If anyone thought D.C. United was going to look at its miserable 2000 season as a fluke, they were proven wrong this weekend when the three-time MLS champion gutted the American portion of its roster beyond recognition and began a reconstruction project.
It started with the cap-related trade of Carlos Llamosa to Miami and then, before you could say "Thor Lee," D.C. was shipping Richie Williams and an allocation to the MetroStars for Mike Ammann and a pick -- and Jeff Agoos to San Jose for Abdul Thompson Conteh and two picks -- and Tom Presthus to Columbus for a pick.
For those of you keeping score at home, that's four players who've been a part of the national team pool gone in less than 48 hours. And when the draft rolled around, D.C. used only one of its three first-round picks on a player who is a potential starter in 2001 -- Stanford midfielder Ryan Nelsen, who could take Williams spot in defensive midfield.
So, what are we to make of all this?
Well, it says here there is another shoe that's yet to drop. And here's the prediction: As you know, Ben Olsen is pushing hard for a full-time transfer to Nottingham Forest. When that deal is done, expect D.C. to acquire U.S. defender Gregg Berhalter as his replacement. After the U.S.-Colombia game on Saturday at the Orange Bowl, Berhalter said he was heading home to New Jersey to weigh all his options. When asked if MLS is now one of those options, for the first time, Berhalter said, "Yes, it's an option."
In D.C., Berhalter would be reunited with his old North Carolina teammate Eddie Pope in the center of the defense, and the loss of Llamosa would be softened.
Something to look for, anyway.
The key MetroDeal
The MetroStars believe the most important pickup they made this weekend was the D.C. allocation. Because after the Metros got done releasing Roy Myers and Francis Okaroh, they had cleared enough room under the cap to acquire what GM Nick Sakiewicz is calling, "a player with a very nice pedigree." Sakiewicz said the club has identified a player -- a central midfielder who would play deeper than Tab Ramos -- and hope to announce his signing in the next week or two. For those Metro fans who are hoping for, say, a Freddy Rincon-type signing, Sakiewicz said the player is "not a designer name."
The lottery pick?
University of Connecticut star Chris Gbandi quietly decided to forego his final year of college soccer eligibility this weekend, but did not even begin to negotiate with MLS.
"We've been told he is going to explore his options in Europe," said deputy commissioner Ivan Gazidis. "But obviously, he's a player we'd like to sign."
Should Gbandi fail to hook up with a club in Europe and sign an MLS deal later in the spring, he would go into a lottery draft. I could explain the rules of that procedure to you, but I don't have the time or the energy. Sorry.
Draft analysis Cliffs Notes
Obviously, Youth was the theme for the draft, particularly in the first two rounds when six Project 40 players were snatched up. But, there were a few teams who seemed to help themselves significantly for the 2001 season, either with picks or trades. They are:
Tampa Bay: They wanted defender Tenywa Bonseu and a forward to play alongside Mamadou Diallo. They got Craig Demmin (after Bonseu was taken by Columbus as an allocation) and Duke's Ali Curtis, who looked to be the best college forward in the combine. New coach Alfonso Mondelo said he plans to play a 4-4-2 with Demmin and Joe Addo playing in central defense and Diallo and Curtis running up front.
Columbus: By picking up Bonseu and goalkeeper Tom Presthus, who should benefit from a change of scenery, Columbus upgraded its defense exponentially.
Miami: Llamosa alone makes the Fusion a contender in the East. Greg Simmonds, who scored 16 goals for Hershey in the A-League, could be a bonus, as could left-sided defender Cory Gibbs, should he choose MLS over a team in Germany.
Dallas: New coach Mike Jeffries will try to ease diminutive Bolivian midfielder Joselito Vaca into the Burn lineup this season, but knows he's the probably playmaker of the future. But the consensus is that defender Ryan Suarez, the 7 pick, is ready now.
In tight space
No word yet on the meeting between Landon Donovan and the officials at Bayer Leverkusen, but this weekend in Miami, when asked what he was hoping to get from the meeting, Donovan said, "A spot on someone's first-team."
The Galaxy took a chance, drafting Duke's Robert Russell in the second round. Russell has not signed with the league and is looking to give Europe a shot, but the Galaxy do have one significant chip to use: the money that will come with the World Club Championships.
Keep an eye on this: The MetroStars are talking with the city of Newark about turning the two-year-old Newark Bears baseball stadium into a soccer venue. Architects have already looked at the site and are working on plans. The YankeesNets people are said to be involved in the discussions that are expected to heat up in the coming weeks.
For those who missed it: Miami owner Ken Horowitz told a group of local reporters he was "in it for the long haul" in Fort Lauderdale, then added he was going to ask Broward County for $35 million to renovate Lockhart Stadium (putting a roof over the stands and adding air conditioning) and turn the neighboring fields into a youth soccer complex.
Chicago Fire midfielder Diego Gutierrez said U.S. Soccer is now confident that his "folder is thick enough" for him to officially play for the U.S. national team. The Federation had been worried that Gutierrez may have played for Colombia in a FIFA sanctioned event. "I was in the pool and played in some youth tournaments, but never anything that was a FIFA event. Everything is fine and I'm anxious to play for the U.S."
Jeff Bradley is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail jeff.bradley@espnmag.com.
