To protect or not to protect, that is the question…
Today is a busy day on the competetive side of things for Real Salt Lake. On top of signing defender Jamison Olave to a contract extension, today is the day that the protection lists from all 14 MLS teams are due for Wednesday’s expansion draft for the new Seattle Sounders FC. We’ll get to the list in a moment, but before we do there were a couple other pertinent moves that had an effect on the decision making process.
RSL finished the season with five players who enjoyed Generation Adidas status during the 2008 campaign; Nik Besagno, Tony Beltran, Alex Nimo, Chris Seitz, and Yura Movsisyan (Yura was not officially Gen. Adi. but his status was effectively the same). Both Besagno and Yura were graduated today, while Alex, Tony, and Chris remain in the program. This is important because Gen. Adi. players are automatically protected in the expansion draft process and do not take up one of the team’s 11 protection slots.
When coupling these moves with the competition changes announced this weekend, RSL has made the decision to release Dustin Kirby, Kenny Cutler, and Nik Besagno. The remainder of the roster, including their status regarding the expansion draft is listed after the break…
Protected
- Kyle Beckerman
- Nick Rimando
- Javier Morales
- Jamison Olave
- Will Johnson
- Yura Movsisyan
- Robbie Findley
- Nat Borchers
- Robbie Russell
- Chris Wingert
- Fabian Espindola
Generation Adidas (Automatically Protected)
- Chris Seitz
- Tony Beltran
- Alex Nimo
Unprotected
- Andy Williams
- Nathan Sturgis
- Dema Kovalenko
- Kenny Deuchar
- Ian Joy
- Clint Mathis
- David Horst
- Brennan Tennelle
- Kevin Reiman
- Kyle Reynish
- Tino Nunez
There it is folks… The draft takes place Wednesday morning and the selections will be announced that afternoon.
What do you think of the lists? Any big mistakes?
24 Nov 2008 RSL HQ
i think RSL got it right for the first time. about time they dropped RSL’s first ever pick Besagno was a waste of money and waste of a first round pick. what a joke that was… Thanks pastorino for that piece of crap pick!!
Cutler had to go, he is serviceable but the league has stepped up in talent in the last 3 years and he isnt at this level. He will do just fine in the USL.
I like the moves that RSL has made and they need to make some more moves to try and repeat what they did this last season.
THANK GOD THE PREVIOUS REPORTS WERE FALSE!
- Rimando protected
- Sturgis unprotected
I agree 100% with the list of protected players… and with that said, can see Seattle picking up Deuchar or Sturgis.
Good job RSLFO for keeping Olave and for making the right call with your protected/unprotected list.
The Tribune reported that Rimando was unprotected didn’t they? Which is correct?
I think the list is great. I know Sturgis may have the talent, but Rimando isn’t injured and he has done great for us. I would hate to see Williams go, but I’m glad they left him unprotected so we could protect other players. Deuchar, Mathis, Joy, and Kovalenko are all top notch players, but haven’t added much to our team overall. But, they can only take one. It is nice to have somewhat of a bench finally! Good list. Let’s keep up the good work!
I love what RSL has done so far. Jason and crew have my trust all the way but I am still scared. We need to keep Joy, Williams, and Deuchar, other than that it looks great.
I think you guys nailed the 11. Way to go RSL!! I will sleep better tonight.
It’s tough to only choose XI and I don’t know if not being on the protected list is a slight, but I don’t see the reason to protect Rimando. He played wonderfully and I fully expect and hope to see him as our GK next year, but Seattle has a GK and I don’t see them using a pick to get him. I could be wrong, but I may have made that gamble.
Both the Deseret News and Salt Lake Tribune report that Sturgis is protected and that Rimando is not. Can anyone clear up the confusion?
Seattle better not pick Andy! There are a few quality players Seattle could pick.
I am glad we just lose one player. That in itself is a testament to the great job JK and GL have done this last year.
