DEMA KOVALENK – NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

By: Dave Martinez | February 22nd, 2008

One of my favorite Ray Hudson quotes is about Dema Kovalenko, and it goes a little something like this:

“(Kovalenko) would stab his grandmother in the eye for another bowl of porridge.” – Ray Hudson, American Soccer

Talk about heart in a season that lacked it at times.

Talk about leadership and hustle when the bricks were down.

Talk about Dema Kovalenko, Red Bull.

Real Salt Lake, and Dave Checketts have scored a big one here. And there team is looking especially improved. Now, with the leadership of Beckerman and Dema, and the fire of those new Argies, we will definitely be seeing a different, more aggressive side.

Meanwhile, Red Bull get a draft pick. You tell me the year when you guess it, because I have no clue when we can use the damn thing. I dont know about you, but I am starting to feel the squeeze of the regular season fast approaching. And if we are to sign just one more player, we would need it to be someone who makes an impact. But I am getting ahead of myself.

As a matter of fact, before we even continue our analysis, here is a little poll, for my own curiosity. . . . .

Now, back to the breakdown . . . . .

So there are plenty of ways one could look at this situation. Since I always wear my heart on my sleeve with this team, I am telling you that i am completely flabergasted and against this trade. But lets look at it from the other side of the coin first.

PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT ME WOULD SAY . . . .

+ Dema is an aging commodity. Sure he plays aggressive football, but the more harm he puts his body into, the less his career will last.

+ We are fairly deep in the CDM department. Stammler has shown great signs this offseason, enough to make this trade possible. Claudio Reyna and rookie Luke Sassano would round off the CDM trio, which will surely rotate throughout the season. Dema isnt needed anymore. Period.

+ He was always a walking time bomb. Lets get real – can we risk some of his antics while we make a run at the cup?

+ Combines the money left in his contract (114k this year alone) and add it to the Mathis, Schopp, Quaranta and Waterrreus money pit! We are going to sign someone BIG!

BUT I DONT AGREE!!!!!

Look. Lets break this down.

+ You cant buy a guy with his heart and drive. He cant live without playing. A few months ago when he was injured, he was quoted, I believe again on American Soccer, saying as deadpan as one can be “I cannot be two months without soccer.” HOW DO YOU REPLACE THAT?!?!

+ This is our current midfield:

Claudio Reyna
Dave van den Bergh
Dane Richards
Sinisa Ubiparipovic
David Roth (INJURED draft pick)
Luke Sassano (draft pick)
Danleigh Borman (supplemental draft pick)
Michael Palacio (supplemental draft pick)

We are super thin and unproven right now. CDM, we have Reyna, Stammler, Sassano rotation. Wingers? DVB and Dane Richards, followed by BLAH. And at CAM? Ubiparipovic. Coincidentally, he also is backed up by BLAH.

We can afford to give up Dema for Peanuts? Really?

+I realize this is a money issue. But there havent been any major signings. So what happened to that Schopp, Quaranta, Waterreus, and Mathis money? Did it suddenly evaporate into thin air? Unless we are making a blockbuster international non DP signing, preferably in the CAM, I dont get the moves.

+And in this league, age, aggression – it doesnt matter. We need a workhorse willing to throw his body on the line out there the way Dema always has. Who is going to step up to that challenge? Well, candidate #1 is Seth Stammler. And I believe in him. But he has large shoes to fill.

+ And above all, this trade, of a highly respected team veteran, creates more uncertainty. Dane Richards in trade rumors. DOE has been waived (for now). Mathis is gone. And rookies abound at training camp. I wonder how the team feels about all this flux?!

THE FUTURE WILL MAKE ALL CLEAR

Ide like to believe this is a salary cap dump for one last signing before April. Like I said before, it has to be of a CAM caliber so Ubi can be the sub, and Reyna can stay as a CDM.

With only a few weeks remaining, we need the core of the crew to shape up now and use the month of March to gel into a fine oiled machine. Continuity is the one thing this club has gotten none of over the past 3-4 years in particular. Though trading Dema doesnt help that situation, we need to stop giving away the few pieces that we actually possess.

This is the challenge ahead of us. And only time will tell if this deal will hurt or save the Bulls season.

Expect a few fireworks before the ball drops. Because the Osorio wheeling and dealing isnt over quite yet. Or do you think they are chopping heads for nothing?