“Today the coach (Robert Warzycha) told me he wanted to make the team young,” Schelotto said last night. “They have made the decision.”

“I want to stay here in Columbus,” Schelotto said. “But if they want to make a new team with younger players, I respect the decision.

“I will miss the fans because every game I played in Columbus Crew Stadium was wonderful. The fans made me feel like I was playing at Gimnasia or Boca (Juniors). In the stadium, in the streets, the people here give me everything I need. I will never forget them.”

Schelotto will likely be the prize “free agent” in the upcoming re-entry draft that will be held later this year. That is if Portland or Vancouver don’t select him first in the expansion draft. But considering his high salary (somewhere in the $650,000 range) its probably more likely he ends up going elsewhere in the re-entry draft if he goes anywhere else in MLS.

It is possible the Crew could reclaim Schelotto then, although it would be last in line in the draft order. The Crew could also trade him.

The Crew also declined options on other veteran players including captain Frankie Hejduk, midfielder Duncan Oughton and defender Gino Padula. Its apparent the Crew needed to get younger this past season and it seems that is the direction the team is taking into 2011. They know they probably slipped up in last year’s SuperDraft too so I wouldn’t be shocked to see them take this winter very serious.

Its hard to imagine the Crew right now without guys like Schelotto and Hejduk but you had to believe at some point this was bound to happen. The Crew did need to get younger and sometimes drastic measures have to take place. Either way I kind of figure 2011 could be a long year in Columbus unless they find some way to get Schelotto back at a discounted rate.

David Ferreira takes home my MVP vote. (Getty Images)

For a couple weeks now I’ve held off on reveling my end of the year awards. I mainly wanted to see the season end and the playoffs begin before I wrote this all out. Plus I honestly had no idea how I wanted to present this. But on Election Day it just feels right to tell you all how I voted in this year’s MLS Awards.

First of all I’m going to leave out the pointless awards like Ref of the Year. I still don’t get why we vote on that in the first place since we know about all the officiating issues in MLS. I also won’t list things like Humanitarian of the Year or things like that. Most of you probably could care less about awards like that anyways.

Anyways, I’ll start with some awards that will be announced by the league here in the coming days and end with the big ones. I’ll also count them down by my vote as well, remember the media (and probably players/GMs/coaches) gets three slots for voting.

Defender of the Year

3. Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy)

2. Nat Borchers (RSL)

1. Jamison Olave (RSL)

Why Olave: To be real honest between Olave and Borchers it wasn’t easy. It was a 1a and 1b type of vote for me but more times than not I felt Olave was the better of the two this season. Had we done this vote back in June I believe Gonzalez would have taken it home but just like the rest of the year for the Galaxy, Gonzalez too had some issues in the latter part of the summer. Olave was more consistent this year than he’s been in the past as well which was refreshing to see.

Keeper of the Year

3. Donovan Ricketts (LA)

2. Nick Rimando (RSL)

1. Kevin Hartman (FC Dallas)

Why Hartman: Between the time he took over and his injury Hartman was the biggest reason why FCD went on that amazing run that they did. In 20 games this season he had 9 shutouts, and only 12 goals against. I know Rimando had a stellar year and I get why folks will vote for him. RSL fans can blame me on being too close to the action here with Hartman but I really had no hesitation in voting this way.

Rookie of the Year

3. Michael Stephens (LA)

2. Danny Mwanga (Philadelphia)

1. Andy Najar (D.C. United)

Why Najar: Why not really? He was easily the best player on their team this year and should become the first academy product in the league history to win this award. He was consistent when others were not this season and provided a true spark for D.C. when they really had nothing else going for them this season.

Comeback Player of the Year

3. Jason Hernandez (San Jose)

2. Chris Albright (New York)

1. Bobby Convey (San Jose)

Why Convey: I’m still curious what Brek Shea came back from (he’s one of the three nominees with Albright and Convey). Anyways, to me it was down to Albright and Convey. Yes Albright missed 2009 while Convey just stunk up the place last year. For me it was about getting back to where he should be as a player and that’s what Convey did this year. Not to say Albright doesn’t deserve this award because he does, I just felt Convey made a bigger comeback from being so bad last year to so much better this year.

Newcomer of the Year

3. Ryan Smith (Kansas City)

2. Joel Lindpere (New York)

1. Alvaro Saborio (RSL)

Why Saborio: He lead his club in goals and really gave me no reason not to vote for him in this award. Lindpere was amazing for New York’s turnaround though so we can’t ignore what he did. I was just more impressed with the fact that a lot of clubs couldn’t figure out how to deal with Saborio this year.

Coach of the Year

3. Peter Nowak (Philadelphia)

2. Jason Kreis (RSL)

1. Schellas Hyndman (FC Dallas)

Why Hyndman: This may have been the hardest award to vote on outside of MVP. I put Nowak over Hans Backe because I was very impressed with how Nowak guided Philly through their expansion season. I believe he’s set them up perfectly for 2011. Then it came down to Kreis and Hyndman. Both had equally impressive campaigns in 2010 and we can’t ignore that enough. I went the direction that I did not because I was closer to the team here in Dallas than RSL but it came down to that 19-game unbeaten run. Sure there were a ton of draws with this Dallas team but due to the way Hyndman constructed this team for this season it was impressive to see their “never say die” attitude.

