Jamie Smith Retires, Both He and Pablo Join Staff

Some good news on the staffing front today.  Jamie Smith announced his retirement from playing and immediately joined the Rapids Academy as a coach.  He'll be working with the next group of Dillon Sernas and Shane O'Neills.  Also today Pablo Mastroeni was hired as Special Assistant to the Technical Director (that being Paul Bravo).  He'll jump in immediately helping Bravo and Metgod scout the combine and handle the SuperDraft next week.  He is not considered a candidate for the head coaching position (good IMO).

Great to see two former players helping the club after retirement.  Prior to these only two former players (other than Bravo) had ever joined the Rapids staff in a technical capacity, Steve Trittschuh as an assistant from '02-'06, and David Kramer as an assistant in '08.  It would be a good development if former players wanted to stay involved with the Rapids.  I'm very pleased to see both of these guys, particularly the greatest Rapid of all time, working with the team.

Busy News And Rumors Day

Lots of news, lots of rumors.  We'll start with what has been reported.

• Wilmer Cabrera is hired as the new Chivas USA coach

No real surprise after the rumors of the last two days.  It does knock one name off the likely coaching list for the Rapids.

• Red Bull NY has not been asked about Fraser

A bit of a surprise since Fraser seemed to be the early leader for the Rapids job in rumors.  Take another one off the list.

• Colorado hires John Metgod as consultant

This one is more than a bit odd and came out of left field.  Rumors have him working with a future USL team that will be the Rapids affiliate, and possibly partly-owned by them.  Looking at his resume though, he'd make a good head coaching candidate.  Regardless, a good mind to have helping the Rapids.

Now on to the rumors, some of them stronger than the others:

• Jamie Smith hired as Academy coach 

This one seems the strongest of the rumors, with multiple people who know Smith confirming it.  A good move for a guy who was probably going to retire.

• Mullan to be re-signed as player/coach

Reportedly MLS has made a new player designation in recent years for veteran players transitioning to coaching where not all their salary counts against the cap.  Smith was supposed to be in that role last season but something happened, and Mullan will take it this season.  Great way to bring back and experienced vet.

• Pareja's buyout (which was in his contract) could be announced as soon as tomorrow.  The Rapids will get cash, allocation money, and a first round pick probably in next year's draft.

Solid, if not spectacular, package for all of this.  Reportedly the Rapids will turn some of that allocation money around to bring in some players on loan.  They may be using some of the cash for Metgod as well.

And a story I missed covering in the holiday last week, but Chris Klute and Shane O'Neill got callups to the January US National Team camp, and Dillon Powers was also called up but sadly had to pass due to ongoing concussion issues.  Scary to think that he's still dealing with the issue at this point, especially after Pablo's issues in 2012.  Hopefully he gets better soon.  Great to see 3 young Rapids getting the callup though, things are looking up on that front.

Pareja Leaving, Harris Traded, Cabrera Out?

First the coaching drama.  Newest updates from Chris Bianchi on Twitter:

Pareja is still officially #Rapids coach. But he’s not coming back. Zero chance. Zilch. Nada.

Not for sure, but I’d expect something by Friday. RT @jpatrickrosch: @Rapids_News any word on when this might officially be resolved?

Also today from Ives (who struck out on the last Rapids coach leaving rumor, so take with a grain of salt:

Sources tell me Chivas USA closing in on making Colorado #Rapids assistant Wilmer Cabrera new head coach. Final decision expected soon #MLS

So that pretty much tells us that Pareja is on his way to Dallas and Cabrera won't be his replacement.  At this point I figure that's going on is either Dallas and Colorado are still agreeing on the compensation for buying out Pareja or the Rapids are trying to get the deal done with the new head coach before letting Pareja go.

The only new "rumor" on a possible replacement beyond Robin Fraser (meh) or John Spencer (no!) is the idea that they might be looking at Julio and/or Jorge Dely Valdes.  There's been no leak of this information or anything but a number of different people are talking about how it would be a good move, so I think there's a little smoke here.  Most recently the Dely Valdes twins have been leading Panama (Julio as head coach, Jorge as assistant and youth coach) but Julio was fired and Jorge demoted just to youth coach after Panama failed to qualify for the World Cup.  Jorge played in Colorado for 2 years in 1999 and 2000 and was a fan favorite, scoring 17 goals in 52 games.  The twins were also reportedly influential in finally getting Gabriel Torres to Colorado.