I support this list for the MLS cup next year.
the protected XI obviously shows that JK is building for the future. like many RSL supporters i would hate to see andy williams go and i wonder if sturgis is worth keeping around. it would obviously be fantastic if he could stay healthy but who knows what the chances of that are. my guess is that SFC would take deuchar(though i still believe he deserves a chance).
I agree with the FO on the list, isn’t it a luxury to have to worry about who we are going to leave unprotected?
I’m willing to bet we will be familiar with the majority of the starting XI next season which is wonderful considering the amount of change we’ve gone through in past off-seasons.
As I understand it Seattle can only take 10 players total in the expansion draft, and can only take 1 player from any one team. Some may wonder why the FO chose to protect Rimando instead of Sturgis when Seattle already has Keller. One possible reason is that Seattle could pick Rimando and then trade him. Also, with the late season acquistions of Will Johnson and Robbie Russell it may have made Sturgis less of a priority.
Best of luck to Kenny Cutler and the other players released today.
It’s sad to see Andy and Dema on the unprotected list, but I don’t know who you’d throw out of the protected list… I think those are solid picks.
That being said, I hope when RSL’s roster is drawn up that Seattle is looking for a defender… :). I wouldn’t be terribly sad to see Joy, Mathis, or Deuchar go (though I like Ian’s style).
Last minute decision to change Sturgis for Rimando. I doubt that Seattle will take Deuchar since apparently they are set on taking Nate Jacqua from Houston, and he is the same type of player as Deuchar. I don’t see Seattle taking a chance on Sturgis with his injury history and I think for that reason the FO made the Rimando/ Sturgis decision. I think Seattle will probably select Joy. I hope they take Kovalenko since it would free up $200k+ in salary cap space.
Deuchar for Findley as far as the lists. I see Findley and Yura as the same player, and we could use a different option up front.
Seattle: please choose Mathis.
with the list of unprotected players, I don’t think Seattle will risk picking an older player (mathis, dema, andy) and I doubt they would pick the oft injured Sturgis, they need a player they can count on to be a solid pick and able to fill a need on their roster, I can see Ian going to Seattle. I hope not but if I were looking at the RSL list that is the move I would make.
A lot will depend on the final lists from all the teams, but they already have a striker and two midfielders to go along with Keller. I expect their first picks will be defenders and then build their midfield depth and look for them to go international for potential strikers.
Roster spots are a lot more precious with the new 24 man roster, that is 4 fewer players per squad and for an expansion team that will be a lot of pressure to pick well in both the expansion and super drafts.
Oh Snap! We left Cleetus exposed?? Dude was sooo instrumental in our playoff run. If we lose that playmaker, wtf are we to do next year?
Sturgis is too fragile, he will have a history of injuries, guaranteed. I’ve never seen an athlete take 6 months to bounce back from a pulled hammy.
I think that Seattle will take Kenny D, he is a player unlike most in the MLS. Fantastic ability to get his head on the ball. However, we have nobody other than javier to serve him a good ball ( Yura had 1 assist all season- wow). Yura is a fantastic forward but not much of an sasist man.
One last thing, lets all reach out and thank Pastorino for the fanastic job he did as GM the first 3 years of the franchise. That number 1 pick on a 16 year old high schooler- what a fantastic choice! Ha ha i think nick made about 300k or so from us! Good for him.
im satisfied with the list. i think i will miss the reserve division, not sure though. i hope we dont lose joy or williams.
Out of the unprotected list, the only ones I would really be sad to see go would be Dema, Joy, and of course Andy. While some of the others have contributed, I wouldn’t feel too bad about them going. Overall the prodtected XI were a pretty good call I’d say.
Let Dema and Kenny go or re-negotiate their contracts. Neither is worth $200.
PS Clint is a good player, just not a starter.
Clint is a good player, but doesn’t fit on this team, especially when coach is his best friend forever and is too blind to play a better forward. Clint needs to find a home where he can be playmaker- we already have javier and Williams. He is too slow and not aggressive enough to play forward anyway. Good luck Clint- here’s to hoping the front office makes Jason put you out to pasture.