MLS MVP

3. Chris Wondolowski (San Jose)

2. Sebastien Le Toux (Philadelphia)

1. David Ferreira (FC Dallas)

Why Ferreira: Again the toughest award to vote on, probably ever. So many worthy choices but I stuck with Ferreira like I stuck with my pick of Hyndman. It wasn’t just that unbeaten run that was impressive from him and this bunch but Ferreira was the leader and the guy that just got stuff done for Dallas. We saw that in the opener in the playoffs against RSL, he just finds ways to get the team on the board. I was shocked to not see Le Toux as a finalist because let’s be honest he deserved it, then again so does Wondolowski.

WVH Best XI For 2010

(Voting format was a 3-5-2)

Keeper: Kevin Hartman

Defense: Jamison Olave, Nat Borchers, Omar Gonzalez

Midfield: David Ferreira, Sebastien Le Toux, Dwayne De Rosario, Javier Morales, Guillermo Barros Schelotto

Forwards: Landon Donovan, Edson Buddle

Reasons behind Best XI: First of all the way the league handles this is crazy. A 3-5-2 is always tough to vote on especially when they place guys out of position. I’d rather have Donovan placed in the midfield and Ferreira in the forwards but this is out it goes. I know some are thinking no Wondo in the forwards? Well Buddle was the leader going into the day I voted and Donovan was the top assist getter in the league too. If I had to vote on this again today I may replace Buddle with Wondo.

Peter Nowak and Philadelphia make their home debut this weekend. (MLSSoccer.com)

Are you ready for tomorrow? Seriously, are you ready? Eight games in one day, a new league record. We knew this day would come eventually with all the expansion in the league and kudos to the league for putting one so early in the season too.

If you’re like me, you’ll find tomorrow to be a tough one because of the amount of games on at once. Thankfully with my Mac I can at least throw up a few different game windows in multiple spaces.

So get your DVRs ready (if you can hold this many games), sign up for the league video package online (if you haven’t done so already), or be like most folks and just go to a game if you can. Its going to be a fun weekend for sure.

Feel free as always to leave your predictions below in the comments section.

New York Red Bulls – at – Chivas USA:

Lets just say that Chivas USA needs to figure out their offensive issues here. In to town is the new look Red Bulls who’ve won two straight shutouts. Hans Backe’s club has been solid defensively so far this season but a second straight west coast game will prove to be a bigger test than some will really think, even though Chivas has yet to score this season. We could see a potential letdown by the Red Bulls after they finally got their first road win a week ago after 27-games of coming up short away from home.

For me its going to come down to who scores in this one. Even with the two wins on the year the Red Bulls haven’t lit up the scoreboard so far (only two goals). I see a slight drop off in this one while Chivas continues to struggle to score.

Player to watch out for: Tim Ream – the rookie is as good as advertised here. Look for him to be all over Chivas’ Maykel Galindo in this one.

WVH Prediction: Chivas 0, New York 0

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D.C. United – at – Philadelphia Union

Home opener for Philadelphia is a big, big deal. They’re expecting about 30k+ tomorrow at the Linc, don’t be shocked if they reach a sellout figure (they’re caping the capacity for this one at 35k). This new rivalry will be heated, especially given how bad both have started off the year. D.C. has look awful all over the field while Philadelphia struggled on the road in their debut two weeks ago. Given the fact that Peter Nowak has had a little more time to prepare for this one I like the Union’s chances in this one a little more.

Curt Onalfo’s side has to figure out where to get their offense from. So far in attack they’ve looked uncreative and in result have been unproductive. You could say it comes down to their midfield not doing enough with the possession too. I’d imagine Nowak will do a better job with his lineup now that he gets Fred back. Look for their shape to be a little better in this one as they ride the massive fan support in the home opener. Its easy to go for a draw here given the poor results by these two so far but I like Philadelphia’s chances here.

Player to watch out for: Danny Mwanga – With Fred back and likely in the midfield, we should see more out of Mwanga in this one for Philadelphia. Hopefully Nowak learned that he belongs up top.

WVH Prediction: Philadelphia 1, D.C. 0

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Toronto FC – at – New England Revolution

Steve Nicol is looking for his 100th career MLS win in this one, and he probably couldn’t ask for a better opponent. Toronto FC is still in a bit of a state of flux after all the moves that have gone on over these last few weeks including the latest with the retirement of Jim Brennan. That loss thins out the Reds defense even more here. New England could possibly see Shalrie Joseph back for the home opener but even without him I like the Revs chances in this one. The Revs could also see Darrius Barnes back for this one as well, which would only make it rougher on Toronto to score in this one.

It seems like Toronto hasn’t scored a goal in league play or in exhibition play in ages here. I don’t see that starting back up right now. The Revs played their game last week in D.C. and I’d imagine Nicol will use some of the same tactics this week to get three more points.

Player to watch out for: Dwayne De Rosario – Really Toronto’s only hope to get on the scoreboard. If he can work his magic that we’ve seen him do in the past against the Revs, Toronto could sneak out with some points.

WVH Prediction: New England 2, Toronto 0

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Colorado Rapids – at – Kansas City Wizards

Here’s one game this weekend I’m looking forward to. Two clubs that everyone is still trying to figure out here. Are both contenders or pretenders this season? We think they could be contenders but its still too early to tell. The Rapids have to get their defense in line here for this one as the Wizards showed early on this year that they can score early and often.

As we saw last week, Kansas City’s best bet to get by the Rapids defense is to go right at them with some speed. Look for Ryan Smith and Kei Kamara to do just that on the wings as things in the center of the park will be a little tight. The Rapids haven’t won in KC since 2002 and something tells me that streak isn’t going to end here this season either. However I do think a draw sounds more likely with these two trading some goals early on in this one.

