Francis Doe is in, who is out?

By: Dave Martinez | August 10th, 2007

Francis Doe, the Liberian trialist, has been signed.

Please check your dumb Homer jokes at the door.

Doh! (sorry, that will be the ONLY one)

So we have used a youth international spot to get this guy aboard.

And many of you may be wondering MAYBE HE CAN PLAY D!

Um. No.

But, as I said before, Arena must have really liked SOMETHING about that 4-3-3, which to me has to be one of the three reasons Doe will be wearing our kit. The second being that Bruce may use him at the wings. The third being that this will enable Arena to free up some trade bait, or create a few cap casualty releases.

I cant criticize the move until we see Bruces intentions. Whether at wing or forward, this line up may be looking at some more alterations and experiments.

ANYTHING ON D?!

We are all here, patiently awaiting something to happen with our back lines. Not just the backlines, but the WHOLE D, meaning the goalkeeper as well.

What is up Arenas sleeve? Whatever it is, it better be damn good, and it better be for NOW. We are still in this, right at the top of the field, yet it strangely feels like we are just hanging on to a playoff berth.

Had we kept Wynne and Dunivant . . . had Waterreus NOT been destroyed by injuries . . . had DEMA not hung out with a ROOKIE . . . . had we, could we have, should we have . . . . good grief.

Thats why I need to know . . . .

THE ARENA PLAN

Its for this year right . . . . Right?

BUT BACK TO THE SUBJECT

The signing of Sir Francis will mean that someone has to go. Why? Because MLS roster rules stink.

Though they are under the cap for the 3 allocated youth international slots (Ikangu and Richards being the others), we have now maxed out our roster. So who is going to take a hike?

As we have already seen, Bruce will pull the trigger on deals, whether we like em or not. I would venture to say that Arena would put the whole roster on the trading block, sans a handful of guys . . .

The sad part? Most any move, barring Altidore, Angel, Mathis, Dema, Mendes and Parke, would make a lot of sense for the club to pursue. Here are some examples.

Wolyniec – Barring a change to a different formation, the Forward surplus creates a Woly casualty.

Magee – Though I LOVE Magees playing style, his absence has been his biggest enemy. Arena has no allegiance to the kid, and many clubs would love that reclamation project. I think it would pay off big to the right team (Magee for Schelotto straight up! no? haha).

Schopp - In a blog that seems ages old, MEET MARKUS SCHOPP, I strongly supported the idea of giving him one last shot.

But now we hear that Schopp is once again injured. And if that is the case, then why SHOULD we hold on to an injury prone player with the HOPES that he finds his form once more? I cant even defend that. If Schopp is not available throughout August, I believe Arena should give Mr. Hofl a call and get this problem straightened out with the Mother Club.

DVB – Much like Mathis, he was worth the shot as a reclamation project. But this physical league seems to be far too much for Vandy to handle. His recent ghost like performances have caught our eyes, and dont believe Arena isnt watching too!

Whether it be from trade or release, alot of these would be moves have to be hard for even the most ARDENT Metro fan to deny. Especially if we can clear up cap space, and possibly bring in people that will improve our team NOW.

Who would have thought that one Francis Doe could cause this much of a commotion?!