RS Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 http://voices.washingtonpost.com/soccerinsider/2009/02/dcu_signs_defender.html quote:D.C. United has paid a transfer fee to Red Star Belgrade for Canadian central defender Dejan Jakovic. He is 6 feet 2, 23 years old, born in Yugoslavia, left for Canada with his family at a young age, played at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, and was a regular with Canada's under-23 squad. Although he has just one cap for the national team, he has been included on the game-day roster several times. He is scheduled to arrive next week, pending visa approval. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loyola Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Good news, he wasn't going to play much with Red Star anyways. MLS is a good place for him IMO. Th fact that DC were ready to pay a transfer fee for him is an indication that they might be thinking highly of Dejan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeta Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheKottonmouthed1555362307 Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Good for Jakovic. I can only think he would of been a better for TFC than Serioux. Seriously if people think Velez made mistakes wait till you see Serioux give it away for no reason other than trying to be fancy and offensive in the CD spot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winnipeg Fury Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Brilliant news Rudi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gian-Luca Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 quote:Originally posted by loyola Good news, he wasn't going to play much with Red Star anyways. MLS is a good place for him IMO. Th fact that DC were ready to pay a transfer fee for him is an indication that they might be thinking highly of Dejan. And so they should..... I had been reading Jakovic's wiki page recently - after a first few games with Red Star they got a new coach who promptly nailed him to the bench. So I'm glad he got the hell out of there. I would prefer he had come to TFC of course but I won't start on that one now.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finchster Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 quote:Originally posted by Gian-Luca I had been reading Jakovic's wiki page recently - after a first few games with Red Star they got a new coach who promptly nailed him to the bench. So I'm glad he got the hell out of there. I would prefer he had come to TFC of course but I won't start on that one now.... I dislike that TFC won't go after these types of players and try to develop them but at least four to five starters will be Canadian this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Obinna Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 quote:Originally posted by TheKottonmouthed Good for Jakovic. I can only think he would of been a better for TFC than Serioux. Seriously if people think Velez made mistakes wait till you see Serioux give it away for no reason other than trying to be fancy and offensive in the CD spot. On the other hand, Jakovic will be new to the league, while Serioux already has 3 years experience. TFC obviously have an immediate problem to address at centre back, and Serioux should help partially address this issue. I don't think it would of been in their best interest to lure Jakovic right now over Serioux. It would of been nice if TFC grabbed both. Shove Velez to the bench for cover and I would be happy with that situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmcmurph Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 quote:Originally posted by TheKottonmouthed Good for Jakovic. I can only think he would of been a better for TFC than Serioux. Seriously if people think Velez made mistakes wait till you see Serioux give it away for no reason other than trying to be fancy and offensive in the CD spot. Like I said in the Serioux thread he does get checked from behind too much but if he can be taught/made to get rid of it quicker he plays great other than that. Fast forwards who back check relentlessly are his nemesis. A major imposing force at CD is his forte. Good in the air, good feet, good at intercepting passes, not going to get knocked off the ball physically. Fix one item in his game and he is a rock TFC will have for the next half decade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loyola Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Let's not forget that Jakovic is a versatile player, he could be use pretty much everywhere on the field. Maybe DC United have other plans for him and might not play at the back at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew W Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 I'm not on TFC for this one. DC is willing to pay a fee for a Canadian player and that's great. MLS teams don't often pay fees for players, so I'm thrilled they thought enough of him to pay out some cash to bring him in. I'd rather he play with a rebuilding DC team than face the scrutiny from many if TFC had paid for him. I'm hoping Attakora will earn those minutes rather than being stalled by another Canadian in front of him in the form of Jakovic While I'm sure the vast majority on the DC board likely don't know a lot about Jakovic, they have faith in their team's braintrust (particularly Kevin Payne, the president of the team) and are reacting favourably to the deal. I dream of the day when one (or more) Canadian is on each of the MLS teams in addition to whatever Canadian content TFC has. When I consider