Well, that was surprising, wasn’t it? Merely hours after I’d predicted that we’d make no new signings, we … made two new signings. Two! Remarkable, isn’t it. Both signings represent something a bit different about our development as a club, so I’ll address those briefly. I could talk further about the impending match, but instead, I’ll just give you my lineup prediction and be done with that until tomorrow, when I’ll offer something more meaningful.
Yordany Alvarez, a 26-year-old former Cuban international midfielder, was recently named the USL Pro MVP for 2011. He joins from Orlando City, where he just won the USL Pro title. These are certainly very good signs. Now, I know USL Pro is not quite at the same level as the MLS, so I won’t read too much into the signing in that regard. Further, having not Alvarez play raises some interesting questions: Where will he play in the side? What is his role in the system? From what I’ve gathered, he’s not particularly an attacking midfielder (we’ve got those in bundles!) — I suspect he may play a more central role, and that may mean he’s backup for Kyle Beckerman and a contender for one of the two spaces in front of him. Watching him play for us will certainly be an interesting way to get to know him, and I hope he does as well as possible.
Alvarez represents the ability of our club, through our top men and through our play on the pitch, to recruit players who will be seen to possibly make an impact in the league. It’s something we’ve known for some time now, but the pair of Jason Kreis and Garth Lagerwey is a formidable one when it comes to signings and squad development. We had Alvarez on trial for some time, and now we’ve come to a decision — so at least we can rest assured that was not a particularly hasty one to make.
Nico Muniz represents something very different from Alvarez: He’s a young midfielder who came through our Casa Grande academy, and he was about to jaunt off to the college scene. But we’ve offered him a professional contract, and I think he’s made the right choice here, if he can cut it. I absolutely respect the educational aspect, but I think he will have a better chance of developing into a top player if he’s with a good club — one like Real Salt Lake.
Muniz won’t go against the salary cap, and his roster position is one of the two homegrown spots, which is a real boost. Now, I know we haven’t seen Donny Toia yet, our other homegrown player, but I suspect he’ll be working hard to try to earn a chance. Hopefully next season we’ll have an incredibly crowded schedule with the U.S. Open Cup and the CONCACAF Champions League.
Right, so here’s my prediction (including the bench this time, I’m taking a real chance!). Think I’m wrong? I probably do too, but tell me anyway.
Rimando
Russell - Borchers - Olave - Wagner
Beckerman - Grabavoy - Johnson
Gil
Espindola - Saborio
Subs: Melia (GK), Schuler, McKenzie, Warner, A. Alvarez, Paulo Jr., Arnoux
I expect the subs are a bit off, and we may see Grabavoy on the bench — I’m not sure yet whether he’s fully fit, though I certainly will be hoping he is. Come on, Ned! We may also see Yordany Alvarez on the bench, perhaps in place of one of the forwards, or perhaps in place of Warner. Again, plenty of questions. I do hope to see Paulo Jr. and Arnoux both on the bench — Arnoux can come in for Saborio, hold up play, and battle for the ball, while Paulo Jr. can come in for Espindola and dart around like a defense-annoying pest.
I’m really, really liking our chances. Let’s just get to it.
Come on you Claret and Cobalt!
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