WVHooligan - Soccer Blog

Happy Friday to you all, hope your work week has gone well here as it is almost Happy Hour on the east coast. I figure we may as well get some news out of the way before we start downing some drinks for the start of the weekend. Also, don’t forget to buy yo momma a gift for Sunday! No product placement here but a simple reminder from your neighborhood Hooligan that Mother’s Day is Sunday!

I will start out in the Windy City. It looks as though things are as rosy as we though between the Chicago Fire and defender Wilmam Conde. Last night during MLS PrimeTime Thursday, ESPN2 reporter Pedro Gomez (I love that he is doing soccer these days, so much better than Alan Hopkins) talked about how Conde is still unhappy in Chicago.

Apparently he still isn’t happy with the Fire and after seeing how he didn’t even dress last night, things are probably going back to the way they were before the season. Right now the Fire are playing some of the best soccer that MLS has seen in some time in terms of defense and Conde hasn’t been apart of it. He’s one of the highest paid players on the Fire roster and so far he hasn’t played a full game this season.

Gomez stated that the Fire are still trying to patch things up with him in an effort to keep him in the Windy City. Also he said there was no way that the Fire would even consider trading him to an eastern conference club.

So a trade to New York still remains out of the question.

So what should the Fire do with him? Keep him on the bench until he comes to his senses? Or trade him away to a western conference club that could use his defense and that has some space to do something with him? You have to figure one of the western club has to take a serious look at him (hello LA!!) even with his personal distractions.

Or maybe they wait until the summer transfer window and try to ship him off elsewhere.

Who knows. Either way its still a sticky mess.

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Switching to the club that Conde would like to be with right now, New York. Apparently when they signed defender Andrew Boyen’s last week to a contract things weren’t as good as they had hoped. They moved one player (who’s name is escaping me) to the IR and bumped rookie Eric Brunner to the developmental roster. A move that Brunner didn’t like in the least bit.

There had been reports that Brunner threw a fit over the move and now as Ives is reporting, Brunner may no longer be with the club.

The Red Bulls dropped Brunner from its senior roster, and voided his contract, in order to make room for newly-acquired defender Andrew Boyens. Rather than accept the new developmental contract offered by the Red Bulls, Brunner has turned it down and is now weighing possibilities outside of MLS.

“Eric has decided to pass on the developmental offer, and we’re currently exploring both USL and European options,” said Leo Cullen, Brunner’s agent. “He wished something could have worked out with NY, and is hopeful that there will be an opportunity there down the road, but is now exploring alternatives.”

Tough break to get the bump down but honestly I thought the kid had some talent to do well in this league. As Ives reported, the Red Bulls basically ripped up his contract that wasn’t guaranteed and tried to hand him a cheaper contract. You can’t blame the kid for getting upset over a cheap developmental contract after having a decent contract that he got when he was drafted.

My bet he will end up in the USL but you never know he could find some play in Europe in one of the lower level leagues.

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Now out to San Jose.

The Quakes are finally going out to get some offense. Right now the Quakes have two Brazilian forwards on trial. Marcinho and Wanderson are currently on trial with the expansion club.

Some may remember Marcinho from last year’s SuperLiga game against Houston Dynamo. Other than that there really isn’t a whole lot out on this pair right now.

Frank Yallop and GM John Doyle said they were impressed with both players, but that they would not be offering them a contract immediately. Also the club would be bringing in a bunch of players until the summer transfer window opens up.

One player they hope to bring in is former Norwich City player Darren Huckerby.

Yallop recently did an interview with Ipswich Town about the 32-year-old winger.

Huckerby may well be a Toronto player by then, although long-term admirer Yallop is still hoping he can sign him for San Jose.

Yallop, who won the Player of the Year accolade from the Portman Road fans 20 years ago, said: “The league rules say that Toronto have first refusal on Darren but I am sure he will be aware of our interest via his agent.

“I must stress, however, that we will only be able to do something if Toronto decide, for whatever reason, not to pursue their interest in signing him or if Darren turns down the chance to go there.

“We are next in line and I can’t deny I would love to have Darren here. He is a player I have admired for a number of years and I have always liked the way he plays the game.

I don’t think they actually are next in line in terms of Allocation in MLS because of the recent signing of Peguero Jean Phillippe.

Honestly, San Jose could use the talents of Huckerby on the wings and at the striker position. But I think there are a number of teams in line to sign him.

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