Two things have occurred that have me very anxious for the start of the new year. The first is that Colorado finally decided on a new head coach. Tim Hankinson, formly the head coach of the Tampa Bay Mutiny, has taken over the reigns of the Colorado Rapids. He has said that he plans on bringing a very attacking style of soccer and I think he has the right squad for the task. One thing the Rapids did have a lot of this year were attacking players. I personally believe that the past coaching staff did not take full advantage of what the did have going for them this year. Granted, they had a number of injuries, but instead of modifying the formation, they tried to plug in different players. Instead of using the strengths that they had, they tried to patch up what they had been using previously. Colorado has Junior Agogo, Jorge Dely Valdes, Paul Bravo, Matthew Okoh, and Henry Zambrano who have all played well. Just with his existing lineup over forwards, Harkinson will have a solid group to work with.
The Colorado fans are very excited about this new development with the team. Harkinson has a solid record of working with young players and will have a great opportunity to make that talent shine. Best of luck coach.
MLS coaches have been traveling all corners of the globe looking for potential new talent. Because of changes in MLS international player standards, teams are allowed 3 international players that are over the age of 25 and will then have a mix of players age 24 and under. The discover declaration period begins January 2, 2001. Teams have been looking everywhere to find the right person for the slots they have open. I am excited that MLS is encouraging younger, faster play and ensuring that experience and age with be tempered and geared toward the youth that need it.
I beliave that this move will force MLS to be a league that is constantly developing new talent. Foreign players will have the opportunity to grow with their US teams and can become long-lasting members of their teams, if we can pay them what they're worth.
In a somewhat related story these traveling coaches are also noticing that the play of American players is rising fast and many of our players could be of assistance to a number of international clubs. Brian McBride is a testament to this fact. The bloodclot has been removed and he has been cleared to return to play in the UK. He will report to Preston on Dec 27 and resume his on-loan play with the division 1 team. Many MLS players are on loan overseas and are pro9ving themselves to be very capable.
