Eric Hassli - Is He the Kind of Player You Would Want on Your Team?

With the arrival of the summer transfer window less than a month away, new rumors, as well as updates on old rumors, seem to be coming in every day here in Sounder Nation. A select few who have voiced their opinions seem to be keen on the idea of bringing in a big time right back, while many would like to see a DP style CAM. The general concensus, however, is that we are in desperate need of a DP up top. Since most of the big name strikers linked to a possible move to the MLS (Drogba, Forlan, Klose) are way out of the MLS's price range, it's quite possible we may see a guy with a pedigree like Eric Hassli coming to the Emerald City. This got me thinking: What if Hassli had finished out his season with FC Zurich and was now available to bring in during the summer window? Would you want the Sounders to go after him?

Hassli's offensive stats can't be argued. He's scored 6 goals in 10 games. His goals/90 (.75) is second only to Charlie Davies (.86) among players who have played at least 500 minutes, while Landon Donovan is just behind with .74 (all three have scored 3 penalties). His shooting accuracy is 36.7%, middle of the pack among players with at least 30 shots (Montero's is 37.5%). The only offensive stat where he's really lacking is in the assist column: 0, but his scoring production is what one would hope for when bringing in a target forward as a DP.

Hassli's offensive disciplinary record is where the problem lies. A minor stat that many might overlook would be fouls committed, but with 26 fouls committed his fouls/90 min rate of 3.24 ties him for worst offender in that category among guys with at least 500 minutes. The major issue though is how often referees have written his name down for reasons other than goals. In his 10 games played Hassli has managed to rack up 5 yellow cards and 3 red cards (2 reds were due to second yellows, the third was a straight red), causing him to miss 4 games due to suspension (one was for yellow accumulation). The really disgusting part? All 5 yellows and the 2 reds due to second yellows occured in his first 5 games. That is a behavior that very few coaches outside of Vancouver would put up with. Another stat to consider is Vancouver's record with Hassli versus without Hassli. The Caps are 1-2-7 with him in the lineup, and 0-4-1 when he's suspended/injured. Granted 1 PPM isn't great, but it's significantly better than .2 PPM. 34 points at the end of the season will leave them near the bottom of the table, whereas 7 points would leave them wishing they hadn't joined the league.

Looking at all of this made me wonder if I would be able to overlook his disciplinary issues and wholly embrace him for his scoring ability. Imagine if Hassli were to come in at the beginning of the transfer window. We would have 13 games left, meaning he'd probably be available for the final 12. Would 5 goals from Hassli in those 12 games be enough for you? Or would it be too much to see him sit out 3-4 games due to suspension? Personally, the only way I'd be able to get past his tendency to get booked is if he was scoring 2 or 3 goals per 90. How about you?