Great picks, I would have chosen the same 11. BIG QUESTION? How in the Hell are we not in the champions league or the sugerliga??? MLS screwed us on this decision. We go to the western conference championship, lose, but outplay new york, and we are not considered one of the top 8 teams in the league? This is totally ridiculous! Can anyone give a reason as to why we were left out?
I think it’s a good selection of players. I agree with some of you above that IF they take from RSL it’s going to be Joy, or Dema. Neither do I want to lose, but I think Seattle will build from the back. I think you also have to consider who other teams could use, because I think we’re losing someone, and I think Seattle will be doing some trading.
Safe-
Mathis- is to old and they already have aged players
Andy- age again, and is anyone going to want to move his family right now? He may take his mind off the game more?
Sturgis- injuries, he’s doing no one any good
Dr. Goals?- he did’nt live up to it here, maybe if Cooper jumps the pond, we could trade him to Dallas?
At risk-
Dema- is mean and solid when active, he’s been moved around a lot already and adjusted to it. So despite his high salary, he’s an effective mid.
Joy- European experience, definite quality, injuries are the only reason I would’nt pick him up.
The rest of the boys I could deal with losing.
Once again- Good Job Jason and RSLFO!
I think losing Williams and Joy would be a huge loss to the team. I think both are the 2 most unsung heroes on the field.
I certainly hope that Seattle does not take Andy, Dema, Deuchar, or Joy. Everyone of these guys is a starter or excellent off the bench.
I think it would be really great to see a healthy Sturgis for one season, but because I have only seen him play for 10 minutes I would not mind him being picked up. I also would not mind Clint being picked up. I think he helped us out at the end of the season, but I am not emotionally attached to him as a player.
I bet they will pick Besagno though. He is from Seattle you know.
so let me just say i know deuchar didn’t do much this year, but i do not want him to be traded. the reason being if he goes somewhere, where they have a excellent crosser, i fear he would punish us and alot of other teams in the league. i think if the refs weren’t so terrible in our league he would be fantastic. remember when he first arrived he man handled everyone. only to get a yellow and have foul after foul called on him. so i agree with a comment above try to re-negotiate his contract, i just fear he is better then we all might think.
Good choices as well, although it would be really tough to see Andy go. He brings a lot to the team.
To answer the CL, Superliga question above…
We lost out because DCU won the US Open Cup and Red Bull made the MLS Cup Finals. Kind of a bummer, but thats life.
Good Riddance to Besagno! Andy needs to stay. Sturgis is an amazing player and I would love to see him get healthy this next year. I saw him play with olympic qualifiers and other US U-23 (i think U-23). That kid has skill. WE just need him healthy so I hope he can stay.
I hope Seattle takes Cleetus…That is one thing that I think Jason has done wrong was bring him back..besides that …Bravo Jason!
Did anyone see some of the players that some of the other MLS teams left unprotected? Waibel and Onstad of Houston? Davino and Pitchkolan of Dallas, Abe Thompson with KC? Gallardo of DC? Noonan and Evans of Columbus? and Terry Cooke and McManus of Colorado? Looks like Seattle will have a lot of good choices. Hopefully enough to shy away from taking someone on our list, with the exception of Deuchar, Mathis, and Sturgis, all of whom are very expendable (and expensive) for our roster. I think it would really hurt us if Dema, Ian Joy, or Andy Williams were picked up.
Great move in getting rid of Besagno. It looks like we are using his salary of 150K a year to keep Olave.
Hopefully, RSL looks to add a great quality striker this year. Lets face it we need a guy that can put in 10+ goals a year and that would be a difference of about 4-5 wins for us.
any official statement as to why rsl has been left out of superliga and champion’s league consideration? 8 other teams made it in including teams we beat in the playoffs and teams that didn’t make the playoffs. reasoning?
seattle will take joy or williams and hopefully we’ll buy him back like we did with kreis last time. we finally enjoyed some depth last season for the first time and i’d hate to lose either of those players.