Player to watch out for: Omar Cummings – For me he is by far the most dangerous player on the field in this one. If he finds open space in the final third for Colorado he can score and create chances for Conor Casey.

WVH Prediction: Kansas City 2, Colorado 2

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LA Galaxy – at – Houston Dynamo

I love the promo the Dynamo are running for this one –  a flash light campaign, in case the lights go out again with these two on the field. Beautiful stuff.

Houston as we know is a bit banged up with Brian Ching on the shelf for a few weeks. Dominic Kinnear will have to look elsewhere for offense. Maybe we’ll finally see their Designated Player Luis Angel Landin finally step into the role. Or Kinnear can go with Cam Weaver. Either one with the speed of Dominic Oduro should be fine.

LA has been very good on defense so far this year, with no goals against. But both of those games came from the friendly confines of the Home Depot Center. Things are a little different for the Galaxy at Robertson Stadium, a place few get points at. I see this one staying close but look for the Dynamo to figure out a way to get one by Donovan Ricketts.

Player to watch out for: Brad Davis – Don’t expect another two goals from the PK spot this weekend for Davis but no matter who scores for Houston in this one it will be due to the play of this guy.

WVH Prediction: Houston 1, LA 0

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Columbus Crew – at – FC Dallas

The regular season version of the Pioneer Cup. Both teams had a week off last week to plan for this game. It will be interesting to see if Chad Marshall makes it back for this one for the Crew. If he isn’t out there their defense could be a bit exposed with him gone and Eric Brunner out. Guys like Andy Iro will likely have to step up to contain Jeff Cunningham.

Dallas isn’t too different in the back either as both Kyle Davies and Ugo Ihemelu are banged up. We could even see Brek Shea in the back for the Red Stripes in this one as a bit of a patch work job by manager Schellas Hyndman. Expect this one to come down to who can control things in the midfield. On one side we have Guillermo Barros Schelotto and the other David Ferriera. I’d be lying if I didn’t think that was the best matchup of the weekend right there. The visitors could go away with three points but a draw sounds more likely.

Player to watch out for: Atiba Harris – Dallas needs some big time play on the wings and Harris has to be that guy for them. He scored in the season opener and if he can work his way into the middle in the final third of the field we could see him score again.

WVH Prediction: Dallas 1, Columbus 1

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San Jose Earthquakes – at – Chicago Fire

We know the storyline in this one, Jon Busch’s return to Chicago. That should be a it awkward. The Fire looked a little better in week two but they still haven’t found that consistent play out of their midfield. Manager Carlos de los Cobos went with a 4-3-3 last week and it started to work for them as Collins John made an impact with the open space up top. Chicago has to get more out of Marco Pappa though in the midfield.

The Quakes just need to figure themselves out here though. In week one they looked more like an expansion team than a team in it’s third year. Frank Yallop made a couple changes to his roster and got former Quake Scott Sealy back. I’m not entirely sure if that move will get their club going or not here. The road hasn’t been kind to the Quakes lately either. Chicago should find a way to win this one.

Player to watch out for: Ryan Johnson – He’s the main guy for the Quakes, if he doesn’t get going in this one it will be a long night in the Windy City for Yallop’s side.

WVH Prediction: Chicago 2, San Jose 0

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Seattle Sounders FC – at – Real Salt Lake

Probably the game of the week in most folks minds. Rightfully so as both clubs are looking to rebound after dismal efforts in week two. RSL will look to resume their home dominance while Seattle will hope to get on the right track this year away from Qwest Field. Sigi Schmid has to find a way to get his club going offensively though to get any sort of points in this one. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Pat Noonan get the starting nod in this one for them to make an effort to kick start their offense.

RSL also has some decisions to make offensively. Do they start Robbie Findley over Fabian Espindola or Alvaro Saborio, or do they keep him as a second half sub for now? Either way I think we’ll get more Findley this week than what we’ve seen so far this season. I like RSL in this one though with the way their midfield plays at home. I doubt we’ll see the same defensive meltdowns that we saw out of them in Houston a week ago too.

Player to watch out for: Steve Zakuani – The one big chance the Sounders have in this one is for Zakuani to expose RSL on the wings. His pace could be a big difference maker.

WVH Predictions: RSL 2, Seattle 1

I’d normally like to get these predictions out much sooner but with all that has gone on this winter the day before First Kick seems about right really. The rosters became compliant at 5pm ET yesterday and thus will put an end to the preseason in a way for all the clubs.

In the past I’ve done these bold season predictions in various ways. I ended up sticking with the tradition of the predictions and picks and also added some other items like I did a year ago. I know some of the bold predictions are silly and meaningless but they’re fun to do nonetheless.

As always feel free to put in your season predictions below.

Players to watch out for in 2010:

• Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus): Can he guide this club to another stellar season? I think he will but it won’t be easy with the league out to get them.
• Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy): No doubt Donovan will return to his MVP form from a year ago, but the question will he be with the club after the World Cup? Part of me thinks he will and part of me sees him going back to England.
• Juan Pablo Angel (New York Red Bulls): Once he is 100% again look for him to do very well this year. Not playing on nasty turf at home will do wonders for him and the Red Bulls.
• Geoff Cameron (Houston Dynamo): Big, big year in Houston for the Dynamo especially for Cameron. If he can help keep their offense in check and facilitate things like I believe he can then look out.
• Freddy Montero (Seattle Sounders FC): He’s a marked man but if he can break open in space like we’ve seen him do time and time again then he’ll get his goals this year.

