WVHooligan - Soccer Blog

All this week I’ve heard nothing but trade talk and transfer talk from one player to the next. Some I totally buy and a lot of it I totally buy as just talk. Its fun how rumors get started and how people believe them so damn easy.

I’m not totally knocking those people who are believing everything they hear or see out there. Some of it may actually happen and I will be wrong in the process but more than likely from the people I’ve talked to over the past couple weeks most of the talk is just that, talk.

So what do I make of different rumors and trades going on? Well, over the last couple of days while I have been on vacation I have watched countless rumors flood in like something was going out of style. So let’s go through them here real quickly and try to see what has legs and what has just a bunch of people thinking wishfully here.

Amazingly a lot of it centers around Toronto FC and Carlos Ruiz. Not necessarly the two getting together in a deal but what Toronto is looking to do with a number of players and what LA is trying to do with Ruiz.

Ruiz to Columbus for Frankie Hedjuk.

I know Columbus is interested in Ruiz. Hell, who isn’t right now. The Fish is on the trading block for good reason and really there are only a few places he will end up at. Columbus could be on but let’s face it, Hedjuk isn’t the part that LA would get in return. Yes they want defense and yes they could say this is a pretty fair deal but to me it doesn’t have the legs to get me going here.

First off, LA would be getting a fairly high contract in Hedjuk in return. That’s something they don’t want and probably don’t need at this point. Plus they are currently looking elsewhere to get defensive help so bringing on a guy like Hedjuk in a trade just doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.

Secondly, LA wants a center back, not a wing back. I know Hedjuk could shift to the middle but that isn’t his spot. He’s a wing back through and through as we’ve seen over the years. Sure he would fit right in on the wings for LA but the true problems are in the middle of LA’s defense, not the wings.

Then you have sites like MLS Rumors posting emails like this one about this trade. Yeah, read the comments and you can pretty much get an understanding of this and what most people think about it. MLSR isn’t the only people out there talking about this deal, I’ve heard it elsewhere. The thing is the email in that post is pretty pathetic really. The writer doesn’t have an understanding of the MLS rules (saying LA would have an open Designated Player slot if Ruiz is traded) and says that there was some “deadline” to get this deal done. The only recent deadline was for player contracts earlier in the week and that would have nothing to do with teams trading players.

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I still believe Ruiz is going to be moved. Some still think Toronto is in the mix for Ruiz and that is total BS. The Reds are looking to bring on guys like Darren Huckerby or Paul Dickov right now and that would not make sense to trade for Ruiz. Plus there is the fact that if one or both of those two are signed by Toronto, you will more than likely see a guy like Jeff Cunningham dealt. And not to LA.

Don’t be shocked to see Cunningham leave Toronto this month in a deal to a club like Columbus, Chivas, or Colorado. All want forwards and would love to get their hands on a player like Cunningham (even if he is a headache at times).

To me Toronto still holds the key to nearly every deal right now. Even the Ruiz deal. How they handle Brian McBride, Darren Huckerby, Paul Dickov, Jeff Cunningham, Carlos Ruiz, etc., etc., is going to go a long way in how some clubs wheel and deal in the coming weeks. A lot of folks don’t want to admit that Toronto holds the ball right now for these deals but all you have to do is read into the fact that nothing is going to get done until Toronto says so.

I’m sure some will say the league will have the final say in everything, which of course they will, but this time around its the club and not the league directing traffic. That’s a new thing for people to understand right now.

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SO where do I see everyone go?

McBride to Chicago will still happen. I’m not totally sure about Huckerby or Dickov but it sounds like Toronto for at least one of them, if not both. Huckerby could still end up in San Jose if the Quakes give up enough cash for the deal. Cunningham will be dealt and I would be totally shocked if he wasn’t this summer. Ruiz will go somewhere, I just can’t wrap my finger around where yet, though Chivas still sounds like a very reasonable ending for that deal. Though I wouldn’t be shocked if Columbus does indeed pull the trigger on a deal for Ruiz in the end as well. They have the cap space and could make him a DP next year if his contract isn’t grandfathered for another year.

A lot is about to go down. That much I do know. Probably within the next week we will see some crazy deals happen.

Oh yeah, what about Wilman Conde in that LA deal with Toronto and Chicago? It could still happen but I’m starting to get the feeling that Conde is staying in Chicago for the time being. He will leave this winter though, that much I do count on.

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Same could be said for San Jose. I haven’t heard if they are interested in Ruiz but I know they are trying to figure out what to do with guys like Joe Vide. They are also looking to bring on Darren Huckerby if Toronto doesn’t sign him first.

I have seen that the Quakes are going to sign midfielder Francisco Lima. Look for that move to be finalized this week.

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New York officially presented newly acquired midfielders Jorge Rojas (Venezuela) and Juan Martin Pietravallo (Argentina). Both players are still awaiting there P-1 visa and cannot debut until after the July 15 transfer window. 

The Red Bulls are said to be still shopping around for another defender (Mexican defender Diego Jimenez and/or Gabriel Cichero) along with another forward to replace Jozy Altidore.

Cichero could very well be the guy to turn what is a very average defense into one of the better defensive units in MLS. The Venezuelan national team player is said to be sharp on the attack and could be very similar to Wilman Conde.

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