At long last, we come to the end of our autopsy. The corpse is laid out on the table before us, and we can step back and make an overall assessment, not just of cause of death, but of what needs to change if we don't want to sit here next fall... Click to continue reading...

Rolling right along with our grisly task, it's now time to figure out who to protect from the expansion draft. "What part does this play in an autopsy?" I hear you ask. Well, the guys you protect are those valuable players at the core of the team... Click to continue reading...

Carrying on from our look at the goalkeepers and defenders in Part II, it's now time to address the midfield and forwards. Once again, note that I'm including the loanees and injured reserve guys in this roundup. Midfielders John DiRaimondo: With... Click to continue reading...

Having assessed the general strengths and weaknesses of the team in Part I, it's time to move on to the player-by-player assessment portion of our program. We'll begin with the goalkeepers and defenders. Note that I'm including the loanees and... Click to continue reading...

autopsy (noun) (1) an examination of a body after death to determine the cause of death or the character and extent of changes produced by disease —called also necropsy (2) a critical examination, evaluation, or assessment of someone or something... Click to continue reading...

Check it out, the United roster is so barebones in midfield for the CONCACAF Champions' League match with Toluca tonight that the FO cloned McTavish! (via the Goffmeister)... The DCU roster: Goalkeepers: Steve Cronin, Milos Kocic. Defenders: Dejan... Click to continue reading...

I'm just going to throw this out there now that we're qualified for South Africa. Yes, we've a ways to go until roster-deadline day, but at this point, how many forwards do you think Bob takes? Given his previous selection pattern and the "tweener"... Click to continue reading...

With the first quarter of football almost over in most leagues around Europe, now is a good time to measure the current progress of some of the giant clubs on the continent. Actually, analyzing the success or failure of clubs in general won't be nearly as exciting as identifying a more specific object of analysis.

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The MLS Players Union has updated its list of 2009 salaries. Its current as of the roster freeze date on September 15th.
There are 8 Rapids added and 5 removed since the last release on March 15th. We finally get the number for Palguta and Holody, it moves Moor, Noonan, and Valentino from their former teams to Colorado, and it adds the salaries for Baudet, Diz, and Jamie Smith. Click to continue reading...

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. Click to continue reading...

Tomorrow is the MLS roster freeze date, meaning it's the last day for the Wizards to sign a player. While a move seems unlikely, one has to wonder if that should be the case. The Wizards are still outside the playoffs and while they've won two of their last three on the road, they are still a long shot to get back into the playoffs. Click to continue reading...

Never before that I can think of has DC United made so many roster moves so late in the season. It's obvious that the team is trying to make a strong push for the playoffs, and trying to put together the best roster possible before the acquisition window closes for the season.
Since we last spoke, the team has made a couple new moves, including the signing of Lawson Vaughn. Click to continue reading...

For Premier League fans around the world, the last couple of weeks have been almost too painful to endure as something very important seems to have disappeared out of our lives. But with yet another international period finally in the books, we can once again look forward to the return of our most beloved brand of football this weekend.

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Another week of Premiership action is now in the books, and Thursday means one thing: it's time for the Thursday Throwdown from A to Z. Here we go...

AÂ is for Anelka. Chelsea fans should be counting their lucky stars that both Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba are in spectacular form.

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If you are Paul Hart - by far the bookies' favorite to become the first sacked manager in the Premier League this season - you would need a miracle to save Portsmouth from relegation at this point. Four games into the new season, Pompey are yet to scrap up a single point, which is a clear indicator of how the team roster was in desperate need of major bolstering on the final day of transfers.

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FC Dallas has just sent out a press release with the following news:

FC Dallas General Manager Michael Hitchcock announced today that team has acquired defender Ugo Ihemelu from the Colorado Rapids in exchange for defender Drew Moor, the team's natural second round pick in the 2010 MLS SuperDraft and allocation money.

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It's time for the next round of World Cup Qualification, a pair of matches against the bottom two countries in the Hex, El Salvador (at home) and Trinidad & Tobago (on the road). While six points here isn't a necessity, it would go a long way... Click to continue reading...

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. Click to continue reading...

The Rapids announced the signing of Argentine forward Facundo Diz today. He'll provide depth up front behind Casey and Cummings, and competition for Noonan to be the first striker off the bench. With this signing the Rapids are at the limit of 20 senior-roster players, so any more moves (Like adding Jamie Smith) will require somebody be traded or cut. Click to continue reading...