This feel like a real long shot to me, but if the Rapids were to pull it off it would be the MLS equivalent of Washington losing Steve Sarkisian and signing Chris Petersen last month.  Either or both would be the first names I've seen to replace Pareja that I feel like might be an upgrade.

Also on the coaching front, Jamie Smith was spotted at the Rapids local combine the last two days on the sidelines with a clipboard helping to evaluate players.  Don't be surprised if he's added as an assistant coach or player/coach this year.

On to the actual news and not rumors of the day.  The Rapids traded Atiba Harris to San Jose for Martin Chavez.  The Rapids will reportedly also pick up some of Harris' 2014 salary.  Even with that this is a win for Colorado.  Its no secret that I thought picking up Harris last year was a bat move and that I think Harris is a hack, so getting a player like Chavez, who, when healthy, can be an all-star player is a steal.  Chavez had injury problems last year and apparently made it known that he wasn't happy with the coaches at the end of the season.

Both players make about the same amount of money and both have green cards, so the only real difference in cap and roster hits is the amount of Harris' salary we're eating.  Chavez is more of a true winger than Harris was so he'll slot right into Harris old spot on the wing and start whipping in crosses, taking on players on the dribble, and taking free kicks.

Bianchi also reports the following on the trade:

Bravo/FO. Not Oscar. RT @Kenton_Lee: @Rapids_News in charge? So did he make the Atiba-Chavez trade or was that Bravo or both?

So apparently the FO is already moving on.

Re-Entry Draft Phase 2 And Off-Season Training

The Rapids passed in today's Phase 2 of the Re-Entry Draft.  Also none of the Rapids trio of Ceus, Mullan, and Smith were picked in the Re-Entry Draft, so they are are all essentially free agents.  I would expect Mullan to come back to the Rapids in some capacity (player, coach, or player/coach) and possibly Smith the same way as well.  Ceus' time in Colorado, and probably MLS for now, is done.

Meanwhile a quartet of young Rapids are in England for some off-season training.  Chris Klute,, Clint Irwin, and Dillon Serna are training with Everton through Sunday, while Shane O'Neill is training with Fulham for a couple of weeks.  None of these are trials or loans, but any player training with another team is always being watched.  I wouldn't expect anything to come out of these trips but it does lay some possible groundwork for future years, especially in O'Neill's case.

The next big date on the off-season calendar is January 16th for the Superdraft in Philly.  Around that time the veterans will also be reporting to Commerce City for preseason physicals and fitness.

Roster Churn Prior To Re-Entry Draft

A ton of roster news in the last couple of days.  Knocking it down 1 by 1.

• The Rapids have declined the option on Steward Ceus

Not to be harsh, but that's a good move.  Ceus obviously lost something this year.  He was one of the last eight players on the roster from the Cup winning team.  Ceus will be in the Re-Entry Draft on Thursday.

• Mullan's, Smith's options declined making them eligible for the Re-Entry Draft

No surprise here, both these guys (another 2 from the Cup winning team) are approaching retirement.  In the Ceus article Bravo said he expects everyone but Ceus to opt out of the Re-Entry Draft, so he mush have some feeling that Mullan and Smith will sign new contracts, leave the league, or retire.  I wouldn't mind keeping them around as coaches but their time to help on the field is basically over.

• Wallace and Armstrong are out of contract.

Sounds like Armstrong is being kept on until he's healthy, then probably let go.  Wallace is wanted back but will probably go somewhere where he can get more playing time, which I can't blame him for.  These are another two of the Cup winning players.  The only 3 with no news this week are Moor, Pickens, and Wynne.

• Griffiths and Kindle are extended new deals.

This one surprises me I figured the team might move on from both players.  Particularly Griffiths since he takes an international spot.  The coaches must see enough in practice to keep them on.  The article does say they're being offered their same minimum contracts they had this year.

• The Rapids want German Mera back next season.

Makes sense, especially after Calderon was let go.  I can understand not wanting to go through an expensive buyout for Mera and bringing him back on loan.  Smart way to go about it.

• Colorado wants to bring back Danny Mwanga.

