Shalrie Joseph will be called to lead in 2010. (Getty Images)

The winter months can either be good or bad on a Major League Soccer club. Its all really on who leaves the club and who comes in to help out. Take the New England Revolution for instance, each year its seems they lose one big name after another either in a trade, a transfer or just someone not wanting to re-sign with them.

Yet somehow the Revs always seem to bounce back in some form the following year thanks to manager Steve Nicol. But looking at this winter one has to wonder did they lose and give up too much?

Its time to find out as we take another preseason look-in to see how the club is doing and what they need to add before the season begins.

Keepers:

Who they have: Matt Reis, Preston Burpo, and Bobby Shuttleworth.

Notes: On paper right now this group is set but dig a little deeper and the club has to be concerned about injuries issues for at least the next couple months with Reis. That’s why they made the play for Burpo, a solid backup plan if you ask me. Once Reis is back to full health the Revs will continue to be find in this department.

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Defense:

Who they have: Kevin Alston, Darrius Barnes, Gabriel Badilla, Emmanuel Osei, Cory Gibbs, and Seth Sinovic.

Notes: On paper this seems a little light but the youth there is so solid. I can’t tell you how big of a fan of Barnes and Alston I am. I also like that they went out and got Gibbs this winter too in that trade with the Rapids. Gibbs wants to be in New England and word has it he is a happy camper right now which is good to see for Revs fans.

They may have given up a bunch in the back this winter with Jay Heaps retiring and the trade of Chris Albright to New York but as long as they add one or two more parts back here, which they will, I don’t see a big drop in this club’s defense.

Right now it seems like they could still use at least one more outside back and one more center back for depth reasons.

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Midfield:

Who they have: Shalrie Joseph, Chris Tierney, Sainey Nyassi, Mauricio Castro, Michael Videira, Nico Colaluca, and Pat Phelan.

Notes: They took a beating in this department this winter losing both Steve Ralston to AC St. Louis and trading away Jeff Larentowicz. Honestly the loss of Larentowicz is harder on them as he allowed Joseph to be himself more than anyone out there. However they do have a young guy in Phelan who will help ease the loss of Larentowicz more than some realize.

Unfortunately they have not addressed the loss of Ralston just yet. I know Nicol is looking but the clock is ticking away here and waiting around until the summer to bring someone in to help get the attack going may be too risky. They need an assist machine like Ralston was and right now other than Joseph possibly stepping into that role I don’t know who else will do it here. Maybe one of the rookies like Zac Boggs who will likely end up in the midfield rather than as a forward on the pro level (if they end up keeping him).

Adding a playmaker or some depth on the wings will go a long way here to help this bunch compete in the east.

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Forwards:

Who they have: Taylor Twellman, Kenny Mansally, Kheli Dube, Edgaras Jankauskas, Zack Schilawski, and Zac Boggs.

Notes: The Revs have to bank on a couple things here this season. The big one is getting and keeping Twellman healthy for the season. I think if he can play at least 20 games (or more) this year it will be a positive thing. After that they have to hope Schilawski produces goals or helps create them…not to mention remembering that it was the Revs that picked him, not the Crew.

I still think they need to go after another scorer here. They can’t rely solely on Joseph to do the work this year. Mansally, Dube and Jankauskas have to step up more for them to be successful in the east.

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Overall:

Like I mentioned above we have seen this club lose a lot of quality players over the year but I honestly don’t know how they bounce back from this winter. Don’t get me wrong their draft wasn’t bad but it wasn’t good enough to make people comfortable right away. Defensively I think the club is going to be alright but just like last year they will be in a lot of close games until a scorer steps up or until Twellman is back to his old self.

I’m one that usually drinks the Steve Nicol kool-aid but this winter has me thinking now that Paul Mariner is gone along with Ralston and Larentowicz and the injury issues to Reis and Twellman that this could be a very long year for Revs fans.

A couple more moves may change my mind but I get a sense that the Revs are going into this season just like they are now.

Jeff Larentowicz could be headed to Colorado. (Getty Images)

The big offseason trade between the Colorado Rapids and the New England Revolution is finally complete. We’ve been talking about it since last week’s draft.

