2010 Expansion Draft - Who to Protect?
With MLS Cup coming in a couple weeks and the Revs packing up for the long winter offseason, it's time to start getting ready for next year. It's safe to expect that the 2011 Revs will look different, and, indeed, must be different after a disappointing 2010 season. This past week we've seen the retirement of Taylor Twellman, the Revolution's all-time leading goal scorer, due to brain injury. While not unexpected, it is still sad to lose the hope of seeing him knocking in goals for the home-town team. But that's a post unto itself...
The next major personnel decision will be the 2010 Expansion draft later this month. Deciding who to protect and who to leave unprotected is always a bit of a cat-and-mouse game. Can you leave higher-priced players unprotected because they will not be as attractive as a cheaper, more promising youngster? Do you protect experience or potential? I won't be amongst the Revs brass who will be making these decisions, but if I had a vote, my list would look like the following:
- Alston
- Barnes
- Sinovic
- Joseph
- Nyassi (SI)
- Mansally
- Perovic (SI)
- Tierney
- Dube
- Schilawski
- Stolica (SI)
Now before I explain my selections, let's review the rules and the current roster.
The Rules (a summary)
- 11 players protected. GA and Home Grown Exempt.
- If 3+ Internationals, can only leave total-3 unprotected
- If 3 or less Internationals, can only leave 1 unprotected
- If Dev player taken, must be put on expansion teams senior roster
- If a player is taken, the team can protect another player
- A total of 20 players between the two expansion teams will be selected.
The Roster
|
Name |
Position |
Age |
Salary |
Status | Notes |
|
Matt Reis |
GK |
35 |
182,011 |
Out of Contract |
There will be other experienced keepers available for cheaper. Coming off 3rd surgery in past 12 months. |
|
Preston Burpo |
GK |
38 |
70,000 |
|
Age and injury will probably keep him from attracting intetest. |
|
Bobby Shuttleworth |
GK |
23 |
40,000 |
Dev |
He could be the most attractive of the keepers due to age, price and some real experience. He almost made my list over Dube. |
|
Tim Murray |
GK |
23 |
40,000 |
Dev |
Too unknown to be attractive to an expansion team and he's not likely to be missed much. |
|
Kevin Alston |
D |
22 |
124,000 |
|
Starter, all-star, young. Obvious choice. |
|
Darrius Barnes |
D |
23 |
56,250 |
|
Starter, young, experienced and cheap. He would be attractive and fills a role going forward. |
|
Cory Gibbs |
D |
30 |
128,142 |
|
Older, some injury history, mid-priced. Too inconistent for age and experience. Not likely to be attractive and not difficult to replace. Maybe pull him back if Osei is taken? |
|
Emmanuel Osei |
D |
28 |
52,875 |
SI |
Cheap, international. Wildly inconsistent. Reads game well defensively, but makes questionable decisions with the ball. Maybe pull him back if Gibbs is taken? |
|
Seth Sinovic |
D |
23 |
40,000 |
|
Young, cheap, some experience for a rookie, left-sided. Showed some potential for first year pro. Position and potential give him another year in NE. |
|
Zak Boggs |
M |
21 |
40,000 |
|
Young, cheap, showed flashes, but soesn't have large body of professinal work and he's had a long recovery from a head injury. Probably not very attractive to an expansion team. |
|
Nico Colaluca |
M |
24 |
133,000 |
Not an integral part of team, despite some promise. Not likely attractive. | |
|
Jason Griffiths |
M |
23 |
40,000 |
SI |
Young, cheap, some experience. His international status and limited minutes keep him from being too attractive. Pull him back if Phelan is taken? |
|
Shalrie Joseph |
M |
32 |
475,000 |
|
All-star, team leader, can control midfield. He's getting older and he's expensive, but has too much value to risk exposing him. Obvious choice to protect. |
|
Roberto Linck |
M |
22 |
40,000 |
SI |
Young, inexperienced, cheap, but an international and not likely on anyone's radar. |
|
Kenny Mansally |
M |
21 |
72,500 |
|
Young with lots of experience, mid-priced, versatile, and left-footed. Could be attractive. He provides good depth and can push for a starting position. |
|
Sainey Nyassi |
M |
21 |
76,750 |
SI |
Young, experienced, fast, can control a wing. Inconsistent on his crosses and can be hesitant to take defenders on. I like him anyway, but we need to protect 3 internationals and I pick him over Osei. |
|
Marko Perovic |
M |
26 |
190,000 |
SI |
young, reasonably priced, lethal on dead balls, can play a number of attacking positions. He's a keeper, especially as one of 3 internationals. |
|
Pat Phelan |
M |
25 |
40,000 |
|
Experienced, steady but not spectacular. Hasn't really made that giant step forward. But he's cheap and can provide some depth at CB, too. Same player as Griffith now, so pull him back if Griffith taken. |
|
Khano Smith |
M |
29 |
50,004 |
|
Khano is Khano. Sometimes that's a good thing and sometimes it is not. He's cheap and can be deadly, but also can be frustrating. If he's taken, oh well, if not, let him fight to make the roster next season. |
|
Chris Tierney |
M |
24 |
40,000 |
|
Mr. Versatile, left-footed, soccer-smart. Not spectacular at anything, but very good at many, and on short money. Too valuable to lose. |
|
Kheli Dube |
F |
27 |
89,000 |
|
Had a rough 2010 after a good 2009. Does many good things off the ball, and adds some right-midfield depth. My eleventh man protected over Shuttleworth. |
|
Zach Schilawski |
F |
23 |
42,500 |
|
Young, cheap, and showed potential. the type of player attractive to an expansion side for depth. Done enough to keep around to see what he can do as a sophomore. Maybe tradeable, too, if the Revs bring in forwards from outside. |
|
Ilija Stolica |
F |
31 |
221,500 |
SI |
Older, expensive, but provided some key goals and fills a dramatic need in holding the ball up front. Plus, the Revs need to protect 3 internationals. I expect he'll be more effective his 2nd season in the league. |
Whatever is left after the expansion draft will certainly need some trimming and enhancement if the Revolution want to contend for MLS Cup in 2011. The 2010 roster gave away too many goals and scored way too few. However, there will remain a usable framework. I'd consider lining them up in a 4-2-3-1 with most the wide play offensively coming from the outside fullbacks, and the 3 advanced midfielders with a bit of freedom to interchange and generate some constructive chaos. It would look something like this:
Stolica
Mansally Nyassi/Dube
Perovic
Phelan/Griffith Joseph
Tierney/Sinovic Alston
Osei/Gibbs Barnes
Reis/Shuttleworth
I think that to get this to work, we would need another strong, sound center defender, and a partner for Joseph who has more bite on both sides of the ball, a la Beckerman (RSL), Juninho(LA), or Alonso (SEA). It would also require that Nyassi/Dube and Mansally, become consistent finishers, while Alston improved his crossing and offensive decision making.
Another variation that I feel would suit the squad would be a 4-4-2 diamond with Joseph playing in fron of the back four and Perovic mroe advanced. The wings would drop back a little more, but stay pinched inside with considerable offensive freedom. Let Stolica play more like a target and find a Twellman-like finisher to partner him. Easy to write.