Meh, from an age perspective he makes the most sense out of the Cascio/Hill/Mwanga trio, but from a play and cost perspective I like Cascio better.  Still it was a safe bet that at least 1 of those 3 would be back.  Maybe they can get him cheaper.

Next major even is the Re-Entry Draft on Thursday afternoon, though we may hear news about some of these players signing new contracts before that.

News and Notes - Feb. 8th

Heads up, long post ahead.  Time to catch up on some stuff from the week.

• The big news is that the Rapids re-signed Jamie Smith today.  Actually, based on the scrimmage report from Wednesday, it appears to have happened earlier this week but it was announced today.  Good move from the team.  The knock on Jamie has never been his quality, its been his fragility.  The number of games missed due to injury versus the salary paid was getting more and more out of alignment as the seasons went by.  It will be interesting to see what his new salary is.
• An article was published in Paraguay yesterday that Eeduardo Echeverria was hoping to sign a contract with Colorado yesterday.  That's the first time his name was ever mentioned and we haven't heard anything since.  Bad info?  Contract leverage in Paraguay?  New player in Colorado?  Who knows.  He's a speedy left winger that could add to our attack.
• The August 21st home game against New England has been moved to July 17th.  As regular readers know this is the Jamesons Night game.  Moving it to a midweek in July, the same month as the Gold Cup is over at Sports Authority Field, makes me wonder if we'll see a "use your Gold Cup ticket to get into the Rapids game" promotion.
• The league appears to be using the week before the season starts (Feb. 25-Mar. 1st) as jersey week, with NY, Columbus, and Philly all scheduling unveilings and a Sports Business Journal Article today says that the Rapids will unveil their alternate jersey later this month.
• The Rapids announced that they are fully funding their U-18, U-16, and newly added U-14 teams going forward, which will make it easier to attract the top players in a competitive Denver market with Rush and Real.
• Castrillon is set to have surgery on his injured knee.  Time frame for recovery is not announced but I'm assuming ti won't be quick.
• The Rapids reserves and backups won a scrimmage against the Foxes on Wednesday 2-0.  Here's the starting XI: Irwin, Klute, Griffiths, Castro, Wallace, Powers, Sturgis, Hill, Smith, Serna, Akpan and the second half lineup: Maurer, Klute, Griffiths, Castro, Wallace, Powers, David, LaBrocca, Giraldo, Serna, Romero.  Academy players Martinez and Perez replaced Wallace and Powers in the 65th minute.
• Since the game Jim Maurer has left camp.
• Argentine forward Marcos Pirchio joined camp today.

Updated camp roster:

Goalkeepers:
Steward Ceus
Matt Pickens
Clint Irwin - Unsigned trialist

Defenders:
Diego Calderon - International
Marcello Castro - Unsigned draftee, International
Brenton Griffiths - Unsigned draftee, International
Kory Kindle - Unsigned draftee
Chris Klute (Atlanta loan through late-Sept)
Drew Moor
Anthony Wallace
Marvell Wynne

Midfielders:
Davy Armstrong - Homegrown Player
Tony Cascio
Jaime Castrillon - International
Machael David - Unsigned draftee
Kevin Harbottle - International
Nick LaBrocca
Pablo Mastroeni
Brian Mullan
Shane O'Neill - Homegrown Player
Dillon Powers
Martin Rivero (Rosario Central loan through 2013) - International
Dillon Serna - Homegrown Player
Jamie Smith
Nathan Sturgis
Hendry Thomas - International

Forwards:
Andre Akpan
Deshorn Brown - Generation Adidas, International
Edson Buddle
Charles Eloundou - International
Atiba Harris
Kamani Hill
Stefano Souza Pinho - Unsigned draftee, International
David Giraldo -  Unsigned trialist, International
Marcos Pirchio -  Unsigned trialist, International
Cesar Romero - Unsigned trialist

That leaves 11 international players in camp, 6 already signed to a deal. The remaining 5 are our Supplemental Draft picks Castro, Griffiths, and Pinho and newcomers Giraldo and Pirchio.