The Colorado Rapids have sent  defender Cory Gibbs and goalkeeper Preston Burpo to the Revolution in exchange for Wells Thompson and the rights to Jeff Larentowicz will go to the Rapids, this all according to the Boston Herald. The Revs also get some allocation and 3rd-round draft pick in 2011.

The deal is still an iffy one for Colorado but should Larentowicz re-sign with the league it will be one hell of a trade for them. I’d say the trade earlier in the day to get allocation from Toronto in-exchange for midfielder Jacob Peterson means that Larentowicz is closer to a deal with MLS rather than going across the pond like he originally wanted to.

If he does re-sign then go a head and give the win to the Rapids for this deal. No doubt their midfield will be much better with Larentowicz there. Now they need to find a playmaker in the midfield to tie everything up nicely here.

New England gets a keeper to start out the season while Matt Reis recovers from shoulder surgery. Adding Gibbs to the defense isn’t a bad move either, as long as he is healthy.

I know New England fans will not like this deal because of the loss of Larentowicz. I’m guessing that New England just didn’t have the salary cap space to re-sign him to a good enough deal here which is why they dealt his player rights to the Rapids.

What do you all make of this deal?

Jeff Larwenowicz possibly on the move? (Getty Images)

The SuperDraft is over and now clubs all around Major League Soccer are making moves to improve their rosters. Several are hoping to beef up certain areas while others hoping to get the right pieces in place to make another deep run in the playoffs this year.

I figured since there was plenty of news out there today that I’d put them all into one post rather than drag it out into several different posts. Its a timing thing really, no need to post a bunch of small posts, especially if some of it doesn’t turn out to be true.

Rapids and Revs Dealing Players

There was a deal on the table during last week’s SuperDraft that would have sent Jeff Larentowicz and Wells Thompson to Colorado for Preston Burpo and Cory Gibbs and possibly allocation money. Apparently that deal got caught up in a snag due to Gibbs’ contract and physical exam that he would need to do.

Now it seems like the deal is closer to finalizing according to Steve Goff.

Honestly if Larentowicz does re-sign with the league I don’t see how this could be a good deal for the Revs. Now if its a matter of dealing his player rights to the Rapids and he bolts for Europe then that is another thing and this deal seems more even.

Chicago’s Roster Revamp

Reports out of Poland have linked the Fire to a loan move for Polish fullback Krzysztof Król while the arrival of Salvadoran midfielder Julio Martinez. We’ve said multiple times here that the Fire need defensive help. I like these kinds of moves by Frank Klopas, especially the loan of Krol.

Both should be starters from what I hear. Also the Fire seem to be linked with Dutch striker Collins John. I don’t have a lot of details on this rumor (other than a link to Tribalfootball.com) but a former strike partner of Brian McBride at Fulham sounds like a good move here. That’s another area the Fire really need to go after this winter.

Nguyen Fails To Reach Deal With MLS/FCD

For a few weeks now Lee Nguyen has been in Dallas training with FCD hoping to get a deal worked out so he could play with his hometown club. Well according to his Twitter account this morning he is headed back to Vietnam. Tough to see him not get a deal worked out. He would have been sent to the Allocation system by the league though which probably held up this deal getting finished.

Shouldn’t the league make concessions for players that want to play in a certain town? Yes, honestly they do need to be more flexible with their allocation. Its just the system we have in place whether we like it or not.

Chivas Gets Loans Extended

Don’t expect forwards Jesus Padilla and Maicon Santos and defender Yamith Cuesta to anywhere anytime soon. All three had their loan deals with Chivas USA extended yesterday.

New Chivas USA head coach Martin Vasquez is still expected to make some roster moves here. One guy he won’t be able to retain is Paulo Nagamura, who moved to Mexican side Tigres on a free transfer after three seasons with Chivas USA.

Good for Chivas to retain Padilla, Santos and Cuesta. All three were a big part in getting Chivas out of a midseason slump. I hate to see Nagamura go though, he was actually one of my favorites with the club.

DC Parts Ways With Two Defenders

A quick DC note from Steve Goff, the club has parted ways with two defenders today, Avery John and David Habarugira. Both were reserve defenders a season ago and were probably just not in Curt Onalfo’s plan for the club this year. No biggie really, but this club really needs a big time center back on their roster. Onalfo and one assistant are going to Brazil to scout this week according to Goff, hopefully their trip yields some good results.

