MLS Player Movement & (Some) Ratings

I've seen the title for Soccer New England's Ins 'n' Outs feature more than once; it clocks player movement throughout the league whether by draft, trade or waiver. But it wasn't till today that had the sense to check it out. Having done so, allow me to recommend it whole-heartedly. I know I'd forgotten about half of this stuff since it happened.

Since I've got a spot of time, I thought I'd make some mental notes on the moves completed so far. This won't be as thorough as Soccer New England's work by any means - that'll get you to visit their site, which seems fair since they did all the work - but, hopefully, it'll give all y'all something to think about.

Taking them by team (and briefly) and confessing up front that I know so little about the drafted players that I'll, essentially, ignore them:

Chicago Fire: As much as I've got a soft spot for Nate Jaqua, I don't think losing him will hurt the Fire all that much. Andy Herron for Ryan Coiner, on the other hand, that one has me puzzled.

Chivas USA: I still love the Guevara acquistion. Can't wait to see Preki as a coach...even if I'm prepped for failure. Losing Regan, that's something else too.

Colorado Rapids: As much as some of the waivers would make me nervous, Colorado has reloaded tolerably well over the off-season.

Columbus Crew: Hmm. I think they helped themselves with Herron, but the other acquisitions seem so, I dunno, anonymous. Then again, they got so busy during the last season. Again, hmmm...

DC United: Looking forward to seeing Tom Soehn in charge and Emilio Luciano play, but wonder if they didn't set themselves up for a transitional year after stripping down so much of the roster.

FC Dallas: Yikes. Time reload, guys.

Houston Dynamo: Largely standing pat, but can you blame them? They're still pretty solid.

Kansas City Wizards: Picking up Hartman was a good thing. I still like "El Gato," even if he screws up royally at least twice a season; the rest of the team can pick up the slack, right?

Los Angeles Galaxy: I still don't get the Cannon trade...honestly. And, yeah, the Beckham thing is fine, I wish Jaqua the best and all that, but....I dunno. There's just something irking me here.

New England Revolution: I didn't know bitterness was spelled "C-A-N-C-E-L-A." Seriously, how much of that guy's life did the Revs waste? OK, one exception to the general exclusion of draftees: I'm very interested in seeing how Amaechi Igwe does in MLS.

Red Bull New York: This comment may bite me later, but I don't think RBNY has done much wrong this off-season. Even though I think Chivas did well to pick up Guevara, I think RBNY was no less wise to let him go. But I've got a sneaking suspicion that getting back Tim Regan, picking up Eric Denton, and swiping Dave van den Bergh will pay off.

Real Salt Lake: The Adu move was pretty high risk; I hope it pays off for all concerned. And I like that they nabbed Rimando, even though I think I remember seeing some chatter from DC fans that he's slowed down a bit.

Toronto FC: In Ronnie O'Brien, Jose Cancela, Paul Nagamura, as well as the Edson Buddle/Alecko Eskandarian experiment, I think they've got the core of a team capable of competing in the league. If the Canadians they've signed, about whom I know too little to comment, come up just as good, they should be fine. All in all, I think this year's expansion entry did all right.

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