Laying out the position battle:
(in camp/signed)
GK: 3/2
DF: 8/5
MF: 15/14
FW: 10/6

36 total for 30 spots, 27 already signed. Assuming a 3rd GK that leaves 33 field players battling for 27 spots, with 25 already signed. Barring cuts/trades Kindle, Castro, Griffiths, David, Romero, Giraldo, Pirchio, and Pinho are battling for 2 spots (both of which could be internationals). Based on play in AZ, I think Kindle has the inside line on one of the open non-GK spots.  With Castrillon and possibly Rivero likely to start the year on IR though, that frees up 1-2 international spots, so the Rapids could carry 31 or 32 players into the regular season (9-10 of them being internationals) and give a couple of players and extended trial before having to make a decision when everyone is healthy.

Serna Signed As Homegrown Player, Non-Roster Camp Invites

Today the Rapids signed their thrid homegrown player, Brighton's Dillon Serna.  He joined the Rapids Academy in 2009 and played with the U.S. U-17 and U-20 teams.  He spent this past fall at Akron University, starting regularly as a freshman.  He now leaves college to join the Rapids first team where he can play a number of positions in midfield and defense.  I think Serna will start out as a midfielder but I could see him moving to a wing back position based on need.  More home grown signings are always a good thing.  The only other one that I've heard might be close is James Rogers who's a sophomore at New Mexico, but there's some question if he's a Rapids product or a FSL product as he started in the FSL academy before his parent's move to Denver brought him to the Rapids academy.

Also today Colorado revealed a list of 6 non-rostered players who are trying to make the team in camp as trialists.  top on the list is Jamie Smith, who's option was declined after last season but is still trying to make the roster on a new deal.  I'd like to have Jamie on the team, but given his injury history, at something notably lees than the $150K he was making last year.  Former Dallas homegrown forward Ruben Luna is in camp, along with 2012 supplemental draft pick Joel Helmick, a keeper who lost out on the 3rd string keeper role to Ian Joyce last preseason.  Goalkeepers Jim Mauer and Clint Irwin and defender/midfielder Luke Vercollone round out the list.

So here's the full camp roster, with players noted for their current status.  The only player who isn't expected to be in camp or with a National Team by Monday is Eric Avila.  Rumors are that we've traded his righjts for Nick LaBrocca's rights but there's been no official confirmation.

Goalkeepers:
Steward Ceus
Matt Pickens
Joel Helmick - Unsigned trialist
Clint Irwin - Unsigned trialist
Jim Mauer - Unsigned trialist

Defenders:
Diego Calderon - International
Kory Kindle - Unsigned draftee
Chris Klute (Atlanta loan through late-Sept)
Drew Moor
Anthony Wallace
Marvell Wynne
Luke Vercollone - Unsigned trialist

Midfielders:
Davy Armstrong - Homegrown Player
Eric Avila - Unsigned Re-Entry draftee
Tony Cascio
Jaime Castrillon - International
Kevin Harbottle - International
Pablo Mastroeni
Brian Mullan
Shane O'Neill - Homegrown Player
Dillon Powers
Martin Rivero (Rosario Central loan through 2013) - International
Dillon Serna - Homegrown Player
Nathan Sturgis
Hendry Thomas - International
Jamie Smith - Unsigned trialist

Forwards:
Andre Akpan
Deshorn Brown - Generation Adidas, International
Edson Buddle
Atiba Harris
Kamani Hill
Ruben Luna - Unsigned trialist

Oh Captain My Captain

Today the Rapids and Pablo made it official, Mastroeni will be back for 2013!  He signed a new contract with only 2013 guaranteed, and the assumption is that its for a reduced number.

This is good news.  The team will most likely expect Larentowicz and Thomas to start with Pablo coming off the bench and serving as a spot-starter with those two aren't available.  He'll also be able to mentor O'Neill, provide veteran leadership, and eventually (my guess is at the end of the year) retire on his own terms.

There's a rumor going around that Smith is also close to a new contract, but he and Freeman have left their names on the list for tomorrow's Re-Entry Draft, and we are now in a period where teams can no longer negotiate with those players until after the draft.  Marvell Wynne removed his name form the draft however, which is a good indicator that he and the team are close to a new contract and they can keep negotiating with him through tomorrow.

I would be very surprised if we lose Smith or Freeman tomorrow, or if we pick anyone up.

Thomas Re-Signed, Smith Green Card, Rivero Back, Pablo Returning?

Some interesting tweets from team President Tim Hinchey today.

Jamie has a green card now.

