So if King out, could Cox be on his way in?
by denz on Apr 29, 2010 7:25 PM PDT
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PrintSo this nugget was pointed out to me recently:
The Sounders FC were a bit short-handed in training today because of injuries that have trimmed their roster slightly. So, for today, they turned to Tacoma native and University of Washington product Raphael Cox. The Stadium High School product was in training, though not on trial, after being waived by Real Salt Lake in March.
I was asked about Raphael and this was is what I can tell you from seeing him in limited action and practices.
First I know RSL was happy that nobody took him off waivers and that if the roster had expanded they would have kept him, I believe the decision to let him go came down to our 3rd keeper (now on a season long loan), our GM is a former keeper and for some reason RSL has kept 3 keepers on the roster despite the smaller roster size. I heard more than one of our front office say they hoped they could bring him back in next season.
He isn't a big player at just 5'6" and 140 but has decent speed, he is good on the ball and an engine that doesn't stop, he can run forever. He is primarily an offensive minded midfielder, the downside is RSL is very, very deep there. We tried to play him as an outside back, but I think they went with central defenders with more size.
He is good on the ball, I was impressed when he stepped into matches how well his first touch was and that even as a rookie he could keep possession and find quality passes to make. I think like any young player the physical nature of MLS tested him, but he seemed more than able to deal with the speed of the game at the MLS level. He became a regular part of our 18 man roster last year, and I was a bit surprised he was let go.
Off the field, he is a quality guy and very friendly, he seems to really have a big heart and was always willing to spend time talking to fans and signing autographs. He was the first to step up when RSL need people for public appearances and to coach at clinics.
I would be jealous if the Sounders were able to get him, hell of a kid and a lot of potential.
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I don't get it
We trade King (a midfielder) who’s proven himself to us, and we pick up another midfielder who was waived? Not to dog on this guy (I have no idea who he is) but this seems weird we’d take a look at another midfielder after getting rid of one. Also, I’m sure we’re anticipating Jaqua’s return soon? With King gone, seems like that would’ve been the spot he’d take.
There is an open slot right now
Montano still isn’t official.
And why trade a guy away a few weeks before Jaqua returns. Proper management would be to trade him just prior to the return.
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The only thing that I can think of is that management knew they needed a roster spot soon
DC made them an offer that was good enough that the Sounders did not want to take the chance of waiting and having DC change their minds. Of course, good enough might mean a few soccerballs, which is more than they would have got if they were going to release him.
Anybody know what we got for him?
Details are few and far between. I’m guessing allocation money?
by chrisperry1983 on Apr 29, 2010 9:50 PM PDT up reply actions
Allocation money would be my guess.
But since the trade is not even official, we don’t really know.
Forgot about Montano
I really hope that kid’s worth it, the press seems to think he is. But a young kid on loan from a team in the Argentine 2nd tier…just not doing it for me
by chrisperry1983 on Apr 29, 2010 9:49 PM PDT up reply actions
Why
I would say looking at your lineup as you are having to right now push some guys forward from the midfield into attacking roles, and that exposes some lack of depth in the midfield (great depth at forward), I like King and think he is an OK player, but with Cox you would be getting a kid who was simply a victim of a very deep midfield. It was pure numbers in Salt Lake with a normal starting lineup of Morales, Beckerman, Johnson, Grabavoy, then toss in Williams, Jean Alexandre (who you will see plenty of later this season), Nelson Gonzalez (the next Morales), and Collen Warner (our top draft pick), and it simply became a numbers game with our roster.
I honestly believe if we had gone like a lot of teams with two keepers that Cox would never have been let go, I know from a few people inside the RSL organization that they hoped that they would be able to bring Cox back in next year (I believe the roster will grow back to 28). If we had known we would had more injuries in the first month of the season than most of last year, I don’t think we would have let him go.
Prepping for a DP?
Just a thought, but this is the kind of move you see many teams make in sports just before a big signing. Cutting King clears a very small amout of money under the cap ($35,000). Getting allocation money makes it even more attractive, in that it allows us to apply that money to the DP hit ($250,000), thus allowing the team the flexibility to maintain some level of depth. Wild guess, I know,. I’m guessing that Cox is going to be a development player, but have to admit that I believe we’re already at our limit. If we seen any further moves, I’d start getting very suspicious.
You have to think of Montano as a development player AND a guy who has the possibility of providing some much needed depth in a busy season. Personally, I like it—it’s a little bit like getting two for one.
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