Coaches Already Feeling The Heat

Each year I’ve done a Coaching Hot Seat, where I look around the league to see who stands the greatest chance of getting the boot. Last couple year’s I’ve been right on with some picks on here while a few others have been a bit off. Again, its just my opinion on each coach listed and it doesn’t mean it will actually happen. In other words don’t get all bent out of shape if you see your coach on here at any point this year, I can’t tell you how many emails I get over this issue.

But in saying so this year could be a fairly light year for coaching hot seats in general since there have been so many coaching changes.

• Frank Yallop (San Jose Earthquakes): Its year three for the Quakes 2.0 which means Yallop should really feel some heat if he doesn’t get this club winning early on this year. I wasn’t shocked to see him get another season with the club after last year but I wouldn’t be at all shocked to see him be the first gone this year.
• Gary Smith (Colorado Rapids): Another western coach that should feel some heat this year if his club isn’t winning. If they continue to be inconsistent look for lots of calls for his head later this year. Thing is the Rapids owners typically drag these things out. I think he’ll be fine but for now this is more of a caution of possible things to come.
• Hans Backe (New York Red Bulls): I do believe he’ll last longer than most expected him to but I think its more of a formality at this point to always include the New York boss in these lists given the fact that they have a new coach about every year or year and a half.
• Schellas Hyndman (FC Dallas): While I believe he will have this job as long as he wants it I also think that if he has another clunker of a season the pressure for him to go will have to mount. His overall record (15-18-14) isn’t anything to brag about.

Early Award Predictions:

Below are some predictions for each end-of-season award. I left a few off that I really don’t care about, why we vote on things like the Ref of the year is beyond me. I’ll give you my top three for each since that is how we have to vote on it anyways.

Goalkeeper:

1. Donovan Ricketts (LA Galaxy): He’s a beast…nothing more to say than that.
2. Kasey Keller (Seattle Sounders): If Ricketts isn’t 100% all year then this award easily goes to Keller.
3. Will Hesmer (Columbus): I find him to be highly underrated.

Defender:

1. Chad Marshall (Columbus): Hard not to go against the league’s best defender.
2. Jhon Kennedy Hurtado (Seattle): He’s the rock in the back for the Sounders.
3. Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy): I see this kid growing into a perennial All-Star.

Comeback Player:

1. Taylor Twellman (New England): Its gotta be Twellman right? Anyone else to put here?

(Yes I’m sure there are others but right now Twellman is all I have for this one.)

Newcomer:

1. Joel Lindpere (New York Red Bulls): If NY is going to be half as good as people think/say they are this year it will be because of this guy.
2. Eduardo (San Jose Earthquakes): The Quakes need a goal scorer and he will help do just that.
3. Blaise N’Kufo (Seattle Sounders FC): Yes he is only playing a half season but I agree with a lot of folks out there that think he is the final piece to the puzzle that puts this club over the top.

(Note: this will easily change as newcomers join the league in the summer and after the World Cup)

Coach:

1. Sigi Schmid (Seattle Sounders): He’ll continue to work his magic in the Pacific Northwest.
2. Peter Nowak (Philadelphia Union): I do believe he’ll make them better than most expansion clubs and thus will get high praise for it. A playoff birth would easily help him win this though.
3. Bruce Arena (LA Galaxy): If they end up losing Landon Donovan this summer and they still do well in the west then he may very well beat out Schmid for this honor.

Rookie:

1. Tony Tchani (New York Red Bulls): He’s a beast, believe me.
2. Zach Loyd (FC Dallas): The man that can play just about anywhere for Schellas Hyndman. Once he settles into a role he’ll be golden.
3. Teal Bunbury (Kansas City Wizards): He’s a natural goal scorer, and KC needs goals.

MVP:

1. Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy): Not settling the world on fire with this pick but as long as he is in the league he’s the best player no matter what.
2. Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus Crew): As long as he has a full healthy season he could end up winning this on his production alone.
3. Kyle Beckerman (RSL): If this club is going to repeat it will be because of this man.

Playoff Predictions:

Top two from Eastern Conference: Columbus Crew* and Chicago Fire
Top two from Western Conference: Seattle Sounders FC and LA Galaxy

Wild card winners: Real Salt Lake, Houston Dynamo, FC Dallas, D.C. United

I feel as though the first six (auto-bids, RSL, and Houston) are simple picks for me but with parity in this league we really could see any number of teams in those final two spots. I think it will come down between Dallas, D.C., Colorado, Chivas, Toronto, New York and New England for those final two spots. I felt weird taking four western conference wild cards so D.C. gets the nod for me though I’ll be honest I’m not totally set on that pick. Dallas needs to find a partner for Jeff Cunningham or they’ll be in trouble. Still Dallas is a dark-horse for me just as I’ve said all winter long. Had to stay with that pick here.

First round playoff winners: Columbus (over Dallas); Chicago (over D.C.); Seattle (over Houston); and RSL (over LA).

Conference final winners: Columbus and Seattle.

