The Fire have announced the release of last season's opening day goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra. The acquisition of Jon Conway via trade on draft day led to some speculation that the Fire would keep three 'keepers on the roster in order to make one available for reserve league action while the other competed for the back up spot to Sean Johnson. Dykstra's age (25) restricts the Fire's flexibility under MLS' newly revised roster rules.
Under the new rules any player 25 or older is not eligible for the "Off Budget" salary slots made available for players occupying roster spots 25-30. The new rules also stipulate that the "Off Budget" players earn a minimum of $32,500.00 per season. Dykstra was due for an annual increase to $42,000.00 based on the collective bargaining agreement signed last spring therefore making him expendable in favor of a younger and less expensive reserve keeper who would not count against the cap number. While this move is an unfortunate reality of the revamped salary cap and roster rules it also makes the release of Jon Busch last spring in favor of Dykstra look even more dubious.
Trialist Identified
The names of some of the trialists currently in camp have been released. The list includes young Colombians Fabian Burbano (striker) and Yoximar Granados (right back), Nate Weiss (right back), and Ashley McInnes (striker). The full list is due to be released tomorrow.
Burbano is not the international striker who has been rumored to be joining the club over the last few weeks.
MLS "Major" Announcement on Tuesday
Don Garber will be joined by Landon Donovan and Thierry Henry for what MLS calls a "major announcement" on Tuesday afternoon. I doubt that the league would go this extent to simply announce the league schedule. That's due next week. My guess is the announcement of a new television contract will be made while we're preparing for the most cataclysmic snowfall in the history of snow dumps.
Filed under: 2010-11 Offseason
Tags: Andrew Dykstra, Chicago Fire, Fabian Burbano
Considering the Fire's FB posts and announcing their Monday announcement of player signings, this is a big letdown. I sure hope they have some much bigger news soon. I just can't believe, after the mass exoduses of the past two seasons that this offseason has been so slow. It feels like they know they are going to be terrible and have just accepted it as fact instead of bringing in legit players. My patience is running awfully thin right now.
I'm annoyed, quite f...ing annoyed. Waste of time.
I would love to see Ashley McInnes to get a shot with the Fire. He was a descent player with Tulsa.
No surprises so far, no game changers either.
Fire has a solid base and is about three top players from
being highly competitive.
I have usually been willing to give the Fire front office the benefit of the doubt. But I'm just about out of patience. This rubbish of delays in visa approvals is bunk. If they truly have players on the hook then announce them with that proviso. It's been done before. If they are playing games betting on some great PR they had better have some very good names or else the backlash will be ugly!! Nobody likes being jacked around, even old people!!
I'll try to find out what the deal is tomorrow at training.
Really glad I re-upped season tickets before this announcement, no wonder there has been so strong a push to get you to renew...we are going to get dumped on this year, it just wont be snow!
Maybe Umanzor's flight to El Salvador will be cancelled tomorrow and they will be forced to re-sign him to an extension. ;)
I knew I should have paid for better seats!
According to the Fire....42 players participated in training today. There are 20 players under contract plus four draft picks in camp.
Sam Arthur has decided to finish his final semester at South Carolina before joining the team at a later date, so he is not at training.
There are also 18 international and domestic trialists in camp.
The pre-season schedule released last week included a TBD on February 26.
That TBD foe will be the Seattle Sounders in Bradenton, FL.
This may explain alot...
http://beerandsoccer.com/2011/01/31/666/
Juan Pablo Pereya, 26, striker, winger
He'd require a transfer fee I think
Try this one.......
http://sportifi.com/news/Wanderers-striker-Puerari-linked-with-MLS-427959.html
http://espndeportes.espn.go.com/futbol/jugador/_/id/116519/gaston-puerari
Uruguayan, striker, some success in his domestic league, and only 25 years old.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OOMGMYE5MI
Seems a lot like Chris Rolfe. I was always in the belief that the FO deserved till the end of the window before being criticized. Well, I think it's time to criticize.
Which window?...the MLS window closes on April 15. Let's see what Puerari brings.
If he is more than a rumor that is...
Chris Rolfe will come home in the summer transfer. Please refer to this post when that happens.
I will mark this down Giaco.
If this organization doesn't get it's @%$# together I doubt that will happen. As much as Chris loves the Fire it's not same as when he left.
i will highly doubt he will come back. if frank did not make him a good enough offer before he left, who's to say he will make him a good enough offer in the summer.
It wasn't the money that made him leave (although, it didn't help).
looks ok to me - striker that can shoot from edge of the box, & looks like he is very willing & has the vision to play the ball to others coming into the box
chicago needs a bit of south american flair anyways
plus, looks like this guy could use some fans to play in front of :)
Another possible trialist.....19 yo Argentine midfielder Martin Rivas who participated in the MLS Combine and played in two friendlies for DC United last summer.
Oh....and seriously take a look at the video of the player mentioned in the previous comment.
Charlie Corr has a little more about Umanzor's impending departure....
http://espn.go.com/blog/chicago/fire/post/_/id/960/source-fire-explore-umanzors-departure