Looks like our new deal for Hendry Thomas will go through shortly – happy to have signed him long-term. Official announcement soon!

Rivero is already back as part of his initial 2 yr loan.

got it. Fair. Not all three will be high cost.

So we know that Jamie Smith now has his green card and Rivero's loan is for 2 seasons as originally thought.  Its not official yet but Hendry Thomas has been re-signed.  The last tweet is the most interesting as the "three" Hinchey is referring to are Thomas, Larentowicz, and Mastroeni.  So it sounds like all 3 will be back but not at high cost.

Thomas was making almost $200K last season and you have to figure he didn't go down from that.  Larentowicz was given a new contract early last season that has him at $200K.  So if any of them are going to be at lower cost its almost certainly Pablo.  My guess is that he's been offered a new deal at under $150K with the understanding that he's now a veteran leader and depth player, not a starter.  It may even be as a player/coach where part of the salary (for coaching) won't count against the cap.

With Rivero, Larentowicz, and Thomas coming back, all expecting to start, that could be a pretty solid midfield for the 4-3-3.  Of course the question then becomes, where does Mullan play?

MLS Silly Season Starts

Well the MLS trading season opened today, and it opened with a bang.  Kimura ends up in NY, FSL guts their team, and apparently everyone wants Portland players.  Colorado got in on some action as well.

• The Rapids extended the international spot they traded Vancouver last offseason from 2014 through 2016 in return for Atiba Harris.

Ugh.  Harris is a 27 year old St. Kitts and Nevis striker who's bounced around the league for 7 seasons and 4 teams.  He has a green card so he doesn't take up an international spot.  In 138 appearances (107 starts) he has 17 goals, 19 assists, 40 yellow cards, and 2 red cards.  You read that right, he has more cards than he has goals and assists.  To compare, Casey had 121 appearances, 101 starts, 50 goals, 16 assists, 29 yellow cards, and 2 red.

He made $160K last year and you have to assume he'll get a similar number in 2013.  To me, this was a bad move.  Harris is nothing more than a backup you bring in when you need to get physical.  He's overpaid at $160K, and burning an international slot, even one in 3 years, is a waste.

• Colorado declines options on defenders Hunter Freeman and Marvell Wynne and midfielder Jamie Smith, they are re-negotiating with all 3.

Big roll of the dice here.  Players have until Thursday night to remove their names from Friday's Re-Entry Draft.  If they don't any team can pick them up for the amount of their current option.  I can't imagine somebody wouldn't jump all over Wynne is he's available so the Rapids must be pretty confident that they'll be close enough to a deal in the next 72 hours that Wynne won't be exposed.  I don't see Smith or Freeman being picked at their current number, so they have an extra week to get deals done with them before the 2nd half of the Re-Entry Draft, where teams can claim players and offer them new lower deals.

At the moment the Rapids only have 3 defenders under contract for next season.  Drew Moor, Anthony Wallace (who's played a total of 10 games in the last two seasons), and Chris Klute (who's on loan from Atlanta until late September).  That's not good.

Smith Activated, Yamada Waived

Just a quick note that the Rapids just waived Yamada and activated Jamie Smith for tonight's game.  My guess is they were hoping to get Smith's green card papers in by today but since they didn't they needed to waive Yamada so that they had an international slot to activate Smith with.  Waiving Yamada also keeps the team with 10 non-salary cap players after yesterday's signing of homegrown player Shane O'Neill.

Rapids Re-Sign Akpan And Smith

The Rapids just announced that Andre Akpan, last year's first round pick, and Jamie Smith have signed new contracts. Akpan was probably offered a new contract so quickly due to the new rules on roster spots (which I'll go into in more detail sometime over the weekend) with minimum and maximum salary limits. Smith's new contract is a bit of a surprise. I'm guessing he got more years for less money or something.

Season Review - Wide Midfielders

I'm hoping to finish these player reviews before Christmas, but with the schedule I have this up-coming week, we'll see if I get to the forwards or not.

