[nas] FW: MLS Confidential - Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2002

[<big_dog@fastmail.fm>]

Title: FW: MLS Confidential - Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2002

> ***********************************************************
> Soccer America MLS Confidential ... Nov. 5, 2002
> ***********************************************************
>
> MLS CONFIDENTIAL
> by Ridge Mahoney
> Senior Editor
> Soccer America Magazine
>
> Contents
> 1. Beasts in the East
> 2. Trade Talk
> 3. Waived
> 4. Sitters
>
> 1. BEASTS IN THE EAST: On paper, the Eastern Conference has become a 
> lot tougher in the past month.
>
> Just five points separated conference champion New England from 
> fifth-place D.C. United, but as a conference, the East posted a 
> 19-33-8 record against the West. No Eastern team finished with a .500 
> record in games with Western teams.
>
> With a stronger coaching roster than it had at the start of 2001, the 
> East may tilt the balance of power between conferences more in its 
> direction.
>
> Bob Bradley has taken the reins of the Metros, a notoriously 
> underachieving franchise that is aiming its marketing focus squarely 
> at the New Jersey soccer culture from which Bradley emerged.
>
> "He's very excited about the stadium prospects. He loves the location 
> of it," said General Manager Nick Sakiewicz of a proposed stadium in 
> Harrison, N.J. "We need to go into the new stadium in a great 
> fashion. It's nice to have a local guy back and he happens to be the 
> winningest coach in the league, so that's real important."
>
> His replacement in Chicago, Dave Sarachan, has no pro head coaching 
> experience yet is primed and ready to make the jump from assistant to 
> top dog.
>
> Fire GM Peter Wilt says former England international Bryan Robson and 
> midfielder Hristo Stoitchkov were among those who expressed interest 
> in the job, but tabbing the former D.C. United and U.S. national team 
> assistant coach made sense.
>
> "We're looking for someone who will continue the environment that Bob 
> and his staff worked so hard to create with the team," said Wilt 
> during the search. "That pertains to a commitment to hard work, an 
> attention to detail and excellence in working for each other.
>
> "It's best to bring in a coach who has a knowledge of U.S. colleges, 
> the U.S. minor-league system, and Major League Soccer players and 
> systems. That's why for a foreign coach without time in the U.S., 
> it's very difficult to make that jump."
>
> One of the coaches who made that jump after spending some time in the 
> U.S. is Steve Nicol, who cleared away the clutter after taking over 
> in May and has been rewarded with a new contract.
>
> Nicol also cleared some cap space Monday by waiving Juergen Sommer 
> and could hack off another big chunk by dealing Alex Pineda Chacon or 
> persuading him to sign a new deal for less than his current figure of 
> $175,000.
>
> D.C. United is pondering a major shakeup as Coach Ray Hudson scouts 
> talent foreign and domestic.
>
> Hudson was in Britain last month to meet with former Dutch 
> international Arthur Numan of Glasgow Rangers and French 
> ex-international David Ginola, among others, and will spent two weeks 
> in Argentina scouting players, which according to the Washington Post 
> include former U-17 and U-20 international midfielder Cesar LaPaglia 
> of Talleres de Cordoba.
>
> Open Cup champion Columbus is set well enough that Coach Greg 
> Andrulis didn't waive anybody, but he has issues to be settled with 
> midfielders John Harkes and John Wilmar Perez.
>
>
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>
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>
>
> 2. TRADE TALK: Waivers were supposed to be announced Monday but the 
> deadline was pushed back to allow sufficient time for the players to 
> be notified.
>
> Trade buzz has also been affecting waiver decisions.
>
> D.C. United has renewed its efforts to pry Dante Washington away from 
> Columbus while trying to find a taker for Jaime Moreno and his big 
> salary, with the Metros on the list of possibles.
>
>
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> **************
>
>
> 3. WAIVED: Defenders Craig Waibel of Los Angeles and Rick Titus of 
> Colorado were among the players cut loose.
>
> Waibel, who played 12 games for the Galaxy this past season, dropped 
> a notch on the depth chart with the signing of South Korean World Cup 
> veteran Hong Myung Bo.
>
> Hong, 33, holds a green card, so the Galaxy retains an open senior 
> international slot. Striker Carlos Ruiz and midfielder Simon Elliott 
> fill two of the slots.
>
> Titus, the A-League Defender of the Year in 2001 with Vancouver, 
> commandeered a regular spot but fell out of favor by belittling 
> Dallas late in the season.
>
> After the Burn thrashed Colorado, 4-1, in the first game of their 
> quarterfinal series, Tim Hankinson dropped Titus and changed his 
> defensive scheme. Colorado won Game 2 and the series tiebreaker to 
> advance.
>
> The highest-profile, and probably the highest-paid player to be 
> waived is Ted Chronoplous, a seven-year veteran released by the 
> Metros. He earned nearly $100,000 last year.
>
> 4. SITTER: Agent Richard Motzkin has flown to Europe to discuss the 
> Landon Donovan situation with Bayer Leverkusen officials.
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