time my old roommate wanted to get our house ready for what we were doing, whether it was a game, or a night out at a fine drinking establishment; he would blast this video, whether we liked it or not. Hats off to Bergkamp, he never gets the respect he deserves; and good luck to New York and Columbus, let's hope they give us a classic final.
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