I'll take the chance that this isn't just an April Fool's joke, and post that MLS has decided to allow team to sign up to three Designated Players. Seattle will probably make use of this new rule to bring in another big name player. And I know who I want. Juan Roman Riquelme.Don't let the sexually suggestive photograph fool you, this guy is still interested in playing soccer. Riquelme is a big guy who plays as an attacking central midfielder and can create as well as maintain possession. Get Brad Evans out of the lineup and put Riquelme in.
This new development takes me one step closer to being right about NYRB signing Thierry Henry once the World Cup is over. With another DP slot, NYRB can bring in Henry and not worry about having to convince Henry to accept a huge pay cut to fit under the salary cap.
THIS IS HUGE! But there is just as much upside as downside.
ReplyDeleteI only see a three DP option benefiting three teams, Seattle, LA, and New York.
NY has the market, but they just spent $200 million on a new stadium. They are trying like crazy to sign Thierry Henry, and if they get him I'm guessing they will stop there.
Seattle and LA will take full advantage. With rosters that already look better than the rest of the league, expect the Western Conference finals to be the true championship.
The rest of the league is struggling to keep up so this will only push them further behind.
Good news for us!
So who do we sign!
ReplyDeleteGotta agree with Luis on this, Riquelme would be a dream signing. His contract is up this summer so why not give him a try.
Deco- This is a stretch, but he hasn't been able to establish himself at Chelsea. He'd be the first Sounder with a champions League title to his name.
Fernando Morientes- Getting older, but he is a proven goal scorer. Currently with Marseille
What I would love most would be to sign Thierry Henry. He was rumored to join Sounders two years ago, and is a former team mate of Ljungberg. If he joins MLS, I give it a 33% chance he signs with us.
I say Riquelme because I think we need a strong central midfielder who can create. I wonder whether adding another forward as a DP would have too much talent in the same place (Kufo, Ljungberg, and a DP forward - three guys who all want to play offense only). I don't think I want to use a DP slot on a guy in defense, either, when that is a strength of our team right now. So I'm going to vote for a central midfield type. Deco would be great as well. What about Clarence Seedorf?
ReplyDeleteOf course Seedorf would help the team win, but he is more of a defensive midfielder. Which brings up an entirely new topic. Now that teams have 3 DPs instead of 1, do they still have to be attack minded and famous, or will the MLS allow talent in any position on the field.
ReplyDeleteOr will they use it on current players they want to keep? What if SSFC decides to pay Montero $800,000/season to keep him from going to Europe - they could use the third DP slot that way.
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