With two senior roster spots open and a developmental spot presenting itself in the wake of Barklage's season-ending knee injury, United seems to have wasted no time in assessing the summer transfer market wares and making their selections. So... Click to continue reading...

Is Bob Bradley the poorest planner in history?

When I first learned that Bob Bradley was being given seven additional players from which he could set his game-day rosters, I argued on this blog that Bradley should select seven 'men', i.e., seven A-team players who could be used to help secure victories and, ultimately, a championship for the U.

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I mentioned the Szetela-to-United rumors in the omnibus WIWFC post yesterday, and today the deal is done. So what are we denizens of the dank blogosphere to think? Has United just upgraded its core of promising youngsters, or did we just import a... Click to continue reading...

Rather than my usual modus operandi of splitting the "What I Want For Christmas" analysis/FO rant/starry-eyed wishlist into several posts, instead I'm going to try to cram it all into one steaming jambalaya. Ready or not... Roster Rundown Let's... Click to continue reading...

You know what? For a couple of days there I was actually feeling a bit guilty about choosing to watch a DC United league match Saturday night instead of a tournament elimination game for the national team (way to go, scheduling homunculi!). But... Click to continue reading...

If it seems that I've been paying the Gold Cup about as much respect as US Soccer is, that's because the Fullback clan has been in full Family Summertime Fun Mode of late. I got home Saturday night just in time to watch the US huff and puff for... Click to continue reading...

The Denver Post is reporting that along with French defender Julian Baudet, the Rapids have also signed Argentine striker Facundo Diz and British right-winger Jason Smith. Diz would obviously give us much needed depth up front, while Smith seems to be a replacement for Terry Cooke who has reportedly been asked, and agreed, to not have his contract guaranteed until September instead of on the July 1st date all other MLS contracts are guaranteed on. Click to continue reading...

In taking a look at the crew Bob has assembled for the Gold Cup, I wouldn't fault you for wondering where his formational thinking is trending. Does he go back to the staggered, single-striker experiments? Keep two deep in central midfield? ... Click to continue reading...

So how much goodwill does four goals in the knockout stages, a 2-0 win over the #1 ranked team in the world, and reaching a first-ever final of a FIFA tournament get you? In my estimation, that runs you about one selection of Jay Heaps for national... Click to continue reading...

In news that surprises nobody, the Rapids officially announced the signing of French defender Julian Baudet today. He fills the roster spot created when Gregory Richardson was waived last week. Richardson wasn't getting any playing time and reportedly had some attitude issues, so this has to be seen as an upgrade. Click to continue reading...

Bob's got it in for the BigSoccer servers. How else do you explain the one-two punch of the miracle run to the Confederations Cup final followed by a Gold Cup roster that has to leave even those of faith questioning some of the choices of their... Click to continue reading...

The Rapids have just issued a press release:

The Colorado Rapids announced today that a mutual agreement with defender/midfielder Ivan Guerrero has been reached that will terminate his contract with the team.

Obviously a player that didn't fit into Gary Smith's system, since he saw no playing time in the league this year. Click to continue reading...

Steven Goff is reporting that the Crew have traded Pat Noonan to the Rapids. No word in what the Rapids have given up (if true). There was an article over the weekend that said that Gary Smith expected to announce a trade for a forward this week, and this seems to fit the bill. I'll post more info if/when it becomes available. Click to continue reading...

The Wizards have gone 3 games without a win, and some fans have started to get a little frustrated with the results. Many fans are calling for some changes to be made to the team, whether it be as minor as lineup changes, or bringing in new players. Well, it looks like the Wizards could be on track to bring in some new players. Click to continue reading...

The Rapids made a trade today, sending Nico Colaluca to New England for Rob Valentino. Valentino is a defender and Generation Adidas like Colaluca so there's no effect on our salary cap. This is really a meaningless trade right now as they have a combined 4 games of league experience between them and neither one looks like they're going to be a starter anytime soon. Click to continue reading...

While out at practice today for the reserve game against Missouri State, I found out that midfielder and former open tryout participant, Nelson Pizarro is no longer with the team. Whether that means he was released outright, or is just taking a break from the team, I do not know and at this time don't have more information. Click to continue reading...