Seattle's geographical closeness to Vancouver and Yallop being the coach in San Jose, I'd imagine more Canadians may get a chance this year. At least I hope so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew W Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 quote:Originally posted by loyola Let's not forget that Jakovic is a versatile player, he could be use pretty much everywhere on the field. Maybe DC United have other plans for him and might not play at the back at all. This text from a discussion today on the DC website between fans and the team president seems to suggest that he'll be in the back line. That said, he was a Hermann Trophy candidate at the defensive mid position at UAB. It was Dasovic that put him into a centre back role for the Olympic qualifiers, although I understand he did a bit of that at UAB too. Anyway here's the text from that discussion: Chris from Washington, DC From 2007 to 2008 statistically DCU went from having one of the best defenses in the league to one of the worst. Now we're starting 2009 with the same defense we ended last season with which is discouraging. Why has it been so hard to improve our D? Kevin Payne Chris, you’re just wrong. We’re not starting with the same defense. We have some of the same players, but have added new players across the line. We just signed Dejan Jakovic, who we’ve been tracking for two years. He’s a Canadian Olympian who we got from Red Star Belgrade, where he got some great experience. He’s big, he has pace, and really good feet. We’re excited about him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringBackTheBlizzard Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 quote:Originally posted by finchster I dislike that TFC won't go after these types of players and try to develop them but at least four to five starters will be Canadian this year. How many Canadian centre backs do some of you expect there to be on the TFC roster? Serioux, Harmse and Attakora Gyan are already there. Given the way the MLS schedule is set up it makes sense to have some players available for that position who are not going to be called up by Dale Mitchell (or any other national team coach for that matter) on international dates including at least one experienced stater. Lessons have to be learned form the Chivas at home scenario last season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finchster Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 quote:Originally posted by BringBackTheBlizzard How many Canadian centre backs do some of you expect there to be on the TFC roster? Serioux, Harmse and Attakora Gyan are already there. Given the way the MLS schedule is setup it makes sense to have some players available for that position who are not going to be called up by Dale Mitchell (or any other national team coach for that matter) on international dates including at least one experienced stater. Lessons have to be learned form the Chivas at home scenario last season. I thought Attakora while a defender didn't play much CB due to his lack of size and mostly played RB? Anyway my point is I would rather TFC try and develop a young Canadian with potential than have a guy from Puerto Rico on the bench assuming Harmse beats out Velez which I hope so. Velez is the captain of Puerto Rico (I think) so he is always going to be called up when they play. Jakovic I don’t think he would be getting a call this year. But I will conceded Velez on experince But like I said I am not losing any sleep over I am pleased they addressed the Canadian content issue (in my mind),I hope by year five they start developing players better. If Attakora becomes a starter that’s a step in the right direction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
devioustrevor Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Someone on Big Soccer put forth the suggestion that we're seeing more Canadians coming to the MLS (Jakovic, Hainault, Will Johnson last year, and Will Beauge on trial at Real Salt Lake (or was it San Jose?)) because they believe that if MLS adds a 2nd Canadian team (be it Vancouver, Ottawa or Montreal) that Canadians would then be counted as domestic players in MLS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringBackTheBlizzard Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 Puerto Rico don't play very often. They didn't even bother trying to qualify for the Gold Cup this time around, for what it's worth. Given the word is that a new starting centre half will be added Velez's days may be numbered and if he stays it will be as cover. Ideally the new centre half will be a player like Pablo Vitti who is extremely unlikely to feature with his national team. Oliver Tebily fitted the bill that way last season. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BringBackTheBlizzard Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 quote:Originally posted by devioustrevor Someone on Big Soccer put forth the suggestion that we're seeing more Canadians coming to the MLS (Jakovic, Hainault, Will Johnson last year, and Will Beauge on trial at Real Salt Lake (or was it San Jose?)) because they believe that if MLS adds a 2nd Canadian team (be it Vancouver, Ottawa or Montreal) that Canadians would then be counted as domestic players in MLS. Think that was reported as being mentioned to Gerry Dobson as a possibility by Garber and co at the last all star game in the event that a second team were added if anyone wants to try to track it down. Another angle to consider is that with a large salary cap increase imminent (that's generally expected to be the price that the I/Os will pay to get the new CBA set up smoothly in time for next season) young Canadian players may be more interested in playing closer to home than was the case previously. