Fire lose Gargan in Phase 2 of draft

The Fire was one of nine Major League Soccer clubs opting to make no selections in Fridays Stage 2 of the circuits re-entry draft. The Fire did, however, lose a good man when the San Jose Earthquakes claimed veteran defender Dan Gargan.
Garganone of the Fires most popular players -- was the first of three picks by the Earthquakes, who won the Supporters Shield for posting the best regular season record in MLS in 2012.
A seven-season MLS veteran, Gargan was a last-minute entry into the re-entry draft a week ago. All 19 clubs passed on him in Stage 1, during which the only pick was by the Fire. The club took Maicon Santos, a forward who played for D.C. United last season.
As expected, there was more action in Stage 2. In Stage 1, a club is obligated to offer its selected player a 5 percent pay increase. In Stage 2 the club and player can negotiate a new contract. Each team has seven days to make an offer and, even if an agreement isnt reached, the club that did the drafting has the right of first refusal if another team makes that player an offer.
The Fire had three players on the re-entry list for the first stage but lost only Gargan to another team. Jay Nolly, the third-string goalkeeper, wasnt chosen and is now a free agent. Midfielder Corben Bone pulled out of Stage 2 shortly before the drafting started in anticipation of reaching a contract agreement with the Fire.
Nolly was targeted as the experienced backup for Sean Johnson, but Italian Paolo Tornaghi got the start in the first three matches when Johnson was at U.S. Olympic qualifying. Johnson started all 31 matches after returning, and Nolly rarely even made the 18-man game-day roster.
Bone, a first-round pick in 2010 SuperDraft, has seen little action with the first team but he did score goals in a 3-2 loss to the minor league Michigan Bucks in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup and a 2-2 draw with Mexicos Santos Laguna in an international friendly last season. Bone, 23, played in just two MLS matches in 2012.
Gargan was another matter. The Fire got him from Toronto FC midway through the 2011 campaign and he was an immediate starter at right back. He also started early in 2012 but was eventually beaten out by second-year man Jalil Anibaba. Still, Gargan had 19 starts in his 22 MLS appearances.
The Fire now goes into the 2013 season slightly weakened in the back thanks to Cory Gibbs retirement and Gargans departure. Anibaba could play in the middle if Arne Friedrich or rookie-of-the-year Austin Berry arent available. Steven Kinney and Tony Walls are the likely candidates on the current roster to take Gargans spot. Neither got into an MLS match last season, and Kinney has been injured for most of the last two campaigns.
Head coach Frank Klopas and his staff have already made scouting trips to Europe and Argentina in search of fresh talent, and more will come in the MLS SuperDraft, scheduled for Jan. 17 in Indianapolis.
Fridays draft began with 49 players up for selection. Gargan was one of only 14 chosen. First pick was defender Danny Califf, formerly of Chivas USA. Toronto FC claimed him. The two-time defending MLS Cup champion Los Angeles Galaxy traded to get Chivas USAs second spot in the draft and used it to take ex-Houston midfielder Colin Clark.
Further down the list two ex-Fire players were chosen. Chad Barrett, with Los Angeles last season, was the third player selected, by New England, and John Thorrington, formerly of Vancouver, was claimed by D.C. United.
San Jose was the most active team in the draft, picking Ty Harden in the second round and Bryan Jordan in the third.
While the draft was in progress the Fire was starting its fifth annual open tryout at the Bridgeview Sports & Soccer Dome. Over 150 players showed their skills on the first day, and selectors from the Fire technical staff picked 34 to return on Saturday for the final session. Theyll begin at 8 a.m., with the last group of players taking the field at 1 p.m. One player will be chosen to participate in the first week of preseason training.
Only defender Pari Pantazopoulos, in 2011, survived the open tryout and went on to earn a roster spot with the first team.