If memory serves, wasn’t Kocic weighing international offers last year (or at least, from the “I could go play internationally if I wanted to” standpoint)? Maybe this, combined with a crowded backline, puts the writing on the wall?

Its good to see United bringing these 2 in as trialists rather than signing them outright prior to camp. Doing the same thing 2 years ago might have saved us some time and money on Franco Niell and Jose Carvallo.

I definitely see Arzu and Taylor competing for a single roster spot, and then competing with James to get in the starting lineup. We’re already low on international slots.

This is a great way to evaluate talent and, even if these guys don’t make the roster, we are still building up a database from which to look next time. Whether we have a need later for one of these guys or if we know a good spot to look next time, I like these moves.

 The weather seems to have taken a little bit of wind out of the sails over at SI, and this is great to see. The pedigree of these three alone actually excite me more than the out of the blue(from my corner) signing of Flo. Although I’m optimistic that he could pan out, I’m most concerned with having strong options in the back line.

“Doing the same thing 2 years ago might have saved us some time and money on Franco Niell and Jose Carvallo.”

Amen.

Are there any potential starters in this group or is this pure depth? (maybe a dumb question but we did pick up Perkins and Boz undrafted…)

One more small point, I’m still amazed that a team that was trying to get bigger picked Niell up. I’m 5"7’ and am taller than him.

Bald Pollack:

I seem to remember that too. Kocic was at one point on the Serbian u21 team, so he’s a name that would register on radar screens over there. I’m also of the opinion that using an international slot on a keeper in MLS is wasteful unless the guy’s a stud. The only thing complicating this is the injury to Wicks.

Of course, if it turns out that Onalfo and Simpson have faith in Hamid, they might be willing to just let Kocic go and spend a few weeks with a teenage backup. It happened with Josh Lambo in Dallas.

The more I think about it, the more I hope Quinn works out. Wicks is a nutcase, and he’s hurt 2 crucial joints for a keeper. He’s also just not reliable in goal. Kocic is a slightly worse keeper than Wicks, and takes up a valuable international slot. I would be perfectly fine moving on without either one, even if Quinn is not appreciably better. I mean, is it really worth keeping Kocic and dropping a speedster like Shipalane if either Taylor or Arzu earns a deal?

Shatz:

Those two signings look worse and worse whenever they come up. I’m sure the tapes on Carvallo made him look competent, but when you’re not talking about top-notch talent you’ve got to look at them in your environment.

I’m not even sure Niell would have lasted beyond a couple days on trial. He came from a tougher league, so it stands to reason that he’d have been good enough in MLS. However, his size should have been a very obvious problem. There’s a reason you don’t see all these 5’5" technical players make it in MLS. In a league where physical skills are mostly king, you can’t be tiny unless you’re absolutely world-class on the ball (and world-class players don’t come to MLS). I feel like one scrimmage would have convinced everyone that Niell was never going to make an impact here.

monk81:

That’s true. You do see MLS teams come back to guys that barely missed the cut if injuries or an unexpected transfer occur. I’d rather go with a guy who got cut only due to the numbers game than to be grasping for straws mid-season or hitting the stretch run and having to mine the lower leagues for help.

DadRyan:

I don’t think anyone anywhere knew that N’Galula was going to sign. The first time I’d ever heard of him was when Goff informed us all that he was signing. This is purely a hunch, but my feeling is that Flo is going to be primarily a midfielder. If he can essentially replace Jacobson, I’d call his signing a huge victory.

Irrlicht:

Until James makes that move forward in terms of his positioning and his decision-making, we should probably be looking at center backs. Taylor’s a regular for Jamaica, and Arzu is a promising up-and-comer for Honduras, so they’re definitely not slouches. I don’t know either player well enough to say that James could lose his starting spot, but you can’t rule it out. If either player makes the team, I’d expect there to be intense competition in every practice to start alongside Jakovic.

Quinn, if he can make the team, would be depth.

 All I meant to say was that I’m happy with the pedigree of the Catracho and the Reggae Boy we’re taking a look at, and at face value I’m more confident in the FO’s scouting than the chicken little’s of the interwebs seem to be these days.

I’d love to see James elevate his game and earn his spot in the line up. He showed a lot of heart literally finishing off his season with his bravery last year. Good stuff to build a foundation on for sure. It’d be nice to see him succeed here, BUT I want to see the best possible player for the job get paired with Dejan.

With Namoff being such a huge question mark, I’m happy to see some strong CONCACAF dudes getting a shot.

If he can put any shots on goal he’ll easily be an improvement if he’s 3/4’s as physical as Jacobson was. Hopefully his experience overseas will=him being a little less of a liability in the rash tackle department. Jacobson always seemed a little too agro for some of MLS’s erratic refs.