MLS Cup winner: Seattle Sounders FC

(*= Supporter’s Shield winners)

The Rest of the WVH Bold Predictions:

1. A MLS club will win SuperLiga: I still hate this tournament but I’m a homer and root for anyone MLS in it. My guess is Houston will take it hom this year.
2. A MLS club will win the US Open Cup: The league usually does every year and with the whole Division II mess that went on these past few months I like a MLS club’s chance even more. I’m going to go with the Chicago Fire to win this year.
3. MLS will get four clubs in CCL Group stage: We already get two in Columbus and Real Salt Lake. I’ll say LA and Toronto some how manages their way into the group stage this year. Seattle falls short.
4. MLS will win the All-Star game: Yawn.
5. Three clubs will add DPs by the end of summer: New York will add their second while Chicago and D.C. get new ones.
6. More Yanks will return home: Maybe a Benny Feihaber? Who knows? I still see a couple coming back this summer.
7. A couple Yanks transfer out of MLS: This deserves it’s own post (again) but I wouldn’t be shocked to see Donovan go as well as someone like Brek Shea.
8. Dominic Kinnear will once again trade like crazy: He does it each year and it only makes his team better. Why people trade with him I’ll never know. You can bet one at least one trade really working out in the Dynamo’s favor though.
9. Mo Johnston and Preki will butt heads: All seems good now as they continue to dump salaries but at some point they’ll clash over player pickups.
10. Houston and San Jose will see their stadiums go up: They’ll join Kansas City in the movin’ dirt department.
11. D.C. will still be stuck at RFK: Its election year for D.C.’s mayoral race, so I don’t see anything happening to United’s stadium issues anytime soon. Which sucks.
12. Montreal will get their expansion bid: They’ll be in the league in 2012…its all but announced at this point.
13. No other expansion bid will be announced this year: I think the league will carefully plan who their 20th club will be. My money is on them trying to find an owner in New York to bring a second club to that area.
14. A late season run will help…D.C.: We see it every year, last year it was RSL getting lucky at the right time, this year it will be D.C.
15. Juan Pablo Angel will lead the league in goals: No turf at Red Bull Arena will go a long way in getting him back to producing lots of goals.
16. Brad Davis will lead the league in assists: He always quietly gets lots of assists and no one notices.
17. Kasey Keller will lead the league in saves: I still see the Sounders give up a fair amount of shots but Keller will be there to save most of them.
18. The US Men’s National Team will make it to the quarterfinals: Not MLS related but definitely worth predicting at this point. I love the boy’s chances in South Africa, as much as I want to put them in the semi-finals, a quarterfinal exit seems more likely.

Is Blanco the best DP MLS has seen so far? (Getty Images)

I’ve had this thought for a little while, on the surface the Designated Player rule is good as it brings quality players into Major League Soccer that do help in more areas than just on the field itself. We know the cons against it like teams spending so much money on one player but I started looking at all the past and present DPs and started wondering if this rule really is worth it.

Now first of all I’m not going to advocate for or against this rule today. I just merely want to point out who’s done well with it and who’s not. We’ve seen this rule in place for a couple seasons now and so far only a few clubs have ventured out with this rule. Now it seems like most clubs are going away from the rule, currently only five clubs have a DP (Toronto, New York, LA, Seattle and Houston).

Also, so far five clubs (or six if you count Philly too) have yet to use their DP slot. RSL won MLS Cup 2009 without one so maybe they aren’t worth the money.

So let’s take a deeper look into each DP. What worked about it and what didn’t work on and off the field. We’ll go from worst to best in this instance. I’d also like to note that two fo the DPs on this list have only played a little under a half season with their clubs so grading and discussing them at length seemed unfair at this time. If you are wondering about who I am talking about here those two are Houston’s Luis Angel Landin and Toronto’s Julian De Guzman. (For the record I like De Guzman but don’t care of Landin…but saying that I am very curious about their upcoming seasons.)

Denilson (FC Dallas):

What worked: This may be the one DP in league history that had very little good come from it. Possibly the only good that we can see is it will keep teams like Dallas from spending money on a washed-up player like Denilson in hopes of putting more butts in the seats.

What didn’t work: Nearly everything on and off the field. When former Dallas GM Michael Hitchcock made this move it seemed like he was reaching a good bit at the time on this one. No doubt it was a weak attempt on his part and the rest of the Dallas front office part to sign Denilson. The hope was to put more fans in the stands and improve the on field product in the process due to the flashy Denilson. What happened was no one in Dallas cared and Denilson was a waste on the field.

Final thoughts: I think it is safe to say this is the worst DP in league history. No one in Dallas cared that he was here and most that did care were happy to see him go. Looking back I’m sure Dallas wishes they hadn’t wasted the money on him but that’s what happens when you gamble, sometimes you waste your money.

DP Grade: F

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Claudio Reyna (New York Red Bulls):

What worked: When Renya was healthy you’d see a quality New York team on the field back in 2007. The midfield was a little more complete and the offense had a nice spark to it with him. I think had the timing been right when him coming to MLS we probably would have even seen a decent pump in attendance with him but probably nothing major like Beckham.

What didn’t work: Injuries and overall poor management on New York’s part really did this number in for me. Reyna was never going to be 100% while playing on turf (see Juan Pablo Angel for that too) and with the Red Bulls changing coaches every year stability was always going to be an issue.

Final thoughts: I liked this move at first for the club back in 2007 but as time wore on this move really showed some early flaws in the DP system.

DP Grade: D+

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Marcello Gallardo (DC United):

What worked: He probably came in with too much hype and in some way he wasn’t really the guy DC actually wanted at the time (remember the Juan Sebastian Veron debacle?). Injuries did him in quickly and he was only limited to 15 games. In that time he scored four goals and assisted on a couple others but that was it.

What didn’t work: From what I recall there was always some attitude issues with Gallardo. At times it seemed like he didn’t want to be there and I’m sure that sports hernia didn’t help one bit either.

Final thought: Early on I thought Gallardo could be a big time impact player for DC but after a couple games that thought quickly went away. He disappeared in games that he was needed in and injury aside was just not a good fit for DC or MLS. Then again about every player DC brought in back in 2008 was not a good fit for both.

