No one expects to win a championship from the scraps picked up in the expansion draft. However, it is an opportunity to pick up assets. As with anything in MLS what you do with those assets matters a great deal.
So, how did TFC do back in 2006. Let's look:
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
Paulo Nagamura –> Chivas 2008 1st round - Julius James --> DeRo
Danny O'Rourke –> Columbus - Allocation
Jose Cancela –> Colorado – Youth international slot
Adrian Serioux –> Ronnie O’Brien –> San Jose 2009 1st pick --> Sam Cronin—> San Jose - allocation
Nate Jaqua –> LA - Allocation
Rod Dyachenko --> Dc United 2008 1st round - Pat Phelan --> international spot
Jason Kreis --> RSL allocation
Tim Regan --> Edson Buddle -->Tyrone Marshall --> allocation
Ritchie Kotschau --> waved
Will Hesmer --> Columbus - Allocation
Giving up Hesmer and O'Rourke might not have been Mo Johnston's best moment. Actually, when you look at this flow chart it becomes clear that TFC pretty much came away with nothing. Although you can trace the Nagamura pick into DeRo, that was a different situation. DeRo wanted to come back to Toronto and James was just a widget thrown into the deal.
That so many of those picks eventually turned into allocation is also telling. As I've written many times in the past, Johnston overspent. Since he overspent he was in constant need of allocation. Therefore he was always trading warm bodies for wheelbarrows full of MLS cap room.
That would have been fine if he had used that cash to upgrade the team, but, well...
Let’s look at what Seattle did:
Nate Jaqua – still with club
Nathan Sturgis – Lost in expansion draft
Jeff Parke – released
Jarrod Smith – Released
Khano Smith – allocation
Peter Vagenas – Played two seasons
Tyson Wahl – Still with club
James Riley – Still with club
Stephen King – 2011 DC United 2nd round pick –
Brad Evans – Still with club
As stated, it’s hardly stuff that makes your heart skip a beat, but four players still playing a role is a significantly better return on investment than TFC got. Old news, of course, but always worth revisiting when you question what went wrong with the club over its first four seasons.
It’s also a bit of a warning to fans of Vancouver and, especially, Portland. You don’t have to dress the players you picked, but you had better get something for them.