Toronto Looking At Egyptian Defender

A change of pace for Mo Johnston. Instead of his usual quest to find over-priced players from England he is going to Africa to find some defensive help. This in the form of Egyptian central defender Ibrahim Said (or Saied).

This sounds like a decent move if, and I mean a big if here, he comes into town with a good head on his shoulders. There has been some rumblings of him being a locker room cancer in the past. Maybe a trip across the pond will help him out though for once.

For Toronto’s sake I hope he comes in cheap and ready to go because their defense really needs a boost.

First up from the desk of Steve Goff. He’s reporting that Fernando Clavijo “thought he would be fired” but did not in a recent meeting with executives from the club. Instead he was pretty much given an ugly vote of confidence, meaning he is the lame duck that we all thought he was. His contract expires at the end of the season and unless the Rapids turn things around quickly and make a MLS Cup this season, Clavijo will be shown the door after the final game.

I think the club is probably doing this because 1) they rarely make moves like this during a season, 2) they are hoping in the off-season to be able to bring in a John Spencer (former Rapids striker) or a Paul Merinar to take over, and 3) because at this point I think they believe their club is seriously still in the playoff hunt despite their recent form. I guess they don’t watch their club much either.

Clavijo isn’t the answer now, nor has he really ever been for this club. I could see him go elsewhere in this league but then again I wonder if any club would really take a chance on a guy that is well below the sea level in terms of all-time records.

In other Rapids news, I have gotten word the LA Galaxy have indeed passed on defender Cory Gibbs and that the Rapids will use their allocation spot to sign Gibbs. No word on if they will actually keep him but more than likely they will at this point in the year.

Decent move for the club but in all reality they should try to trade him away to a club that needs defense and that would probably be willing ot deal with them for him (Dallas, Chivas, or Columbus).

No word on what exactly his contract will be like. My guess for a guy that is an injury concern he will get a deal with some options for a couple of season. That would make the most sense because you don’t want to be tied down to a player that is pretty much on the IR all the time.

Lewis is set to return to MLS for the first time since leaving for Europe in 1999. Lewis will now join the Galaxy, currently being coached by long-time national team teammate Cobi Jones.

I like this move for the Galaxy even though he doesn’t help their defense out any. He will add another threat to the flank and in all reality he is still playing at a high enough level that should see some solid impact on the field for this club. Also, his veteran leadership should also help a team dealing with plenty of issues following the departures of head coach Ruud Gullit and team president/GM Alexi Lalas.

According to Ives Galarcep, Gibbs will now be either picked up by Colorado (who will move into the top allocation spot once LA signs Lewis) or by New England (who is currently third on the list behind Colorado). Though it seems apparent that Gibbs would rather play for New England (couldn’t blame him) than Colorado right now.

No word on how interested the Revs are in signing Gibbs. They are set to sign Costa Rican Gabriel Badilla this week. I highly doubt New England would go into a trade discussion with the Rapids if Badilla does sign this week like all the reports are suggesting. Though adding Gibbs to that backline of Heaps, Albright, Badilla, and Parkhurst would just be scary in my mind. The depth there would be unreal.

Colorado needs a player like Gibbs to help stablize a defense that has been largely terrible all year.

Should Colorado actually pass on Gibbs and New England not be interested you could see some clubs like Dallas or Chivas (who are down the line in the allocation order) be interested in Gibbs. I’d take Gibbs in either of those line-ups right now.

What do you think of the news? Is Lewis a good fit for the Galaxy? Would the Rapids be dumb enough to pass on some defensive help (even if he is injured often)?

Gibbs finalized his MLS contract on yesterday and LA will use its top spot on the allocation list to grab the oft-injured defender. No word yet to how much LA is going to pay Gibbs or for how long, but some out there are saying that the Galaxy do indeed have enough cap space to sign him.

I wonder if this all means the Galaxy are set to move another contract like a Carlos Ruiz to actually free up that space. Then again with the way the Galaxy spend money on players they probably have a higher salary cap than what we really want to believe in.

With that move Colorado will now move up to the top spot of the allocation list.

What do you all make of Gibbs going to LA? Think they could end up trading him or someone else before long?

Since Gibbs is a returning US National team member he will fall into the famed allocation process. Currently the LA Galaxy own his rights and will have the first shot at signing him. If they sign him they will have to figure out a way to fit him in under the salary cap (good bye Carlos Ruiz right?).

