Technically by today, Thursday March 1 all MLS teams need to be down to 18 senior roster players and 10 developmental players. They will also need to be in compliance with the allowable numbers for international players. The question will be how many if any of the teams manage to make a public announcement today on their rosters.
One of the blogs I enjoy following is From College To Pros. It's not just that I know the person that does most of the writing for it. But that it focuses on a very specific subject, following young Americans develop in their youth on their way into the pros. Recently they had an entry on the promising American defender Charlie Davies. Davies recently chose to skip college (for the time being, at least) and join Southampton FC. I think this is an excellent choice on his part. Southampton has shown they've put together a good youth development program. Theo Walcott and Gareth Bale are the best known of their recent products. But they have others that they've done a good job in developing that may soon become names we know such as Trinidad and Tobago's Kenwyne Jones, South African born Andrew Surman, Nathan Dyer and David McGoldrick. Hopefully we'll be seeing Davies and fellow American Andrew Giallombardo in Southampton's first team this year or next.
ESPN is reporting something that has been speculated on since the announcement of David Beckham's signing by the Los Angeles Galaxy of Major League Soccer (MLS), the real salary. According to ESPN's source, $27.5 million over 5 years is the actual salary that the league and LA's owners AEG are paying Beckham. The MLS is paying $400,000 per year with AEG picking up the remaining $5.1 million. Originally the league's press releases pegged the deal as having the possible value of $250 million. The press ran with that as though it were a given. There were many rumors after that over his actual salary with many pegging it at $9 million / year. Off hand, this seems to make the Beckham deal a steal.
Yet more proof that KSE had every intention of changing the Colorado Rapids name to the Arsenal. And so far they have not updated the stadium's web site. http://www.dickssportinggoodspark.com/Stadium/FAQs.aspx Who are the principles behind Dick’s Sporting Goods Park? The complex was developed by Kroenke Sports Enterprises – owner of Arsenal Colorado, as well as the NBA Denver Nuggets, NHL Colorado Avalanche, NLL Colorado Mammoth, Pepsi Center, Paramount Theatre, Altitude Premium Consulting, Opera Shop production services group and co-owner of the AFL Colorado Crush and Universal Lending Pavilion – and the city of Commerce City, Colorado.
Real Salt Lake's coach John Ellinger is either a dolt when it comes to player moves or so incredibly that most of us just can't see how he's putting together a team that will finally make the playoffs (let alone win the MLS Cup). Not even a week and a half ago Ellinger sent Nick Rimando to New York Red Bulls for a the MLS equivalent of a bag of peanuts (i.e. "future considerations"). And within a week there were first rumors and now confirmation that Scott Garlick is retiring. Garlick rarely looked good last year and often struggled just to look average for a goalkeeper in Major League Soccer. So in many ways this move is neither surprising nor would it normally hurt the team. Only that for some odd reason he waited until the new pre-season to make the decision. And the team for some odd reason had already clearly decided that despite having the worst defense in the league last year, they weren't looking to replace him. How did Ellinger not see this coming? Surely this isn't coming completely out of the blue for the coach. And even if he's brave (or would that be daft?) enough to count on a wet behind the ears Seitz to come out of the draft and perform well as a starter, it doesn't look as though Ellinger has a contingency plan for who would be Seitz's back-up that can step in when Seitz is gone this summer playing for the US. Surely Rimando is normally worth more than "future considerations". And given the bind Real Salt Lake is in right now, surely Rimando is worth a lot more than that to them. What is Ellinger thinking?
