Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Revs Offseason Update


First off, congratulations to Toronto FC on the MLS Cup win. Obviously with the USMNT ties through Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore people rooted for them, but I love Sebastian Giovinco. For as much as he absolutely pulls our pants down, he's such a joy to watch and I'm glad he got his title. In my mind he's the current talisman of the league, and a championship only reinforces that. 

Now, on to more pressing matters. First up...


A post shared by Kei Kamara (@2k3) on

Yeah, Kei Kamara got traded to Vancouver. Not a huge shock honestly. His contract was running out and with Brad Friedel now in charge we were bound to see this kind of turnover given the relative lack of production and poor results. Even Kamara was aware of this...


I was very excited when we first got him, thinking that with the talent around him he would be a 15-goal scorer at the least. He was still sneaky our top scorer last season with 12 goals, but it definitely seems like less given the expectations. What I did not take into account was Chris Tierney going through a shocking run of form, in which it was crucial we utilized his fantastic left foot for crosses to Kamara. This obviously did not end up happening.

So we get some draft picks in return to aid in Friedel's search for new talent. It's a bonus that we have two good forwards left on the roster though. Having Juan Agudelo and Krisztian Nemeth means the Kei became expendable without having to then go out and look for a new striker. We seemingly have the solution in house. And so, the Kamara Era in New England ends. I will never forget the time you twerked after a goal and got a yellow card.

Next up: the LAFC Expansion Draft. We once again went through the process of arguing over who should be protected and who should not. Or did we? Brad Friedel's roster moves (including those who had options declined, which I will get to later) left the team thin for this. Since Zach Heriveaux and Scott Caldwell are auto-protected due to their HGP status, the Revs were able to protect a total of 13 players. The total list: 
I think they got it very right. LAFC wasn't going to take Chris Tierney and I wouldn't have been distraught if they took Femi. We protect Our most important players through the spine of the lineup, and by protecting Farrell, Bunbury and Koffie, it would appear a few moves are around the corner. Farrell and Bunbury are out of contracts, so protecting them means they are actively working on new deals with the two. And Koffie's loan spell is up, so while we did not have an option to buy him after it ended it seems like they may be trying to get a permanent transfer done. In the end, no Revs were taken in the Expansion Draft.

Now, those with no contracts or options declined. Like Farrell and Bunbury, Brad Knighton and Daigo Kobayashi are out of contracts. I think Brad is a very good backup, but Friedel might be looking to give a younger guy the #2 role. To be completely honest, I do not know what the situation  with Matt Turner is (the same goes for a few other young guys). But he would be my next choice for a backup from the current roster, and with Friedel we could see him and Cropper really start to develop.

Daigo is one of my favorite players. He's the ultimate closer. Normally when you see him subbed in its because we are protecting a lead, a good thing. The few times he has to come in and get 6-out saves he can pull through with a goal or assist or maintaining possession that leads to a goal.

Those with options declined: Benjamin Angoua, Xavier Kouassi, Donnie Smith, Josh Smith, Je-Vaughn Watson, London Woodberry, and Brian Wright.

I thought Josh Smith and Brian Wright showed flashes of promise and wouldn't hate it if they came back on low-salary deals. The one I'm really upset about is Kouassi. I thought he was going to be our new Jermaine Jones and possibly a future captain. When he was healthy he was a destroyer. But injuries absolutely derailed his career. Hopefully this is just Mike Burns re-doing the contract to free up more money for other signings.

Next up is the SuperDraft, I'll cover that when it actually comes around.

And so, Go Revs.
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