Erik Soler: Your 5 Point Offseason To Do List

Since Mr. Erik Soler is now the Sporting Director and General Manager Supreme, but is admittedly ignorant to the rules and nature of MLS, I figured I could start the good man off with a 5 point orientation plan before the start of the season. I mean, if it isn’t me, then whom? Jeff Agoos? Come on now . . . .

So, Mr. Soler . . . here is your offseason homework (in no particular order):

1 – Do not underestimate the MLS Draft!

January 15th is a little over a month away, and the idea that Jeff Agoos will once again be behind the wheel of this franchise’s fate seems like quite the uncertain probability to me. The draft is uniquely American, Mr. Soler, and in this economy, it provides an outlet for every American’s favorite pasttime – bargain shopping. To go into this blindly, or guided by a person who contributed to the disaster of 2009, especially considering that the Bulls have the chance to choose two of the top 15 players overall, would be folly.

Mr. Soler, your informed direction in this vital yet underrated process is necessary to yield any success. Will the investment be in forwards? Will the draft yield a backline stud ala Omar Gonzalez? You won’t know without a bit of guidance. And that is why . . .

2 -. . . you must hire an MLS savvy coach immediately!

This is vital. I am not saying hire an American; I am saying hire someone who knows the league and has a record of navigating the trecherous waters of MLS. Rumors abound of overseas choices to head this squad, but without an experienced MLS mind to guide you and this supposed choice, you would be lost at sea without a padel.

If you insist on a foreign coach, the only way I see it working is with a proper investment in quality assistant coaches to help both parties in question. Bruce Arenas bench has a Dave Sarachan. Nichols had Spencer. If that means Tony Adams as the head coach, with Richie Williams and Ray Hudson on the bench, then maybe it can be done (and that is a BIG maybe). But don’t hire someone for the wrong reasons (like thinking Thierry Henry would be more inclined to jump over here because his friend is coaching. Hello! He already wants to come here! What’s the enticement?!). To succeed in MLS, it is equally as important to know how to maneuver your way through the regulations as it is fielding a winning team. And many times, these aspects go hand in hand.

3 – Take the next three months to study the communist MLS system.

You say you like challenges, right? Well, there is no league more “challenging” than the MLS. The single entity system dictates the rules, and expounds on fairness all around. That means knowing what an “allocation” is. That means understanding “discovery rules,” where even Leo Messi could be a find! It means understanding a 2.3 million dollar salary cap (no, that is not per player). It also means learning to deal without a reserves division.

And, by the way, DP is not an act of pornography.

4 – Evaluate your current pieces.

Since this is MLS, you probably wouldn’t know a Mike Petke from a Caleb Patterson Sewell. I think it is crucial for you to get a feel for this team, and do so early. For all his faults, Juan Carlos Osorio did just that this past year, taking the team on an offseason friendly tour against some of Argentina’s best competition. Get to work on watching game film, and arranging some offseason friendlys. It will do alot in your understanding of this team, it’s leaders (beyond Angel), and it’s capabilities.

5 – Make Red Bull A Priority To Red Bull

Strange one, huh? Well, it isn’t if you have been following this team since the purchase by the Austrian overlords. Red Bull Headquarters bought the team with all the pomp and circumstance of a Shakira concert (literally). Metrostar fans, stung by their loss of identity, clung to the hopes of a strong overseas alliance with the sporting conglomerate. Imaginations ran wild with open transfers running back and forth between the countless Red Bull football enterprises worldwide. Yet, it took three years of pestering to make one happen (Oebster). Use that cozy relationship you share with El Big Dietmar and make the New York Red Bulls a priority in Austrian eyes. With looming rumors of Henry’s arrival, now would be the time to do it.

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