No strike, and Robbie gets another shot
by denz on Feb 25, 2010 3:27 PM MST
2 comments
Well there have been a lot of nervous people all around MLS and soccer in the US today waiting to see what would come of the CBA talks, well nothing, zip, nada. The league stated earlier that they would not lockout the players if no agreement was reached, and they were willing to move forward into the season using the expired CBA until a new one can be finalized.
"Effective at midnight tonight, our collective bargaining agreement with MLS will expire," MLSPU executive director Bob Foose said. "While we expect that negotiations with MLS will resume at some point, there simply hasn't been enough progress made in the negotiations to date to warrant an extension of the old agreement. We have advised our players to keep working for the time being, but as of Friday they will be doing so without a CBA. In the meantime, all options are being considered as the process continues. We are completely committed to forging real changes to the way MLS players are treated."
So we move forward for now without any type of agreement, I hope both sides sit down and give serious consideration to what the future of MLS and the sport should be in the US, and to some extent Canada.
Another shot for Robbie Findley
Today Bob Bradley announced his roster for next week's US vs. Netherlands friendly (3-3-10 12:30 MST on ESPN2) and to the surprise of some Real Salt Lake's Robbie Findley was on the list as one of 3 strikers. I believe this is Bob giving him a shot to play with the European based players to see if he fits in with them.
Here is the complete roster for the US:
GOALKEEPERS (3): Brad Guzan (Aston Villa), Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Tim Howard (Everton)
DEFENDERS (7): Jonathan Bornstein (Chivas USA), Carlos Bocanegra (Rennes), Jay DeMerit (Watford), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Heath Pearce (FC Dallas), Frank Simek (Sheffield Wednesday), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)
MIDFIELDERS (7): DaMarcus Beasley (Rangers), Alejandro Bedoya (Orebro), Michael Bradley (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Landon Donovan (Everton), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Stuart Holden (Bolton Wanderers), José Torres (Pachuca)
FORWARDS (3): Jozy Altidore (Hull City), Robbie Findley (Real Salt Lake), Eddie Johnson (Aris Thessaloniki)
OFF MY SOAPBOX
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I knew Robbie was going to Amsterdam. None of the other so-called bubble forwards offer anything different from the core guys. Ching? Simply a watered down skill set of our core guys. Findley on the other hand has serious athleticism. The fact that he offers something different (raw talent, a whole lotta upside) will be enough to earn his spot in Africa.
I think Rimando has the 3rd keeper spot pretty well locked up. Or is he too old and small? I don’t know enough about the depth of the Nats to make a call here.
It was nice to see Beckerman playing like he belonged there last night. I wish he had gotten over the nervousness earlier in this cycle, because as it stands, I don’t see him in South Africa.
Robbie has a shot
The harsh reality check for Robbie will be if he can produce results, when playing with the MLS side he hasn’t and I believe part of that is due to the way they were playing. Rogers was awful and couldn’t provide anything, Casey will always look to shoot vs. pass, and to be honest the very few chances in the last two matches that were given to Robbie he hasn’t found the back of the net. Ching is a know quantity, he is a target guy and not a real breakaway type forward, so a lot will depend on what the injury status of a number of players is at the end of April, that will determine what type of forward we need.
Robbie gets a chance to play with a higher level of guys next week, a good showing both in practices but more importantly in the match (in what I believe will be limited minutes) will be critical for him to really have a chance to play with the big boys this summer.
I love Nick and what he brings in passion and knowledge of the game, but I don’t see Bradley bringing him to South Africa unless there are a number of injuries to other keepers. That spot is Tim Howard’s, and then it goes to Marcus Hahnemann, the third will likely be Guzan. Nick’s size is what will keep Bradley from using him, as sad of an excuse as that is.
Kyle is an enigma to me, both with RSL and with the USMNT, few guys work harder or cover more territory than he will during a match, his fitness level is always top notch and he has the talent to make a difference in any match. But you can watch a match and not see or notice him for 20-30 minutes sometimes and that scares me. I think when he bobbled the ball at the top of the area and couldn’t get off a shot, that he may have sealed his own fate. The US has some good players in the midfield, and more defensive minded ones, but again a number of them are hurt, so for Kyle it will come down to can he get off to a hot start in MLS and keep his name on the list of “guys who could fill in”. I think he can.
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