DP Grade: D+

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Claudio Lopez (Kansas City Wizard):

(Note – Lopez was originally a DP but KC reworked his contract to not be a DP after 2008)

What worked: Late in 2008 we saw exactly how dangerous Lopez could be with the Wizards. The Wizards had a late surge towards the playoffs and were even able to upset Chivas USA in the opening round of the second season. A lot was thanks to Lopez and his efforts on the offensive side of the ball.

What hasn’t worked: He was truly never worth the DP money at the time, also he’s shown his age just a bit while in KC. Also he hasn’t been the offensive spark that some thought he’d be in KC. Only 15 goals in 57 games for the Wizards isn’t DP worthy.

Final Thoughts: Thankfully for KC they got his contract below the DP mark after one season. Since then he’s been doing okay as a non-DP player. I’d say he may still be a little more than he is worth right now but his leadership has been solid nonetheless in KC.

DP Grade: C

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Luciano Emilio (DC United):

What worked: No one can deny that when Emilio was on he was on. After the 2007 season he earned his way into a DP contract with his MVP performance. The only thing was after his stellar non-DP year of 20 goals his production dropped in the final two years with the Black-and-Red with only 21 more goals, 10 of which did come in 2009. Still when he was on his game he was one of the best strikers in the league.

What didn’t work: I suppose his downfall was getting the DP contract after 2007. DC traded for the DP slot from Colorado, only then to trade it back. As mentioned his production dipped considerably after earning the DP money. A pretty typical thing of most athletes that earn a big contract after a strong year.

Final Thoughts: I liked Emilio as a DP last year for the most part, he was one of the few offensive bright spots for DC. After going for 20 goals in 2007 there was a lot expected of Emilio. He got the DP contract and still got 11 goals in 2008 and 10 in 2009 but its hard to live up to what got him the DP contract, that 20 goal tally. DC was smart to low ball him going into 2010 and in a way he was smart to reject it and go home to Brazil.

DP Grade: B-

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David Beckham (LA Galaxy):

What’s worked: For the most part anytime he is on the field people are watching. He brings a lot to the table for Bruce Arena’s side and does create still create a decent amount of buzz for the league.

What hasn’t worked: For starters this loan thing with AC Milan has been a pain for the league. Second of all things did get off on a bad foot (excuse the pun) when he first came over with his injuries. He was expected to some to bring MLS into a lot of people’s houses but let’s be honest he really hasn’t spark that big of an interest in casual sports fans across the country like some thought he would.

Final thoughts: Hey the rule was made for him. He’ll eventually own a team in this league and his footprint will be all over when it is all said and done. While I have seen some issues with him making so many more money in a single season (or half season in his case now with this loan) than a couple clubs combined. But I’d still be willing to bet the positives have outweighed any negatives from him being here. He’s still done more for the league than most who have come over and tried their hand at playing in MLS.

DP Grade: A

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Freddie Ljungberg (Seattle Sounders FC):

What’s worked: When he’s fit he is a dangerous part of the Seattle offense. Even though he’s only been in the league for a single season he has brought a ton of credibility to the league in my eyes. I knew it was a good signing for Seattle last year and I’m standing by it again today. The thing I do like about this signing is he wasn’t brought in to put more butts in the seats at Qwest, he was brought in to facilitate the offense. I think if Ljungberg is fully fit again this year he could have an even more productive campaign.

What hasn’t worked: Injuries have been an issue thanks to his age and the nasty field turf at Qwest. His off the field comments this winter also sparked some issues with teammates for him not showing up on time to camp.

Final Thoughts: Still one of my favorite players all together (gotta stick by my Swedes). Ljungberg will continue to be what’s right with the DP slot. Quality talent on the field and for the most part good stuff off the field that gets fans excited.

DP Grade: A

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Juan Pablo Angel (New York Red Bulls)

What’s worked: He’s been a goal scoring machine, despite some injuries and playing on the lovely field turf at Giant’s Stadium. He loves New York and it seems like he is definitely at home in MLS.

What hasn’t worked: Injuries and lots of coaching/management turnover has probably cut into his production. I often wonder at times if he had gone anywhere else in the league as a DP would he be setting some scoring records each year?

Final thought: A move to Red Bull Arena this year will definitely help out with his injuries, which should definitely help New York get some wins this year for a change. Angel has been one of the better DPs the league has seen, some will even say the best. He brings a lot to the field and a good bit off of it.

DP Grade: A

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Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus Crew):

What worked: While GBS only spent a single season as a DP he was still very much a good one. Not only did he help get the Crew to their second straight Supporter’s Shield trophy but he also did help them be the only MLS club to make it through the group stages of the CONCACAF Champions League.

What hasn’t worked: Injuries, his age, and the constant threat of him leaving (which has pretty much vanished this winter).

Final thoughts: Even though he was only a DP for a single season he is still one of the best DPs the league has had up until this point. He brings so much to the field and from the sounds of things he brings a good bit of things off the field. He’s a player you build your club around and who knows maybe he’ll become the first DP to turn into a coach in this league.

DP Grade: A

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Cuauhtemoc Blanco (Chicago Fire):

What worked: Its really hard to pinpoint something that didn’t work out right for Blanco in Chicago. He was an instant success on and off the field. While the Fire never got to a MLS Cup with Blanco they did see some quality soccer on the field and in a way the Fire help get his international career back on track. I won’t even mention what he brought to the table for the league in terms of growth in the Latino department.

What didn’t work: Blame it on coaching or management but the one big flaw with Blanco was that he never was able to lead them to any sort of domestic or international Cup while in Chicago. Oh and that US Open Cup mess wasn’t anything fun to discuss either.

