Roster Reset | We Got Yer Stinkin' Rules Right Here!

So nobody seems to know exactly what the MLS roster rules are going to be going forward, which makes doing the Roster Reset seem a touch presumptive, some might even say foolish. But I'd be a sad blogger if I weren't able to step right up and suffer the role of fool for the team, right? So let's plow on ahead, half-blind, perhaps mildly inebriated, and see if we can wrestle some sanity from this madness...

What we know (or think we know):

1. There are 24 roster spots. The senior/developmental labels are still in play, but may or may not have any bearing on the way the roster works going forward.
2. Each club has 2 home grown player slots that don't count against the 24 (and we've wasted no time in filling them).

Working from those bits of information, I'm going to pitch out the senior/developmental classification entirely and reduce the Roster Reset to (a) 24-man regular roster, (b) 2 home grown players, and (c) any unsigned trialists. Note once again that this is merely a list of signed/unsigned players and doesn't take into account who is going to be on the inactive list for injury. Those players who may qualify will be so noted and marked with (*). We're also continuing under the assumption that we have 7 international spots to fill. Players so designated are marked (I). Got it?

[UPDATE: Thanks to commenters Dave K and Josh and the new dcunited.com, some changes are made via the strikethrough. Kinda makes some of my reasoning fall apart a bit, but I'm all about playing the fool these days.]

Regular Roster

1. (*) Josh Wicks, GK - still recovering from surgery
2. Troy Perkins, GK
3. (I?) Lyle Adams, D - jumped at Dev Dollars before they were taken off the table by the CBA
4. (I) Julius James, D
5. (*) Marc Burch, D - out for a few months
6. (I) Dejan Jakovic, D
7. (*) Bryan Namoff, D - back in training or out indefinitely?
8. Devon McTavish, D/M
9. Rodney Wallace, D/M
10. Brandon Barklage, M
11. (I) Cristian Castillo, M
12. John DiRaimondo, M - do we need a third d-mid, and a pretty tame one at that? he shoots, he scores!
13. Kurt Morsink, M
14. Clyde Simms, M
15. (I) Tiyiselani Shipalane, M/F - Kumalo's been getting all the looks, time to look at USSF Div II?
16. Chris Pontius, M/F
17. Santino Quaranta, M/F
18. (I) Thabiso Khumalo, M/F - seems to be in the mix for the Brotherhood of the Pine
19. Adam Cristman, F
20. Jaime Moreno, F
21. (I) Danny Allsopp, F

Home Grown Players

1. Bill Hamid, GK
2. Andy Najar, D/M/F

Unsigned Trialists

1. Andrew Quinn, GK - might be the #3 in net until Wicks returns
2. (I) Quiarol Arzu, D - looks set to miss out if Pena signs
3. Jordan Graye, D - drafted, but hasn't signed a deal yet, has he?
4. (I) Juan Manuel Pena, D - negotiations in progress?
5. Barry Rice, D - getting a long hard look as center back depth
6. Daniel Woolard, D - can he beat out Graye? will that be enough?
7. Drew Yates, M/F - we're not deep at a-mid

Even without the likelihood of Burch and Wicks not being active at the start of the season, we have three open roster spots. Pena seems set to get one of those, assuming we can agree to terms. I still haven't seen any confirmation or denial regarding Adams' international status, but if he has a green card or dual-citizenship, Pena's addition puts us at the limit. If he does count as an international, I'd expect Shipalane would get the chop.

Now, with Pena in and marking Burch and Wicks as inactive, we have four spots, at minimum, to fill, and six guys in the mix. Even if we weren't butting against the international limit, I expect that Arzu is out of the running with Pena on board. That leaves four spots for Rice, Woolard, Yates, Quinn, and Graye to fight over.

If Goff's intuition about Quinn being the #3 netminder to start the season is correct, we're down to four for three spots. From that point, I think we're looking at a positional game. Rice gives you center back depth, and Yates can cover the a-mid spot where we seem to lack depth. That would leave Graye and Woolard competing to be Wallace's backup, right?

Unless, of course, I missed somebody. And also assuming that United fills all available spots until the injured folks return, which they may not do...

Why did I do this again?