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2013 MLS Season Preview: Eastern Conference

By on February 28, 2013 | Follow @WVHooligan |
Sporting KC hopes to keep their hold on the Eastern Conference in 2013.

Sporting KC hopes to keep their hold on the Eastern Conference in 2013.

It is time to get down to it. I’ve already gone through each MLS side, along with several other previews. But now it is time to get down to where I think things will shake out once the dust settles later this year.

Yes, I am talking predictions folks.

First up is the Eastern Conference.

Right now I see the Eastern Conference as a pretty deep group of clubs. I feel confident that it could end up being a eight team race for the long haul of the season. Yes, eight teams folks. I think the top part of the conference is pretty well stacked but the middle group from about 3-8 is closer than some might think.  Continue Reading →

Continue Reading · · in Chicago Fire, Columbus Crew, DC United, Houston Dynamo, MLS, Montreal Impact, New England Revolution, New York Red Bulls, Philadelphia Union, Sporting KC, Toronto FC

2013 MLS Season Preview: Homegrown Talent

By on February 26, 2013 | Follow @WVHooligan |
DeAndre Yedlin could be a solid HGP for the Sounders' future. (Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports)

DeAndre Yedlin could be a solid HGP for the Sounders’ future. (Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports)

Each year Major League Soccer is growing not just on and off the field but in how they grow their own talent. Academies are getting to the point where they are producing quality talent each season soon enough MLS teams will be able to take full advantage of a younger player in their every day lineup.

We’ve seen some success so far in the Homegrown movement. Andy Najar is the obvious best example. In his rookie season with D.C. United, the Honduran midfielder earned the league’s Rookie of the Year award. He was the first Homegrown to win the award and to this day remains the only one to as well. Najar was also recently the first Homegrown player to get transferred overseas.

This winter several MLS squads made Homegrown signings. Dallas, Columbus and New York each signed a couple of their own in hopes that they have the next best young start.

So who are these Homegrown players? Here is a good list of who you should be expecting to get some playing time in 2013. Continue Reading →

Continue Reading · · in Columbus Crew, FC Dallas, Houston Dynamo, LA Galaxy, MLS, New England Revolution, Seattle Sounders FC

Robbie Rogers Comes Out And Steps Away From The Game

By on February 15, 2013 | Follow @WVHooligan |
We have nothing but respect for Robbie Rogers. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

We have nothing but respect for Robbie Rogers. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

I have to say, I have nothing but respect for Robbie Rogers. In one blog post on Friday, Rogers spoke honestly about his personal life and his future. Rogers came out to the world and also revealed that he is stepping away from the game.

Secrets can cause so much internal damage. People love to preach about honesty, how honesty is so plain and simple. Try explaining to your loved ones after 25 years you are gay. Try convincing yourself that your creator has the most wonderful purpose for you even though you were taught differently.

I will never forget the friends I have made a long the way and the friends that supported me once they knew my secret … Now is my time to step away. It’s time to discover myself away from football.

I hope for the game’s sake that Rogers just takes some time off from playing and doesn’t do a full on retirement from playing. My bet is he isn’t stepping away due to lack of acceptance but more of a desire to find himself outside of the game.

But saying that, all I can say is that I have nothing but respect for the man. Good for him indeed. He had the courage to speak out about himself honestly, something many struggle with when coming out.

The former Columbus Crew midfielder most recently played for Stevenage in England’s League One, on loan from Leeds United, and has represented the United States 18 times at senior international level.

Again, all the best to you Robbie. The soccer world is very proud of you today.

Continue Reading · · in Columbus Crew, MLS, US National Team

2013 MLS Season Preview: Columbus Crew

By on February 13, 2013 | Follow @WVHooligan |
Can Columbus get back on top of the Eastern Conference mountain? (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

Can Columbus get back on top of the Eastern Conference mountain? (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)

One more season preview for the day. We’ll shift back to the Eastern Conference with the Columbus Crew.

