Is Dan Kennedy expendable?
Blasphemy, right?
When it comes to goalkeeping, Chivas USA fans have been incredibly fortunate. Since the team’s first season in 2005, we’ve had a solid line of not just good, but great goalkeepers. Even our backups have been solid. Brad Guzan started things off by starting for our expansion side and winning the 2007 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year award. When he left for Europe, Zach Thornton filled in and earned his way to the 2009 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year award. When Thornton essentially got too old/injured/BIG, Mr. Dreamboat, Dan Kennedy took over the net and the rest is history.
Who would’ve thought that DK would’ve progressed from a 3rd string GK (crazy to think that he actually backed up both Thornton AND Guzan in 2007/2008) and work his way up to becoming the the face of the franchise. Following the historical trend, you would think that current backup Tim Melia would be next up in line to carve out a nice career for himself, but unfortunately for him, the current situation isnt exactly cooperating. At the moment, Kennedy is good enough to continue being a top MLS goalkeeper for years to come, but unlike Guzan, it doesn’t look like he’s gonna be booking a flight to Europe anytime soon. So yeah, the only way Melia ever starts is if Kennedy gets injured or traded.
The Case for a Trade
For those that say Dan Kennedy is untouchable, let’s not forget he was secretly being shopped around before last year’s SuperDraft. The news quickly got out, CUSA fans became outraged, and coupled with ongoing allegations of racially influenced hiring practices, CUSA all of a sudden decided it would be best to sign DK to a contract extension. Call me crazy, but that sounds more of a PR stunt than a genuine commitment to DK. It just seems odd to see the FO commit to such a great talent, yet keep penny-pinching when it comes to signing any other decent coaches or players. (note: FC Garber has since helped change this with his almighty influence. At least, I hope.)
In any case, one old idea CUSA fans have flirted with in the past was packaging DK to Vancouver and taking a gamble on Omar Salgado, but Salgado’s injury issues have completely gobbled up his value. (Athletes that re-aggravate their broken pinky toes generally dont ever heal right. Salgado unfortunately re-aggregated his.) So yeah, that trade makes absolutely no sense. Darren Mattocks would be intriguing, but with his nemisis Martin Renne out of the picture, the Whitecaps might wanna hold on to the guy and see what happens. Over in New England, with Matt Reis gone due to retirement, the Revs appear to have Bobby Shuttleworth and Brad Knighton competing for the GK job. Call me a dreamer, but it would be pretty amazing to have 2013 MLS Defender of the Year Jose Goncalves in stripes. Couple him up with Boca and leave Baptiste/Burling for depth.
There were rumblings along the rumor mill early last season that DK was being offered to Toronto for Luis Silva. Now that Silva plays for DC United, who with Bill Hamid around, probably isnt even the least bit interested in DK.
So here’s a few possible/proposterous trade partners and targets to take into consideration:
- Sporting KC – Just lost the White Puma to retirement. Rolling with Eric Kronberg (Potential targets: Matt Besler, Seth Sinovic, Chance Myers)
- San Jose – Rolling with an aging Jon Busch, 37 (Potential targets: Justin Morrow, Stephen Beitashour, Tony Beltran)
- Seattle – Declined the option on Gspurning, took a gamble on injury-prone Stefan Frei (Potential targets: DeAndre Yedlin, David Estrada, Lamar Neagle, Djimi Traore)
- Portland – Donovan Ricketts had a fantastic year (GKOY) but will be turning 37 this summer. Might be time for a replacement (Potential targets: Lamar Neagle, #2 Allocation spot)
- Philadelphia – Zac MacMath, 22 -unlikely trading partner, but Philly might still see him as green (Potential targets: Amobi Okugo, Jack McInerney, #2 pick in MLS SuperDraft)
Looking at that list, a few names with some potential, others just preposterous. Again, We’re brainstorming here, people.
The Case for Getting that Draft Pick
There’s one thing in common with all those trades: they leave us without a goalkeeper. Unless we’re good with Tim Melia, we’d have to have a second plan in place. And that leads us to the upcoming SuperDraft to target UConn GK Andre Blake. Blake has the potential to be a top MLS goalkeeper and considering we’re once again in rebuilding mode, we have all the time in the world to allow him to develop. The other more conservative route would be to keep DK, trade another piece to be able to draft Blake, and groom the rookie to one day take over. If he proves he can handle the starter’s load, trade Kennedy. If it looks Blake needs more time, either wait on him till 2016 or package him out to another squad.
The (unlikely) Case for Luis Michel
Yeah, sure, we all know Luis Michel has had a tough stretch in his final days with Chivas, but that entire team was a mess (what a surprise). CGUAD decided it was time to commit to youngster Jose Antonio Rodriguez, making Michel expendable. After not getting love from any Liga MX team, Michel was shipped out to Vergara’s old Costa Rican club Saprissa on a 6 month loan. Don’t be fooled, though, the guy is no schlub. He’s proven himself in what many consider to be a tougher league. At 31, Michel is the same age as DK. So if Michel is not that much of a drop-off from DK, has proven he’s capable, is the same age, could be cheaper, doesn’t it make sense to at least flirt with the idea of bringing him over in 6 months and fielding any offers for DK?
DK’s Motives
You’d have to believe that DK is genuine when he says he wants to be here. He’s a SoCal boy, played most of career with the Goats (7 of the club’s 10 years!), and agreed to a contract extension that ends in 2016. By signing that contract, DK is willing to spend those peak years with a club that has demonstrated an incredible amount of financial loyalty to him, but not to the team’s fans or the idea of putting together a winning team. Is DK ok with this? Does he value locality, familiarity, and being the face of a bumbling franchise over team success? Does he embrace the idea that his swiss-cheese defense allows him the opportunity to get lots of action in the net?
One thing remains true, though. DK is absolutely adored by the CUSA fanbase and has earned every penny of his contract. From a personal perspective, I hope he stays and retires a Goat. He’s ridiculously good and you’ll be hard-pressed to find a goalkeeper with his kind of leadership. From a logical perspective, if we’re able to make the team better by shipping him out, I at least have to consider it.
GrinGoats 