The Other Side

While the United blogosphere is, well . . . united, for lack of a better word, in its estimation that the FO overpaid to get Gomez back, I wonder what's happening on the other side of this bargain? With Colin Clark a lock at left wing, it looks to me like the Rapids are bringing in Guerrero as a left back--the spot where I thought he would have been tremendous for United.

I hope Burch does something to prove me wrong this year, but I just don't see that he carries the same level of threat. When he does get forward, he tends to cross from deeper positions or push inside for the shot. In both situations, it takes him a dog's age to pull the trigger. A more typical passage of play is pinging pretty, but ultimately hopeless, balls to the opposite wing or resorting to the easy dink to Simms in the middle.

With no "true" wingers on the roster outside of perhaps Khumalo, the attacking width should be coming from fullbacks bombing forward. Of course, Zaher and Wallace both seem to have the tools to be effective attacking left fullbacks, so perhaps they'll make the cliched "step up." And I recognize that we had too much depth on the left flank (Fred, Guerrero, Wallace, Burch, Zaher) relative to the condensed roster sizes, so we were always going to deal (or cut) somebody. Still, wouldn't it have been better to deal Burch and bring the kids up under the tutelage of Guerrero, a wingback of proven MLS and international quality, as well as a model professional?

There are a few reasons why this might not have been possible (or palatable):

1. The FO needs salary cap space for more signings and Burch costs less than Guerrero.
2. Colorado realized Burch's limitations having endured Burciaga (Jeebus, replace that "iaga" with an "h", and what do you get? A limited defender with a howitzer left from distance. Sound familiar?).
3. Burch fits the FO's new "young Americans" policy. Guerrero does not.
   

What do you think?