In case you haven't heard the news, it appears that the Red Bulls have made a move for their third Designated Player. Everton FC of the English Premier League announced on their website that 32-year-old attacking midfielder/forward, and Australian international, Tim Cahill, is on his way to New York. As usual, until the deal is completely done, the Red Bulls are adhering to MLS policy and saying nothing.
In the wake of all of this news, I couldn't help but think how many very good moves have been made by Sporting Director, Erik Soler, since the end of the 2011 season. Even the moves with the least impact, like the free transfer pickup of Jose Angulo for $33,500, are perfectly reasonable in comparison to the inexplicable Brian Nielsen and Marcos Paullo acquisitions of previous years.
For your perusal, here are all of the moves made since the end of the 2011 season. I'm struck by how much turnover there has been, and how many of the moves have been clear gains for the club. The results can be seen on the pitch, where the team put together their best first half in club history.
Players Out:
11/23/11 - Alex Horwath, Mike Jones, John Rooney (INT), Marcos Paullo (INT), Tyler Lassiter, and Teddy Schneider waived
11/29/11 - Greg Sutton transferred to Montreal, terms undisclosed
11/30/11 - Bouna Coundoul and Chris Albright options declined
12/5/11 - Carlos Mendes option declined. Claimed by Columbus in expansion draft
12/13/11 - Stéphane Auvray option declined
12/31/11 - Brian Nielsen (INT) loan expired
1/19/12 - Frank Rost (INT, DP) released, announced retirement in February
1/20/12 - Carl Robinson (INT) retired
1/26/12 - Tim Ream transferred to Bolton Wanderers for approximately $3 million fee
2/17/12 - Matt Kassel and Sacir Hot waived
3/30/12 - Luke Rodgers (INT) free transferred to Lillestrøm SK after visa problems
5/17/12 - Juan Agudelo traded to Chivas FC for Heath Pearce, allocation money, and a percentage of future transfer fees
7/13/12 - Dane Richards and allocation money traded to Vancouver for Sebastien Le Toux
Players In:
12/5/11 - Connor Lade signed to Homegrown contract
1/5/12 - Jonathan Borrajo signed on free transfer
1/12/12 - Marcus Holgersson signed on free transfer, and Kenny Cooper traded from Portland Timbers for 2013 1st round Superdraft pick, and allocation money
1/25/12 - Jeremy Vuolo transferred from AC Oulu, terms undisclosed
1/30/12 - Wilman Conde signed on free transfer after MLS rights were acquired from Chicago Fire for allocation money
2/6/12 - Ryan Meara selected in 2nd Round of 2012 Superdraft
2/10/12 - Victor Pálsson signed on free transfer
3/5/12 - Brandon Barklage, Tyler Ruthven, Jhonny Arteaga, and Jose Angulo signed on free transfers
3/19/12 - Ryan Maduro signed on free transfer
5/17/12 - Heath Pearce acquired in trade
7/13/12 - Sebastien Le Toux acquired in trade
7/13/12 - Bill Gaudette acquired in trade with L.A. Galaxy for a 2nd Round 2014 Supplemental draft pick
7/24/12 - Tim Cahill pending acquisition announced by Everton FC
There are 11 players cut from last year that saw 90 minutes or less in MLS play in 2011. Through 21 games played this season, there are only 6 players who've 90 minutes or less. That is a lot of dead wood cut, some great acquisitions, and a lot of value when trades were made. Fans love to hate our management, but this is an impressive list of moves, and it has paid off on the pitch.
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