Sarachanned! (cont'd.)

I already posted my immediate reaction to the sacking of "Big" Dave Sarachan, but have come across some good stuff since then...just thought I'd share.

To begin, no commentary could be complete without checking in with The Chicago Fire Offside blog. Naturally, a good post appeared there and you'll find some real gems in the comments.

Elsewhere, Luis Arroyave throws in more quotes from Chris Armas, who was clearly unhappy with Sarachan being "relieved" of his duties. The money line in that collection:

"Dave believed in the organization. He loved the players," Armas said. "As he goes, Jesse [Marsch] goes, and then we leave--what's left out there? Maybe a whole new team."

Finally, Ives Galarcep weighed in as well and, I'm bound to admit, he framed the writing on the wall a little better than I did:

"Chicago was respectable last season but instead of building on that the Fire has been mediocre and could be in danger of missing the playoffs."

When I write about a "lack of sunshine on the horizon" that's what I'm getting at: even with the full squad that started the season, Chicago didn't look like much; they were too old in some places, too young in others.

Knowing Armas will retire after this season, I kind of feel for the guy - not least because he's definitely had his share of shitty luck. Anyway, your swan-song ought to be pretty...as opposed to the sound of the swan beind slowly strangled...

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When Revs Deal: Subtraction by...Subtraction

The Boston Globe reported this morning (or possibly yesterday) that the New England Revolution waived Daniel Hernandez - a personal favorite of mine, for the record - and that Joe Franchino will miss the rest of 2007. The same article mentions the impending/potential arrival of replacements, who are described by Revs coach Steve Nicol thusly:

"We are working on a couple. One's a name and the other's not a name but we think he will be a great player. We are close with some stuff, but it's not done until it's done."

To be blunt, those "couple" players had better be something more than a couple names I read in the paper. The Revs are stagnating so far as I'm concerned and that opinion doesn't lack for seconds. The team needs new blood - preferably in bodies more than a year or two removed from the college game. And suggestions that Steve Nicol views the "emergence" of Jeff "Big Red" Larentowicz to justify letting Hernandez go only ups the anxiety. (Yeah, I know Soccer New England's reporter wrote the line, but Nicol suggests it in his quotes in the prior link.)

Tell me you're ditching Hernandez to clear space, or because a train wrecked in his groin, that's one thing: but telling me Larentowicz is anywhere near as good...I'm not buying it.

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