Brian Mullan - Many people see the acquisition of Mullan as the turning point of the season. I'm not sure I'd go that far but it was critical. Not only did it exchange a injured player that wouldn't help us in 2010 for a player who could go straight into the starting XI, but it also allowed us to trade Ballouchy for Kandji, which became VERY critical in the overtime of MLS Cup. Biran had 4 rings and a wealth of experience when he returned to his hometown, and I was quite happy to see him get "one for the thumb". Mullan only played in 7 regular season games for the Rapids, picking up 2 assists, but the threat of his play allowed Jamie Smith more freedom on the left and gave Koz cover to make overlapping runs.

Mullan is the second oldest player on the roster right now, behind Pablo. Its a question mark how long he can be effective on the right. I don't see any reason to expect a fall-off next year based on his play for us in the latter part of the season. Its a safe bet though that he can't be expected to play in the league, Open Cup, and Champion's League games we have next year though, so we should expect to see him rotated out pretty frequently so that he's available for the home stretch. While he's in I just expect him to do more of the same.

Sanna Nyassi - An expansion draft day pick-up from Seattle (by way of Vancouver), Nyassi can be the relief a player like Mullan needs. He's young and raw, but has speed to spare. He started about half the games for Seattle in his second pro season last year, as well as being a regular in the lineup for their victorious U.S. Open Cup run. The highlight of the season was Scoring both goals in the Open Cup final. While I don't see Sanna being a regular starter for the Rapids, he'll probably be the first sub int he midfield if the team needs more attacking power.

Jamie Smith - In 2010 we finally got to see what a healthy Jamie Smith looks like and now we understand why Gary Smith signed him. He led the team with 8 assists. Combined with his one game-winning goal he was involved in more goals than anyone but the C+C Goal Factory upfront. While injuries were still an issue, they had less of an effect on him once he was on the field and kept him off the field for less time than in 2009. Jamie is the third member of the Rapids 30 and older club though, so we can't expect those injury concerns to go away, if anything they'll become a bigger problem.

The biggest thing for Smith in 2010 will be working with the young Wallace behind him. Anthony is still struggling with his positioning, especially after going forward to overlap Smith, so Jamie will have to make sure he covers for Wallace and holds up his end of the defensive duties. On the attacking side I hope he's able to establish himself as a threat to score goals as well as set him up. The more threats in the midfield we have the more space Casey and Cummings get to work with in front of them.

Wells Thompson - Wells came over in the trade with Larentowicz and everybody regarded him as the throw away player to balance out the trade. There weren't many expectations for him this season. I think that Thompson actually contributed more than was expected though. He was the "utility infielder" of the midfield, being plugged in when necessary to cover for injuries or to give people some rest but never really being a starter. I think he filled that role quite well without particularly standing out.

I think Thompson's role in 2011 will be very similar to 2010. Not a top 11 player but called to start on a regular basis, especially with the expanded schedule. I think he's a better defensive player than Smith, but not nearly the offensive player. I can see Nyassi and Thompson being regular subs depending on the game situation, Thompson when we're happy with the current scoreline and Nyassi when we feel like we need another goal.

Ciaran O'Brien - In 3 years he had 19 minutes, 1 red card, and 1 championship ring. One of the odder career stat lines. He clearly was never in Gary Smith's plans and the team isn't going to be hurt by losing him.

Peterson, Smith Done for Season

The Rapids have just announced that Jacob Peterson and Jamie Smith will join Colin Clark on the season-ending injury list. Peterson tore his ACL in a collision in Wednesday's San Jose game. Smith injured his knee against Houston on August 30th, and after having surgery to repair it has reportedly developed a blood clot. Originally he was hoping to be back by the playoffs but I'm guessing the blood clot has made that impossible. With Clark, Peterson, and Smith injured and O'Brien on season-long loan to the USL that leaves the Rapids with no natural outside mids on the roster.

Terry Cooke is still available, too bad its past the Sept. 15th roster freeze date.

Terry Cooke Waived

Reports are trickling out that Terry Cooke, as expected, has been waived by the Rapids. I expect the official announcement will be made at the same time as the signing of his replacement, Jamie Smith, is made. This move is hardly a surprise as its been obvious that Cookie has been out of favor for a while. I'm a little surprised that they couldn't find a taker for him in some sort of trade. If Pat Noonan is worth a first-round draft pick Cooke has to be worth something.

I still think this is a bad move based on our current roster, but if Smith can step in and claim the right midfield position it may be a move for the better. If Smith is a bust though, this is a very bad move by the Rapids.