All I’m going to say is that if Cleetus leaves, you Yura lovers better be prepared to suffer the first of the season Yura. Cleetus and Deuchar both open the field for Yura to have several one on ones. All though he only makes like 3% of his shots, those 3% helped us get far in the playoffs. I think they should have either kept Kenny or Clint and freed up Findlay. I also hope they don’t make a large deal with Yura since I think his inconsistancy will kill us later.
I also hate possibly losing Joy. Overall I like both Wingert and Joy, but reality is they both cant give any service to the box and that stinks and one has to go.
We are out of the SuperLiga and Champions Cup, because we finished 3rd in the West and every team in those competitions had a better season either in the regular season or in the playoffs than we did. Simple.
We can only lose one player, Seattle can pick a total of 10.
For the Mathis haters, umm look at our record when he was in the line up, we were a much better overall team when he was in, he created chances and allowe Javi more freedom to move around and create.
I do not expect Andy to be selected, but since the rules on contracts are so tight this might be a way to try and get him and his family more money.
I posted my thoughts on who Seattle should take, I put Joy on the list because they will need to build a solid defense, my biggest worry for them is playing on field turf can make injuries a real problem and now with a smaller roster, they could really be pressed to ensure players they select are very durable.
Chad-
We didn’t qualify for the Superliga as we did not have one of the top 4 records in the regular season. Also we don’t qualify for the Champions league as we did not win the MLS cup, were not the runner-up, have the best regular season record, or win the US Open Cup. We unfortunately won’t be playing for any other cups than the US Open Cup.
I agree with Socko. Deuchar hasnt been made the most of. We dont have any quality crossers of the ball except Morales (he cant be everywhere,although he tries). The Good Doctor is great in the air with a record of scoring goals at a higher and comparable level. I think barring injuries our best strikeforce is Espindola And Deuchar. Yura is useful, but for every goal he scores he needs about 10 chances. His talimanic properties keep him in the side.
Maybe its time to use that DP slot for a good winger or even pick up someone in the league who can swing them in there. Too many times we ending cutting inside and relying on Morales
No big mistakes on the lists. It’s a real credit to Jason and Garth when they have to make such difficult decisions like this.
If I could make any change I would protect Joy instead of either Movsisyan or Findley. Ian’s still young and plays with tons of heart. And with his international experience I think he’s much more valuable than either of our young strikers, especially when Yura and Robbie have a hard time finding the back of the net most games. I know, Yura got us into the playoffs and past Chivas and everything, but he still has a lot of learning to do. In my mind, Ian is every bit as valuable as Wingert.
But here’s to hoping IF Seattle does take any of our players…. Cleetus, please?
I just read the thing about Olave and I just need to say that if he is going to stay around until 2012 then we need to put his picture up on his articals. If I see another picture of Robbie Russell on an Olave thing I think Im going to throw up. The front picture is Olave but then you click on the artical you see standing there Robbie Russell.
Looks like we kept our defense pretty solid by protecting some key players in the back!! Hopefully their chemistry continues to improve so we don’t see some of the mistakes in lack of communication we saw earlier and even later on this season! All in all, a good list!! Let’s hope Seattle skips us by with some of the ones unprotected.
All I can say is I hope they don’t take Andy, he is such a value to us I think. I also have really enjoyed seeing Dema play for us, so I certainly hope he is with us for the next season as well as Ian Joy, deffinately a joy to watch for us. It’s a relief that Rimando’s protected now too, all we can do is hope for the best I guess, and its not like we want to loose any of them (well with the exception of Mathis in most people’s minds) I just wish we could have maybe 12 or 13 safe spots haha! It would sure put my mind somewhat more at rest tomorrow.