Final thoughts: For me Blanco is and will continue to be the best DP the league has seen so far. GBS is a close second for me but Blanco edges him out because of what he brought to the game and the crowds he brought in when the Fire were on the road. He had his issues like any other player but he was well worth the DP price in my book, even though I’m still not the biggest Blanco supporter.

DP Grade: A

The 2010 Crew look a lot like the 2009 Crew, does that mean another Supporter's Shield is on the way? (Getty Images)

I had hoped to get this post out of the way earlier in the day but some issues on the back end of my site kept me busy all day (some PHP bug!). But I felt like it was still alright to move on with out look at each Major League Soccer club and how they are doing this offseason.

Today we go back east and look at the two time defending Supporter’s Shield champion Columbus Crew.

The offseason hasn’t been too busy for the Crew but they were able to make some big noise at the SuperDraft with a couple of their selections.

Keepers:

Who they have: William Hesmer, Andy Gruenebaum, and Kenny Schoeni

Notes: This area is still fine for the Crew. I had heard whispers that Gruenebaum was not on the roster for the training camp but I haven’t seen anything out there about it yet (Crew fans can help me out on that one). If he is in camp then he is a fine backup to Hesmer, if not then they may be in trouble.

For the most part I’d say if they are looking to add anything here it will be with one of the league’s pool keepers that travel around. Hesmer is one of the more underrated keepers in the league in my opinion. The Crew should be fine here as long as Hesmer stays healthy this season.

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Defense:

Who they have: Frankie Hejduk, Gino Padula, Andy Iro, Chad Marshall, Eric Brunner, Jed Zayner, Shaun Francis, and Kwaku Nyamekye.

Notes: When healthy this group is as good as it gets. But like we saw late in the year when they aren’t 100% things get a little dicy. Hejduk has shown his age and sometimes Padula isn’t all there. Let’s not forget that Marshall will probably be missed some point this summer if he ends up going to South Africa. I do however like the youth with this group in Iro, Zayner and Brunner.

Too bad they probably won’t get anything out of Nyamekye, one of their forth round picks. Apparently he is headed to play in Europe.

I think if Robert Warzycha can get a couple more quality center backs and maybe one more wing back in here this group will be set for the long run. With the amount of extra games again this year on the menu you gotta think depth will come into question with the Crew yet again.

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Midfield:

Who they have: Alex Grendi, Danny O’Rourke, Dilly Duka, Duncan Oughton, Eddie Gavin, Kevin Burns, Brian Carroll, Emmanuel Ekpo, Robbie Rogers, Adam Moffat, and Cory Elenio.

Notes:  Just like the defensive group if they are healthy they are one of the best in the league but if they aren’t it gets interesting. They have a good solid core of players here and I’m very curious to see Duka plays into their system here as well.

I would like to see them go after another attacking midfielder though for depth. Should Schelotto go down they will need some sort of back up in place. Adding more depth in the defensive side of the midfield wouldn’t be a bad thing as well.

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Forwards:

Who they have: Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Jason Garey, Bright Dike, Emilio Rentería, and Steven Lenhart

Notes: Schelotto makes this a very solid group but I kind of still see him as an attacking midfielder more than a forward at this point. Some folks list him as a forward others list him as a midfielder.

I like Renteria and Lenhart – and Garey isn’t too bad either. Biggest question will be around Dike and whether or not the Crew really did gamble on picking him so early. Most like me agree they could have gotten him in the forth round with one of their three picks then.

I’d still like to see them go after another striker before the season starts if they can, or definitely one during the summer transfer window. Right now they’ll have to rely too much on Schelotto to score for them and I can see that doing well early on but leading to some trouble late if no one else steps up.

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Overall:

One still has to figure the Crew will be in the discussion for the Supporter’s Shield yet again this season. They’ve barely lost anything from a year ago and I have to think that playoff loss to RSL really stung this group. I think as long as Rogers and Ekpo step up in the midfield, Schelotto and Renteria do their part up top and the defense stays healthy they’ll be another tough team to beat in 2010.

Still saying that they do have some work left to do to get the depth issues taken care of.

Guillermo Barros Schelotto has been a fan favorite since joining the Crew. (Getty Images)

A move that definitely keeps the Columbus Crew contenders finally became official today. The club announced the re-signing of midfielder/striker Guillermo Barros Schelotto to his forth season with the Black-and-Gold.

Schelotto will not occupy a Designated Player slot in 2010, thus meaning his new contract is a lot cheaper than what he was making last season.

The Crew really needed the veteran back for another year due to his high production he’s done over the last three years since joining the Crew. So far he has scored 26 goals and tallied 39 assists in 78 regular-season and playoff games. Not a bad stat-line for any player.

While the Crew didn’t have the greatest Draft last week I think this re-signing still keeps them in the top half of teams in the league going into this year. No doubt with his leadership on board this club will be a contender yet again in 2010.

Schelotto looking to possibly stay with MLS. (Getty Images)

Some news this morning that should excite fans around the league, especially those in Columbus. Former league MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto is said to be working on getting his green card.

From this news it sounds like GBS is serious about staying with Major League Soccer and the Columbus Crew. I’ve also been told that he wants to eventually get into coaching, so this could be a move to keep him in the States long enough to secure a coaching position when he is done with this playing career.

As of this morning there is no new news about his contract with the Crew. But this news about him going after a green card should mean he is serious about re-signing with the Crew. That can only help the Crew going forward into this season, without him they’d have a lot of ground to cover in the draft and in the transfer market to replace his productivity.