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Crampton Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 quote:Originally posted by devioustrevor Someone on Big Soccer put forth the suggestion that we're seeing more Canadians coming to the MLS (Jakovic, Hainault, Will Johnson last year, and Will Beauge on trial at Real Salt Lake (or was it San Jose?)) because they believe that if MLS adds a 2nd Canadian team (be it Vancouver, Ottawa or Montreal) that Canadians would then be counted as domestic players in MLS. Or, if Canada gets a second (or third) team having those young Canadians tied up on MLS contracts will allow the American teams to extort all sorts of stuff out of said team(s) in exchange for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free kick Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 quote:Originally posted by BHTC Mike Or, if Canada gets a second (or third) team having those young Canadians tied up on MLS contracts will allow the American teams to extort all sorts of stuff out of said team(s) in exchange for them. I can see MLS teams who already have Canadians on their roster, using that leverage against TFC for the reasons you mentioned. But I can't see them using this rationale in their player acquisition decisions and strategies. There are many more US based teams that you have to compete against and no one would ever take their eye of the principle objective of improving your team. So I think that a player like Jakovic earned the contract because they think he can pay for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ag futbol Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 ^ I'd mostly agree. I'm sure the idea that they can use him as a bargaining chip for TFC crossed their mind, but probably wouldn't change their decision either way. A lot of these guys are realistically just a good fit for MLS. Their ability is on the level that the league requires, they speak english, and aren't going to be shocked by American culture. Question is: who's next? I think Dave Simpson should give MLS a run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ccopela Posted February 28, 2009 Share Posted February 28, 2009 quote: Question is: who's next? I think Dave Simpson should give MLS a run. He already trained with TFC last summer and then sort of disapeared I don't think he impressed the coaching staff. I think Andrew Ornoch or Jaime Peters should try MLS because their European careers seem to be somewhat stalled. Neither of them are getting much first team action. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VPjr Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 ^ Ornoch is on the brink of making a permanent move into his club's first team. If he stays healthy, he'll eventually be a regular for Esbjerg. Hopefully the same applies for Adrian Cann. Jamie Peters, on the other hand, strikes me as someone who would benefit from a return to North America, whether it be USL or MLS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masster Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 quote:Originally posted by Andrew W I'm not on TFC for this one. DC is willing to pay a fee for a Canadian player and that's great. MLS teams don't often pay fees for players, so I'm thrilled they thought enough of him to pay out some cash to bring him in. I'd rather he play with a rebuilding DC team than face the scrutiny from many if TFC had paid for him. I'm hoping Attakora will earn those minutes rather than being stalled by another Canadian in front of him in the form of Jakovic While I'm sure the vast majority on the DC board likely don't know a lot about Jakovic, they have faith in their team's braintrust (particularly Kevin Payne, the president of the team) and are reacting favourably to the deal. I dream of the day when one (or more) Canadian is on each of the MLS teams in addition to whatever Canadian content TFC has. When I consider Seattle's geographical closeness to Vancouver and Yallop being the coach in San Jose, I'd imagine more Canadians may get a chance this year. At least I hope so. Good post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masster Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 quote:Originally posted by devioustrevor Someone on Big Soccer put forth the suggestion that we're seeing more Canadians coming to the MLS (Jakovic, Hainault, Will Johnson last year, and Will Beauge on trial at Real Salt Lake (or was it San Jose?)) because they believe that if MLS adds a 2nd Canadian team (be it Vancouver, Ottawa or Montreal) that Canadians would then be counted as domestic players in MLS. This is the current situation in the USL and would be the most logical step for MLS when and if there is a second Canadian team. Then again, maybe there are more good, young Canadian players than there were in years past. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masster Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 I'm really happy for Jakovic. Was he ever involved in the national youth teams before the U23s? I guess some people just develop later than others. I remember him being one of only 2 names that I didn't recognize at the time when the Olympic qualifying roster was released. (The other being Hall). He was the pleasant surprise of the tournament and along with Johnson, was our best player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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