But if LA can’t sign him, after that is Colorado and New England according to the updated allocation list. Go down that list and the next club that could easily use a defender is Chivas USA. They have the money and the space for a defender like Gibbs.

Don’t be shocked to see Columbus try to make a play for him if they can as well.

What do you all make of Gibbs returning to the league?

According to Steve Goff, Gibbs is set to go through the same allocation system that we had to deal with during the Brian McBride situation.

Two sources tell me that U.S. defender Cory Gibbs, whose promising career has been interrupted by injuries, is close to returning to MLS and will be available through an allocation process in the next couple weeks. Toronto had been atop the allocation list, but moved to the bottom after claiming Brian McBride and then trading him to Chicago. RSL and San Jose have also dropped on the list because of earlier acquisitions.

The former Dallas defender does come with a bit of an injury problem but I have a feeling a couple clubs will give him a look because of their defensive needs. This guy is good when he is healthy and if he can return to the league with some of the same promise that he once showed, then this will be a great pick up for whoever here.

LA is on top of the allocation now so one would have to think they would be interested in him. Same would go with Colorado, Dallas, and probably Chivas. I would throw New York into that mix but considering how many new faces they’ve brought on lately I just doubt they would be in the running here.

LA gets the first grab at Gibbs, so Galaxy fans do you want him?

For those curious about that allocation list, it has changed in the past week. Toronto moved down because of McBride, San Jose moved down a while back because of Peguero Jean-Philippe, and according to Goff RSL moved down when they signed Nat Borchers (not that I doubt Goff, I haven’t got official word about that one).

So the list should look something like this:

1. LA Galaxy
2. Colorado Rapids
3. Columbus Crew
4. New York Red Bulls
5. FC Dallas
6. Chivas USA
7. DC United
8. Kansas City Wizards
9. Chicago Fire
10. New England Revolution
11. Houston Dynamo
12. Real Salt Lake (Borchers)
13. San Jose Earthquakes (Peguero)
14. Toronto FC (McBride)

We’ve talked about the Brian McBride return almost to death. Yesterday we touched on Nate Jaqua, Joseph Ngwenya and Josh Wolff. Today we get the likes of Robbie Russel, Cory Gibbs and Eddie Lewis.

Yeah, seriously. I’ve seen Gibbs’ name out there for a couple weeks in talks of coming back. Some even have speculated he would return here to Dallas (where he was originally apart of the pre-FC days with the Burn). He has battled some injuries and will officially be a free agent on Monday as his contract with Charlton will be over. Gibbs never saw the field in two years with the EPL-side thanks to those injuries.

The question remains, if you are a MLS club in need of some defensive help do you go after the oft-injured Gibbs? More than likely since he has seen time with the National team he will be placed in that McBride-like allocation group, meaning clubs like Real Salt Lake, LA Galaxy and Colorado will have the first strike at him if he does decide to return to the league. I doubt Dallas still holds his rights, usually those expire after two years.

I just wonder if any of those clubs would take a chance on a guy like Gibbs. I’d love to see him healthy again and playing though so it may be a risk that is worth taking in the end if he does return to full form and helps out on defense. You know LA would love to be able to get a solid defender on their roster.

Then you have Russel.

He isn’t has high profiled or even expected to fall into any allocation group but more than likely will be placed in those popular lottery groups. He has bounced around from a couple Scandinavian leagues over the last couple years. Most recently with Danish side Viborg FF.

Russel hasn’t made it clear if he is indeed coming back to MLS or not. He was originally drafted by the Galaxy after his days in college with Duke, but he decided to not sign with the club and pursue work elsewhere in Europe.

Would the soon to be 29-year old left back work out for any MLS side right now. I would think so. He has solid experience and any team would probably be pretty lucky to get their hands on him if he does come back to the States.

Lastly today we have Eddie Lewis.

We all know he is currently with Derby County, who just got demoted out of the EPL this year after probably one of the most embarrassing seasons of any professional sports team. The 34-year old Lewis is willing to return to the States to finish out his days. The thing is, most teams may not be willing to use their allocation spot to get him. I honestly only really see San Jose being willing to sign Lewis, and that isn’t a bad move for the Quakes at all.

Anyone see Lewis going anywhere else? Right now I surely don’t.