Miguel Montano Invited to MLS Montreal Impact Trial
by Dave Clark on Oct 3, 2011 9:03 AM PDT
in Major League Soccer: News & Analysis
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As the Montral Impact transition from not very good NASL side to expansion MLS team they have invited 25 players to trial and attempt to be on their inaugural roster. Miguel Montano, who the Seattle Sounders had loaned to the Impact, will be staying with them for their trial camp. There are a few other players familar to those that follow the Sounders. Former trialists Wes Knight and Bratislav Ristic both got the invite, as did CSD Comunicaciones midfielder Jose Javier Del Aguila. There are also a handful of NASL and USL vets who will try to use expansion to get a leg up.
Montreal looks to make news Monday afternoon as well when they will be announcing their first MLS player signing. Reports are that former Inter Milan player Nelson Rivas will be a Designated Player for the team. Signing a DP centerback is a bold move to start a team. Looking at former MLS trialists and castoffs is not. Players like Osvaldo Alonso and Sebastien Le Toux were told they weren't good enough for MLS prior to becoming Seattle Sounders, if Montreal can get even one man of that quality from this camp they'll be off on a strong foot.
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How would this work?
Since Montano is on loan, would we try and trade? Make a deal for the expansion draft?
If they think he's good
I’m guessing that Seattle and Montreal work a trade/expansion draft agreement.
His loan to the Impact is done, though as an end of season loan they hold his paperwork until the next transfer window.
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by Dave Clark on Oct 3, 2011 9:33 AM PDT up reply actions 1 recs
I hope he knocks their socks off at the trial
Montano would be about the least distressing of the players Montreal could pick from the Sounders during the expansion draft.
Agreed. I hope that Montano has a great MLS career
But for the sake of the current Sounders roster, it would be great it Montreal picked him up and he had that career there.
Anybody know how he did over there?
Wikipedia lists him with 4 appearances, no goals. I don’t know if that’s accurate or not though. If it is, 4 apps in a bad second tier team doesn’t seem to bode well for his future with us at least. Then again, we hang on to guys like Taylor Graham who never play.
That's actually pretty darn good
There’s no doubt he has some great skills. It’s the decision making that’s always been a question. It might be a good bet for Montreal and Montano. He’s more likely to get the playing time he needs to improve there instead of being locked at the back of a stacked Seattle midfield.
I do think he's a player that could benefit from being on an expansion side
He’ll probably see the field more often, and with the limited player-pool of an expansion side, he could really stand out and work his way into the regular rotation. I just don’t see him doing so soon for us.
Rivas? If this is true, not an auspicious start for l'Impact
As an Inter fan, seeing Rivas on the field made my blood run cold. I can’t imagine signing him, let alone as a DP. I don’t know, maybe he’ll be a stud in MLS, but I have strenuous doubts.
Interested
in why you felt signing a DP CB was a bold move? Because, in general, the league has tended towards bringing in flashy mids or forwards or something else? In my mind, the teams have done themselves a huge disservice by not focusing more on defensive DPs…. Rafa aside, who isn’t really a CB anyway, but more of a sweeper.
Good defenders are a lot cheaper and easier to find than good skill players.
Unless you’re getting a really amazing player it’s a waste of resources, especially at centerback.
by Aaron Campeau on Oct 3, 2011 10:10 AM PDT up reply actions
large contract defenders have rarely succeeded
Dauvino being the clearest example, but even DeMerit hasn’t been stellar even when healthy.
Most teams can get strong defense on the cheap in MLS – gonzalez, john, chad marshall, parkhurst, parke, hurtado & others show that strong defenders can be cheap.
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
by Dave Clark on Oct 3, 2011 10:10 AM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Im riding the fence on this one
I liked what I saw of Montano and think he can be a good winger but I don’t see him breaking through any time soon with Seattle. I wonder if he will be an expansion pick or maybe a trade for their allocation spot to snag Hahnemann in the winter window. Either way I hope he plays well, just not against us.
by Colin Johnson on Oct 3, 2011 10:07 AM PDT reply actions 1 recs
I hadn't even considered the allocation order aspect...
Building a good relationship with Montreal now seems like a very prudent decision.
Bundling draft picks
If the Sounders are targeting Hahnemann I won’t be surprised if they bundle regular draft picks in a trade with the Impact.
by Abbott Smith on Oct 3, 2011 11:51 AM PDT up reply actions
I'd guess a player plus pick/s
Especially with how far they would fall in the allocation order when they swap places with us. Hahnemann’s short Everton contract sounds like he is just staying sharp for the MLS. I would be surprised if he doesn’t end up in Seattle. I just hope we don’t get bent over by the league because he is a returning national team player.
by Colin Johnson on Oct 3, 2011 12:35 PM PDT up reply actions
My guess = 2 players and avoid Expansion Draft
Do we even have rights to him after this year? Perhaps we have an option in our loan agreement – or maybe we just cut him loose early as a courtesy.
