, but well worth reading...No, I'm talking about the acquisition of Adam Cristman. Not that I'm anti-Cristman or anything (well, outside of that time his virtual self hit a bomb that beat my FM2010 DC United side), but it's more what we gave up to get him.
"But it's just an international spot!" I hear you say. True. That's pretty damn cheap for a guy who, although he's coming off a major injury, had a decent rate of goal return for a young player just getting started in the league. Evidence of the rub ("Aye, there it is!") comes when you look at the number of internationals currently on the roster. There's precious little room left to squeeze in that experienced foreign centerback and wily attacking option without doing some pruning, is there?
To the list!
Senior Roster
1. Josh Wicks, GK - trade bait?
2. Troy Perkins, GK
3. (I) Julius James, D
4. Lawson Vaughn, D
5. Marc Burch, D
6. (I) Dejan Jakovic, D
7. Bryan Namoff, D - nursing the noggin
8. Devon McTavish, D/M
9. (I) Floribert N'Galula, D/M - how much are we paying him? this year's African washout?
10. Rodney Wallace, D/M
11. (I) Cristian Castillo, M
12. Danny Szetela, M
13. Clyde Simms, M
14. (I) Tiyiselani Shipalane, M/F - can't see both he and Boyzzz making the cut
15. Chris Pontius, M/F
16. Santino Quaranta, M/F
17. (I) Thabiso Khumalo, M/F - see Shipalane, Tiyiselani
18. Adam Cristman, F - acquired from KC for an international spot
19. Jaime Moreno, F
20. (I) Danny Allsopp, F - Oi! Oi! Oi! or oy vey?
Developmental Roster
1. (GA) Bill Hamid, GK
2. (I) Milos Kocic, GK - under contract, but for Dev Dollars again?
3. John DiRaimondo, M
4. Brandon Barklage, M - fully recovered?
5. Jordan Graye, D - we took a local kid so he could live at home on Dev Dollars, right?
Trialists
1. (I?) Lyle Adams, D - I'm assuming he'll want a senior spot, given last year. Also, he grew up in Florida, but does he have citizenship/green card?
2. Nigel White, D - left back candidate
3. Otto Loewy, D/M - don't know much save that he's really athletic, but has been on the shelf with injury; international status?
4. Daniel Wasson, M - washed out abroad, has MLS experience, eligible for Dev Dollars (25 or younger at start of season)
5. (I?) Two-Boys Gumede, M/F - an international if he won't settle for Dev Dollars; what fills first, our Boyzzz quotient or our South African one?
GA = Generation Adidas
I = requires international roster spot, maximum of 8 internationals roster [UPDATE: Cristman trade leaves us with 7 spots]
I can't help feeling that dismissing Gomez and trading away an international spot is tantamount to trading Gomez for Cristman, and that's not sitting so well in my tummy. Clearly, Onalfo likes the kid. He brought him to KC when he was the boss there. He's certainly a trier, and, if healthy, provides some of the forward depth that we're so sorely lacking. But he doesn't bring the magic, does he? I'm not saying that Gomez is/was the answer, but we seem to be bleeding flair into the chum-filled waters of MLS.
Memories...
That southpeg volley against the Galaxy still gives me chills.
I'm jinxing of course, but Cristman - if he's fit, if he works - might be a steal.
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying I don't think he has the potential to bring something to the table, even if it's just a different style of play. And you can't beat the low cap figure if he works out. What worries me is the FO shipping an international spot to land him.
ReplyDeleteThat says to me that we're happy with what we have and aren't looking to upgrade the defense on the foreign market. I suppose we could still be looking to offload one of our excess keepers for a journeyman domestic vet...or so I'll have to keep hoping.