The list is spot on in my opinion. Losing Bomma is my biggest fear, but I don’t think he is rated as high as he should be across the league. The other players in danger of being swiped away are Kovalenko, Deuchar, and Joy. I honestly don’t think they would use a precious draft selection on the highly injury prone and untested (in MLS) Sturgis. I hope he gets healthy and stronger in the offseason so he can contribute for an entire season for us. He is a classy player and I think he will stay.
re: Durak
I totally agree. Not having Deuchar or Mathis would be bad for Yura.
In reality Yura has made about 10% of his shots (and scored 21% of his shots when they were on goal) he scores on average every 175 minutes. That said, I am always worried that this has been a fluke-that its all been luck (he’s even said that about his two most recent 90th minute goals). i think he could be a good striker for us, but i am not resting my hope on him. he should be depth, not in the starting 11. but right now he’s basically all we have (healthy at least)
RSL STILL NEEDS A SCORING FORWARD!!!
I cannot argue with the list two much, with the lone issue being protecting Rimando, I really don’t think he would have been taken with Seattle already having Keller.
Most at risk has to be Joy and Sturgis.
I really hope Seattle is dumb enough to take Mathis!!!
Nice move in re-signing Olave, and letting Besagno go.
I have to agree that the list is pretty good. I’m a big Williams fan so it’s a little hard to see him on the unprotected list, but I can understand that RSL is looking toward the future and Andy doesn’t have that many years left. The only person I might have left unprotected in place of Williams, is Yura. I think Yura is a good player and I’m glad he had some crucial goals, but I’m not completely sold on him. I think he’d be a better player and score a lot more goals if he would shoot on a first or second touch rather than always trying to make five cutbacks. If he can learn to do that in the off season than I’ll be more than happy that we kept him protected. Overall, GOOD JOB RSL!
why did we not hear about getting espy on a contract? it has not been his year, but sure demonstrated that he can score for us, and they way he plays with javi is like they understand each other well. he make s javi look even better. i also wish deuchar stays and we can get him scoring as well, he sure brings a lot to our game.
All I can say Andy Williams……
Aj and Durak- Are your last names Mathis?
Yeah, our run at the end of the season was due to Mathis loafing arund midfield “freeing” up space for Yura! If you watched the games, you were either not watching our forawrds or you don’t know anything about soccer. Yura was consistently double-triple teamed, nobody paid attention to Clint- he roamed free- check the game at Chivas. Yura is young, but extremely talented and fast. He is what, like 20? Definitely getting better as his confidence grows. He plays well with Espindola or Findley, where defenders have to actually mark another forward. Our late goals all came after Williams went in. Much better flow and creativity with Boma, not so many effing over-the-top balls. It is not Clint, as evidenced by his 0 assists, 0 goals, 0 anything but a few close misses. I will bame kreis for bringing in his buddy, conflict of interest anyone,? for not finishing this season like the other guys deserved…
We don’t need another forward, we need to train Findley to play wing, and use DP to get another star wing- I say Mexican National for our latino brothers to come support us instead of Chivas, Blanco, etc. If we can keep Deucher, Espindola and Findley- those guys can get it done in this league.
Let Kenny go! He is hype. All you out there who hate Clint, should hate Kenny for the same reason. They are good when they are good and when they are bad they are really bad. $250 a year for Kenny who scored 3 goals and 2 assists. Come on!
Wingert is the best back (both right and left) we have and he can get up and down the field.
Dema is great at what he does. But I have faith in Sturgis or Russel or even Beckerman playing the d-mid position. Despite what position he played last game he can’t play wing in the diamond. And he earns $200 a year.
yeah BABY! we still got Beckerman!!! haha the 11 looks good. but some people i am alittle nervous about. we have a lot of forwards. they really must want high scoring games. i can’t wait for the next season!!!
Looks more and more like we will lose Ian Joy which is a real shame, perhaps we should have protected Joy and risked Rimando, hard to imagine Seattle taking Rimando.
But we will get to keep Mathis and that has to make 3-4 people in Utah happy.
I still believe in Kenny Deucher, he had a tough first year but I really think he is able to be a scorer in the MLS. His play along Espindola was much better than after Espindola was hurt.
