Beating the transfer rumor monster is simply not possible. Not for a mere mortal journalist, at least.
So, we may as well have a little fun with it. Perhaps you’ve heard that Barcelona goalkeeper Victor Valdes is pimping himself for a new address. Joe Prince-Wright wrote about it earlier today at PST.
All the usual caveats apply here. Remember, what most internationals mean when they say “MLS” is New York, L.A. or Seattle, a.k.a. the teams known to pay for top talent. And some of these guys simply aren’t up to speed on the economics, meaning they fail to understand that only a select few foreign bright lights can truly rake it the green on MLS shores.
Most “rumored MLS men” couldn’t even tell you what the acronym stands for and will never play here. But, again, none of this matters the second these guys say “MLS” and this stuff ignites in the media spin cycle.
So … I’ll take Joe’s previous PST post one step further and give you the fivesome of MLS clubs that could most use a figure like Valdes. (They are listed alphabetically.)
Colorado – No offense to rookie Clint Irwin, but Valdes has approximately 100,000 more hours of top level experience, or something like that.
D.C. United – Yes, Bill Hamid is a fine, young goalkeeping prospect. But let’s not pretend like all the wobbles in goal from the 22-year-old ‘keeper have not contributed to the Black and Red’s awful season.
Los Angeles Galaxy – Let’s not sugar coat it: Carlo Cudicini has been a disappointment. Halfway through the season, he’s not “still adjusting” and he’s not “getting his form,” he just isn’t quite cutting it. For best chances of a championship defense, Bruce Arena’s team needs to improve at this spot.
New York – I keep hearing that Ryan Meara will provide great competition for Luis Robles when he gets healthy. In fact, I wrote that myself – last February! Poor Meara just cannot seem to get there. Meanwhile, Robles is a mixed bag at best.
Vancouver – Between Joe Cannon and Brad Knighton (and even Jay Nolly before that) the organization just cannot make up its mind. And you know what that means: they need a lock-solid No. 1 around BC Place.