Manager Robert Warzycha spent a good part of this offseason getting his squad to be younger. Between draft picks, Homegrown signings and transfers, he’s done a pretty solid job of that. But did he make his club a contender for 2013? It is time to find out.

Last year the Crew just missed out on a playoff berth in the crowded Eastern Conference.  Continue Reading →

Continue Reading · · in Columbus Crew, MLS

More on the Oduro-Duke Swap

By on February 4, 2013 | Follow @WVHooligan |
Dilly Duka is now joining the Fire. (Getty Images)

Dilly Duka is now joining the Fire. (Getty Images)

This has been a trade in the works for weeks now. Back at the 2013 MLS SuperDraft, the Chicago Fire and the Columbus Crew were expected to make a deal but never seemed to work out all of the details. That is until now, though it isn’t official yet, it appears that both sides have come to an agreement.

The Fire will send forward Dominic Oduro to the Crew in exchange for midfielder Dilly Duka and the player rights to midfielder Robbie Rogers. Yeah, you read that correctly, Duka and Rogers for Oduro.

The deal was just announced by the two clubs early Monday morning.  Continue Reading →

Continue Reading · · in Chicago Fire, Columbus Crew, MLS

What’s Lacking – Chicago and Columbus Preseason Look

By on January 21, 2013 | Follow @WVHooligan |

Chicago Fire v Columbus Crew

It is preseason time in Major League Soccer. The majority of the 19 MLS clubs are back in preseason mode today with the first practices of the new year under way.

I thought today would be a good time to begin looking at the clubs and what they are lacking going into the new season. I’m breaking it into two team pieces starting with the Chicago Fire and the Columbus Crew out of the Eastern Conference.

Chicago Fire

- A big time scorer. Sure they have Chris Rolfe and Dominic Oduro can be good in a pinch. But outside of that the Fire have some real question marks up front. They can’t rely on Rolfe to do it all as when they did late in 2012, the team fluttered down the stretch and were outed in the knockout stage of the playoffs by the Houston Dynamo. I don’t know if they need a DP-level scorer but they need someone that can bag at least 10-14 goals this season outside of what Rolfe scores.

- The midfield shape. I’m sure this will get sorted out in the coming weeks but with Joel Lindpere, Jeff Larentowicz, Logan Pause, and other guys in the midfield…what way does Frank Klopas shape this group? Also, knowing who plays where and what not will be key for this group. I’ll put it this way, the midfield is a make or break group for the Fire in 2013. They could be very good or very overrated.

Columbus Crew

- Depth in the back. I thought the Crew could have done better with their draft last week at getting deeper in the back. They got younger for sure this offseason but youth doesn’t always translate into quality depth right away.

- Time for the HGPs? Just like their Hunt Sports Group mates FC Dallas, the Crew made a big push on the HGP front to bring their club total up to five this winter. You have to wonder at what point are those five going to play a role for this club in 2013. Aaron Horton and Ben Speas have seen limited action while newcomers Wil Trapp and Chad Barsons hope to break that mold and see action in 2013.

- Scoring limited. After Federico Higuian, the Crew is limited in who can score up front for them. Yeah Jairo Arreita can score as well but he is more of a play maker than a scorer. The Crew need a partner for Higuain if they want to compete with the likes of Houston, Kansas City and D.C. United in the East.

 

Continue Reading · · in Chicago Fire, Columbus Crew, MLS

Teams Gobbling Up Homegrowns

By on December 20, 2012 | Follow @WVHooligan |

zardes2

I’ve been sitting on this thought for a few days and maybe even a couple weeks now. We know the college season is over – which the obvious is in front of us – players will sign either Homegrown contracts, Generations adidas contracts or hope that someone selects them in the SuperDraft.

Lately we’ve seen an influx of Homegrown Players signed. So far this offseason we’ve seen New York sign two, Columbus ink one, Dallas sign one, and LA sign one.

At this point you have to believe more are on the way after yesterdays’ news out of LA.