If we do have rights to him, I can’t imagine the Impact making a deal with us to only take Montano in lieu of selecting a Sounder in the Expansion draft. I think it’s more likely that we bundle other players or draft picks with Montano. If they are interested in Montano, and we only offer a straight 1:1 trade, then the Impact would just wait and select him in the Expansion Draft. Without getting into the ‘who do we protect’ discussion, we’ll certainly have 3-4 players who would be immediate contributors for the Impact and would be better picks. My odds are on a Montano + <Gonzalez/Wahl/Neagle/Carrasco> type of deal. We’ll give up more than we’d like, but we’ll be able to isolate the damage and be prepared to backfill.
by InternetCharlie on Oct 3, 2011 12:45 PM PDT up reply actions
The Impact are going to want a more than two of our bench players to go from #1 in the Allocation Order to #17 or so
Here are the players that came back to MLS via Allocation this season: Jay DeMerit, Kenny Cooper, Carlie Davies, Freddy Adu, Benny Feilhaber, and Sammy Ochoa. Montano + <Gonzalez/Wahl/Neagle/Carrasco> are not going to be enough to make them pass over another play in the expansion draft as well as trade us their allocation pick. I think you’re looking at Montano, plus a near starting caliber defender and a midfielder who would be rotational for us and starting for them as a starting point.
Otherwise, they just take Montano (or someone we value more) in the expansion draft and then pick up returning USMNT or Canadian equivalent player.
Correction - per Dave's comment below CA National Team members aren't subject to allocation order
Now that makes sense…
The allocation ranking is the mechanism used to determine which MLS club has first priority to acquire a U.S. National Team player who signs with MLS after playing abroad, or a former MLS player who returns to the League after having gone to a club abroad for a transfer fee.
They would be subject to allocation if the CAMNT player had played in MLS previously and transfered abroad for a fee.
Clarification
I think that there will need to be two separate transactions:
1. The Expansion Draft. I could see the Impact and Sounders working a handshake deal to use Montano as the expansion draft pick. We’ll loan you this player so you get a good look and gain from his play this season. If you like him, we’ll leave him exposed and you can take him.
2. I could also see the scenario working where the Impact choose another Sounder in the expansion draft and then the Sounders bundle Montano, a vet and draft picks to the Impact for their spot in the allocation order. For an expansion franchise, young bodies with potential to grow within the franchise are important. Unless the Sounders have their eyes on a particular college player they expect to fall to them, getting an experienced goalie is going to be considerably more valuable than this year’s draft picks. Picking up a player or two and another 1st round pick and say a third round pick may very well be a good trade for an expansion franchise. Such a trade may also result in the Sounders picking up some allocation money or another international slot too.
Good clarification
I was considering only the Expansion draft angle. People are too hopeful that Impact would be happy with only Montano in lieu of picking a Soudner in the Expansion draft. We’ll have to expose some quality players – players that would be better choices than taking a flyer on a young player who’s most consistent attribute is his inconsistency. I do think it’s possible that they’d consider Montano + one of our 12-15 ranked players. We still lose a quality player, but it’s our choice who we’d lose and we could feel confident that we coudl backfill.
I think Allocation order is something all together different as CMC suggests. With a #1 ranking, it’s very likely they have a shot at some quality players from Allocation and they would definitely want more than Montano + a spot starter.
by InternetCharlie on Oct 3, 2011 3:39 PM PDT up reply actions
Allocation leverage
The other issue to keep in mind is that the allocation list players have some leverage. They can sit back and wait until a deal is in place for them to return to the team that they want. It’s not perfect leverage, but it does impact the decision making process of an expansion franchise. Three or four usuable pieces who just want to play and would look at an expansion side as an opportunity for playing time and a chance to grow with the team is a much more pallateable choice than a single player who really doesn’t want to play for your team.
I think there's something wonky
about Canadian teams and the allocation order. Not sure exactly how it works, but I know they are not be subject to the same rules and labor regulations, and possibly may not be a part of the US-Int’l expat re-entry process. So as great as this would be to work something out with them to get Hahnemann, it might not be possible…
they are still subject to allocation as far as I know
see DeMerit, Jay and Whitecaps this year.
by Colin Johnson on Oct 3, 2011 12:37 PM PDT up reply actions
right allocation only applies to returning Americans
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