Sounders FC Update

MelloDawg

With the looming departure of Jeff Parke and questions at the midfield, the Sounders face some tough questions over the offseason. What say you all?

DerekJohnson

I'm already starting to regret this.

Ping

This is really gay.

MelloDawg

While I can take credit for the idea, I give all credit to DJ for the creation of this board.

Sounders set to sign Honduran midfielder Wilmer Crisanto in January, btw. Great acquisition...or greatest acquisition?

hairofthedawg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6BLZRtQiCQ

TierbsHsotBoobs

tl;dw

SweatpantsGeneral

This is a classy forum. I'll take a half caf de-caf no whip with a twist of lemon.

Mooser42

I can't believe the Council of Flooding approved this shit

DerekJohnson

Koopdog, you're a classy customer.

SweatpantsGeneral

Wait Derek I thought my $ go me part ownership. STAFF TRUE?!?!

DerekJohnson

Customer of the bistro, that is to say

MelloDawg

Sounders rumored to be acquiring Honduran midfielder Wilmer Crisanto in January. Potential replacement for Mauro Rosales? You decide.

Mooser42

MelloDawg said:

Sounders rumored to be acquiring Honduran midfielder Wilmer Crisanto in January. Potential replacement for Mauro Rosales? You decide.

Can he play offensive line? Who am I kidding... sark will just covert him to a running back.

Global

MelloDawg said:

Sounders rumored to be acquiring Honduran midfielder Wilmer Crisanto in January. Potential replacement for Mauro Rosales? You decide.

As you doubtless know, his name popped up around Labor Day along with Icelandic player, and he was thought to be a good offseason signing. He looks to be a rising young talent.

But the team needs to do much more to take the talent level to where it is needed for an MLS CUp run.

DerekJohnson

Alright you two, get a room

MikeDamone

DerekJohnson said:

Alright you two, get a room

Actually, they do have a room. Thankfully.

MelloDawg

DJ is right. The Bistro IS the room for all talk of the beautiful game.

I remember the Icelandic guy, Gudjohnnsen, seemed promising at a reserve league match as did that Romanian Ogararu. Need more allocation $$$ though

Global

Mello

Yes, seems so. But nobody signed, and the Sounders need to spend more to keep up with LA.

MelloDawg

Roth, Hannauer and others swear that money won't be a factor in terms of pursuing the MLS Cup, whatever that ends up meaning. As much as guys like Rosales have helped, this philosophy of young Central-American players doesn't get the job done for me.

MikeDamone

MelloDawg said:

, this philosophy of young Central-American players doesn't get the job done for me.

Too much teeth?

Global

MelloDawg said:

Roth, Hannauer and others swear that money won't be a factor in terms of pursuing the MLS Cup, whatever that ends up meaning. As much as guys like Rosales have helped, this philosophy of young Central-American players doesn't get the job done for me.

Agree about the young Central American players. They are fairly talented usually, and cheaper than their European counterparts or even most South American counterparts. If they have been in Central America, it is typically the minor leagues of the Hispanic futbol world. Getting a transfer to a better paying S. American club or to the US, is a good step for them, or even better for them, to a decent European club.

But if money truly was not a factor, the Sounders would not be buying from here, but from the better clubs of S America or Europe. They get bargains and diamonds in the rough with their strategy, but it is financially driven.

But the old NASL went bankrupt by diving too heavily into expensive European talent pools. As a young guy, I worked for a while with the old NASL Sounders. As you doubtless know, the Cosmos were the LA Galaxy of that era, with expensive guys like Pele, Beckenbauer, Chinaglia, Alberto, etc.
That is clearly not a good economic model without much better stadium attendance and BIG TV contracts.

So I wonder how the Galaxy do what they do? The economics of their team is something Seattle needs to understand. Can it be emulated?