The LA Galaxy are close to signing their second HGP of the offseason, and likely the biggest signing yet in the HGP camp this year. Gyasi Zardes has been widely seen as the top player in the college game these last two years and there were suggestions that he’d even sign in Europe after this year instead of going to MLS. Last year he turned down a HGP contract with the Galaxy to return to Cal State Bakersfield for his junior year.  Continue Reading →

Continue Reading · · in Columbus Crew, FC Dallas, LA Galaxy, MLS, New England Revolution, New York Red Bulls, SuperDraft

Crew Looking At Home Growns

By on December 5, 2012 | Follow @WVHooligan |

The busy season is getting busier. We are rapidly approaching the first big draft of the offseason this Friday with Stage One of the 2012 Re-Entry Draft.

But that will get talked about more as we get closer. Today we kick off with some news from the Buckeye State. The Columbus Dispatch is reporting that the Columbus Crew’s next target in their offseason plans is to lock up some home grown players. Columbus has already come out and stated their desire to get younger this offseason and signing a few HGPs would certainly do it.

Right now the Crew have four good targets to go after in the college ranks, three of which I have profiled on here before.

The Crew has four candidates to sign as homegrown players: defender Chad Barson and midfielder Wil Trapp from Akron, goalkeeper Justin Luthy from Boston College and defender Matt Wiet from UCLA.

Adam Jardy at the Dispatch got this quote from Crew technical director Brian Bliss about the process of signing this many HGPs.

“Usually, it’s time-sensitive for guys who are seniors because they narrow down the (MLS player) combine list, and if any of those players would happen to be eligible for the combine based on their quality, they want to remove them from participating in the combine,” Bliss said. “I wouldn’t say there is a hard date. It’s usually that by early December the league wants to know what players clubs want to extend offers to.”

My gut tells me they land three of those four with Luthy maybe being the odd duck out. Remember they are pretty set in terms of goalkeepers right now with Andy Gruenebaum taking over the number one spot and fellow HGP keeper Matt Lampson. They could add Luthy for depth which is never a terrible idea and then loan him out to a lower division team.

I love the thought that the Crew could land Trapp, Wiet and Barson though this winter. Three quality players that would have normally gone through the draft before the academy system came up. Trapp is younger and probably needs more time in the college game but with Caleb Porter out in Akron, his move up to the Crew makes more sense.

The Crew aren’t the only team that will be gobbling up some HGPs in the coming weeks. New England will be in discussions with their targets very soon, as will FC Dallas. More to come on this for sure.

Continue Reading · · in Columbus Crew, MLS

Hunts Looking To Sell The Crew

By on October 19, 2012 | Follow @WVHooligan |

MLS Commissioner Don Garber gave an interview to Sports Business Daily today where he confirmed that the Columbus Crew are up for sale.

We are committed to finding a local partner in Columbus, Ohio, for the Columbus Crew. The Hunts still own two MLS teams. They have made a commitment to get out, and we are encouraging them to do so, but we will only do so with the right owners. So we are spending a lot of time on that.

The Crew have been looking for local investors for a while. I believe this is the first time anyone from the league’s front office has commented on it though.

(H/T to Massive Report for first posting this news)

Continue Reading · · in Columbus Crew, MLS

2012 MLS, Week 27: Wednesday Quick Pick

By on September 5, 2012 | Follow @WVHooligan |

I have to make this one quick guys and gals. Two MLS games on the schedule tonight and one will have many eyes on it.

Columbus Crew at New England Revolution: Another midweek game for the Crew. I believe this is the third week in a row for that (might be the second, it’s all running together for me at this point folks). Still, the last few games have been all sorts of crazy for the Crew – especially the last two that saw them win on last second goals. New England hasn’t won in something like 10 games and have been struggling to keep people from scoring. The Crew seem to be scoring at will right now but I do worry about the schedule catching up to them here. I think Columbus escapes with points but only a single one as New England surprises and gets a draw.

WVH Prediction: New England 1, Columbus 1

Portland Timbers at Colorado Rapids: Really? Again? Ugh.

WVH Prediction: Colorado 1, Portland 0

Continue Reading · · in Colorado Rapids, Columbus Crew, MLS, New England Revolution, Portland Timbers