Montreal inches closer to a MLS expansion bid.

By now we’ve all seen the lovely quote from MLS commissioner Don Garber yesterday about future league expansion.

“We’ve had productive conversations with Montreal to be our 19th team,” said Garber.

With all the issues going on with the USL/TOA crap you have to think that Montreal owner Joey Saputo is trying to figure out the best way to get his club into the top-tier league instead of a new breakaway league. Saputo probably would have gotten an expansion bid for the 2011 round had he not gone crazy over the expansion fee this time last year. Instead he is busting his ass to get a deal done as soon as possible from what folks up north are saying.

We mentioned last week that he was invited to MLS Cup this weekend by the league as well. That should definitely be a place that he is able to boost his club’s ratings up a bit to get into MLS.

But after Montreal we still have no idea who the 20th club will be. Garber didn’t bring up a name for who he thought was even in the running for the 20th club. Some folks sure jumped on the Detroit bandwagon real quick yesterday with the news about the Silverdome being bought to be used as a soccer facility. Honestly, like I said yesterday I just don’t buy that at all.

What about New York though? I know a group that seems keen on the idea still of a club in the city. And based on some recent news (or another mention) of David Beckham’s group looking at owning a club in either Miami, New York or Montreal when he is done with his time in MLS definitely sparks some interest for those guys in New York.

Go ahead and throw Montreal out of the mix for Beckham. We’ve known for ages it was always going to be either Miami or New York for him. A lot will come down to where the potential club would play and probably support from the local area. Are the Miami Ultras better than the Borough Boys? Only time will tell.

My money is still on New York even though we do need to see a club in the Southeast again sometime down the road.

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No GBS Next Year?

Link

This is not what I would call good news for the Columbus Crew or even for Major League Soccer. Apparently the Crew’s owners are going to low-ball their MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto for a new contract. Are they stupid or just stupid? Low-balling their best player is not a way to stay competitive and if he doesn’t go for the lower contract then they are going to be shit out of luck come next season. The Hunts really need to get their act together about their two clubs.

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Lee Nguyen Talks

Link

A nice little interview with Nguyen who has been playing in Vietnam of all places. Now he is currently training with FC Dallas and would even like to play with the team in Frisco if things can work out that way. Definitely an interesting interview that is worth a read.

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Clark Leaving Dynamo

No link just yet on this one, the Houston Dynamo quietly announced that midfielder Ricardo Clark would not be returning for next season with the Dynamo. Tough break but one that we shouldn’t be totally shocked by as we knew he was looking in Europe this past summer for offers. The bright side thought for the Dynamo is the salary cap break they will get as losing Clark off the books means about $220k is now available.

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Evening Links and Thoughts appear on WVHooligan typically each day (Monday – Friday). We try to cover topics that surround MLS, the US national team and other items that are of interest. If you have a link for the ELT send them in!

GBS helped lead the Crew to a second straight Supporter's Shield trophy. (Getty Images)

We all expected big things in 2009 for the Columbus Crew. Anytime you win a MLS Cup and retain the bulk of a lineup that got you that title you expect to repeat or come extremely close to do so. As we saw last week the Crew fell short of that this year as they lost to Real Salt Lake at home in the semi-finals of the eastern conference.

Still what can you say about this year’s Crew other than it was pretty much a carry-over of some sorts of the 2008 team. Robert Warzycha stepped in as Sigi Schmid headed west to be with the new Seattle Sounders club and things on the roster pretty much remained the same way with Guillermo Barros Schelotto, Robbie Rogers, Chad Marshall and Frankie Hejduk all there.

The Crew stumbled a bit out of the gate though with questions of if this bunch was really good enough to repeat. Columbus didn’t earn their first win until May, eight games into the season. But even with the lack of winning early on there was only a couple losses on the fixture table.

In the summer the Crew really turned things on. Schelotto looked like the MVP that we all knew he was and instead of assisting on goals like he did in his MVP season of 2008, he was scoring goals to help the Crew win games. Between June and August the Crew only lost a couple matches in league play while their CONCACAF Champions League play started off well.

Late in the year the Crew wrapped up their second straight Supporter’s Shield title, ensuring another birth in the CCL next year. While they did fall short in the playoffs they proved once again how a stable club can do so well in the league.

What Went Right In 2009:
When all key parts were playing things looked unstoppable for this group. Schelotto was a beast when he was fully healthy, Marshall repeated as Defender of the Year even though he wasn’t totally fit and other guys like Steven Lenhart and Jason Garey filled in nicely. Its hard to complain too much about a Supporter’s Shield type season like the Crew had but I know the way things ended left a lot of folks unsatisfied.

What Went Wrong In 2009:
Injuries played a big part in things that did go wrong. Some might also point a finger at Warzycha for playing it too safe in Salt Lake for the first leg of the playoffs. Either way this club was pretty gassed by the end of the season. Their schedule in the fall months between the league slate and the CCL group stage really left them on empty. They went from being one of the most dominate home clubs in league history to a team that lost three straight home games to finish the year (including the playoffs).

What’s Next:
Next up is figuring out who is staying and who is going. We know Philly will certainly pick someone from this club in the expansion draft and then there is the likelihood that Robbie Rogers will leave. What is bigger though is whether or not Schelotto will hang it up or not. If he returns along with other veterans like Hejduk and Alejandro Moreno then this club should have no problem returning to the top of the food chain. But at the same time they definitely need to go out and find some offense this winter. It was something that lacked all year and a reason why Schelotto had to pick up the scoring slack.