Yura was a no brainer to be protected, he will only get better and better.
Its kind of hard to see Kenny on the list he does so much on the pitch that no one else can do as for his lack of goals he is from a place where they play the game diffrent and it takes some time to adjust and while the 2 other players are raping our 6 foot striker bam there an open Javier or whichever striker is on the other side but to compare Kenny to Clint is almost criminal did clint ever score more than 20 goals in a season hell how bout a decade!!! And I hope Seattle looks at Andy and see that he and his family is better here in Salt Lake City.
re: georg
“Yura was a no brainer to be protected, he will only get better and better.
Thats if he doesn’t become injury ridden. Everyone, and I mean everyone has to admit that he is somewhat of a pansy. I mean at the Saprissa game he went down by a hand slap and then rolled around aimlessly. I think he will peak in 5-6 years, but I don’t know if his botched shots in the meantime are worth waiting for.
All:
The front two should be Espindola and preferably Deuchar, but also Mathis is sufficient. Yura and Findlay need to continue to come on late (70th minute or so) when the opposition is fatigued.
I know this thread is not about Kenny, but I found this:
article.http://levyashin.blogspot.com/2008/05/kenny-deuchar-underpaid-so-is-bill.html
I agree with the commentator. He is not good enough for the big stage. I agree MLS is not the big stage, but 3 goals and 2 assists. If we keep him, I hope he can do more than that.
I think Kries picked all the right people to protect, and all I can hope now is the Seattle will take Deuchar away. I cannot handle another year of him missing every goal he goes for.
That’s a good list. Well done Kreis and Co!
re:SkinnyJ
What is it with some people!? We disagree on a players role and suddenly we “don’t know anything about soccer”? A bit presumptuous don’t ya think?
I defended Yura by getting his actual averages for the season (they are second only to Espindolas I believe). Yura has the talent to develope. He just needs to stop looking at his feet when he’s in the box. Also, its easy for a team to shut him down–they know he isnt going to pass the ball once he has it up top, so all they have to do is “consistently double-triple” team him and we are usually guaranteed to lose possession. Him being carefully marked is less a reflection of his skill, and more a chance for our opponent to gain possession.
“Yura is young, but extremely talented and fast. He is what, like 20?”
He is 21. But age has NOTHING to do with it! Take Johnson for example, who is only about 7 months older. Johnson has taken 17 shots this season, 10 were on frame (better than Yura), and 2 goals (just as good as Yura’s average, better when you compare goals to total shots). In my opinion (which doesnt matter because I don’t know anything about soccer) Johnson has far better ball control than Yura. Not to mention he knows how to pass the ball. I don’t think age is an excuse for Yura. Its not for Johnson, he’s just being forced to play mid instead of forward.
I never claimed that our run at the end of the season was due to Mathis. It was due to Yura scoring two lucky late goals. Im grateful, but they were lucky. And frankly, its about time luck fell our way.
If you have read this blog with any consistency you would know that I have been highly critical of Mathis in the past. I don’t like that we bought him. I’ve felt like it was a waste of a roster spot, and a waste of salary. I still question the motives behind hiring him aswell, considering the relationship between him and Kreis. However, I am willing to recognize that Mathis has brought higher skill and intelligent play to our attack. Here’s a stat for you, the conf. championship game against NYRB was the first game RSL lost since Clint Mathis became part of the starting eleven, seven straight matches.
Mathis has set up some amazing plays, only to watch the striker botch the opportunity. You do realize that in order to get an assist SOMEONE has to score, right? If Yura hadn’t of botched some of the sweet opportunities set up by Mathis, would you still complain? I am not a Mathis lover, but I have seen him take some beautiful shots, and create great (but missed) opportunities this season, and I respect that.
Plus I don’t see why my earlier post would make anyone think I love Mathis. All I said was Yura’s results are also based on the support of our other strikers, not just his own skill.
Lastly, I don’t want a Mexican National on our team. I really cant stand the Mexican National team. They are the Italy of the Americas. No thanks you diving sissies! Kreis has built a team with no superstars, we don’t need an arrogant DP like Blanco is for Chicago. We need a quality striker who can play as a team, and who can score consistently without it having to be luck. I think I would keep Yura. I would just feel more comfortable having a stock of quality strikers–giving Kreis more options in our attack. We are deep up front, but not with the quality (or results) I would expect.
ps. disagree with me, does anyone feel differently? am i totally off? id love to hear some other opinions.
one last thing…
At the end of the day it comes down to results. I have lots of respect for Deuchar and Mathis and Findley, but Yura is the one who is scoring. He has delivered, and luck or skill, it worked for us. I would like to think that Deuchar is going to work out for us–that with someone who can provide the right service its going to mean a load of goals for him. But thus far we have seen mostly goals he should have buried no question. Mathis has put NO stats up. Any respect they are getting from RSL fans are from people who see their contributions outside of scoring. But that is the role of a striker, to score. If Garth and Jason don’t feel an urgency to signing some scoring strikers we will probably be doomed to middle of the pack. No less than 8 teams scored more goals this season than RSL; two teams matched our 40, and three scored less.
Soccer is a results based game. MLS is no exception (beside the defensively weak anomally that is LAG) and its no surprise that Columbus won the cup.
If we want that hardware, we have to put some money toward some quality scoring.
again, RSL STILL NEEDS A SCORING FORWARD!!!
See ya, Nate. Good luck in Seattle. Maybe they’ll find a nice patch of grass for you to play on.
So they took Sturgis. Oh well.
Seattle took Sturgis. I’m sorry to see him go, as I think he will make a quality player IF he can stay injury free. I think it’s a questionable pick by Seattle, since RSL has the depth to carry him with his injury troubles, but Seattle will not.
Well its offical we only lost Sturgis to seattle..thank god we keep Kenny and Andy we need somebody to provide service to Kenny
Seattle’s picks are in. Strugis was the only player taken by Seattle. Sad to see him go, but I am convinced he will ALWAYS be injury prone. He’s way too young to have so many injuries take so long to heal. Here are Seattle’s picks:
Nate Jaqua (Houston)
Brad Evans (Columbus)
Stephen King (Chicago)
Jeff Parke (New York
James Riley (San Jose)
Khano Smith (New England)
Jarrod Smith (Toronto FC)
Nathan Sturgis (Real Salt Lake)
Peter Vagenas (Los Angeles)
Tyson Wahl (Kansas City)
And the official selection by the Sounders FC is…. Nathan Sturgis. Good luck in the north-west, Nathan. I really wish things could’ve been different for ya here in Salt Lake. Hopefully you can see some consistent time on the pitch in Seattle and stay healthy! Good Luck and thanks for everything!!
They took Nathan Sturgis!! Damn…We took a gamble and it bit us in the butt two years in a row!!
Complete list as mlsnet.com or http://www.rslkicks.blogspot.com
Here is a suggestion to the FO….Moderate the blog!!!!! It takes forever to see new comments, etc!!!!
Sturgis is gone, which is pretty hard to take considering what a talent he is, perhaps we’ll get him back though. Pretty much bound to be a good player though haha i guess we still do have Andy and Dema and Ian, but I’ve always like Nathan Sturgis. Here’s to hoping we can get him back!!!
re: Aj
sheesh, got something on your mind, Aj?
I do disagree with you whole-heartedly on one point - Mexico is NOT the Italy of the Americas….. that title belongs to Guatamala.
(freakin’ Ruiz)
you have to take gambles with the expansion draft. (i will be so happy when the league is filled out and we dont have to keep doing this)
i think we came out on top with this gamble though. yeah, it would have been nice to keep sturgis, but id rather have Ian and Andy. plus, the bigger gamble would have been leaving rimando unprotected. jason did the right thing putting him on the list.
yeah i got something on my mind…winning! and with a few small tweaks to this team Jason and his crew will be doing a whole lot more of it