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VMP Final Countdown: Number 15 – Eriq Zavaleta

Highest Ranking: 10

Lowest Ranking: 27

Average Ranking: 15.11

Duncan. 15 Chivas were a raging success, what could be better than signing a bunch of their former players? Zavaleta was technically a Seattle player when he was signed, a second round pick going to the Sounders, but had been on loan with Chivas for the 2014 season. Much like his fellow ex goat Marky Delgado, Zavaleta was alright out there. I don’t remember a lot, which is generally a good thing to say about a defender, but he was out there with Damien Perquis for that stretch of games in May and June when TFC looked quite good and didn’t look like a defensive shitshow. There was of course more to that than Zavaleta but he certainly did his part, though his form seemed to dip, along with the team as a whole, towards the end of that time, and thus he found himself dropped, replaced by Ahmed Kantari. Not a terrible decision, but given how poorly things went in the second half of the season, it was curious that he never made it back into the regular lineup.

Before he was drafted, Zavaleta was as much a forward as he was a defender and he showed off his scoring instincts with a very well taken goal on his return to Seattle, though really, this is about some criminal marking, he was wide open right in the middle of the box.

I imagine he’ll be back next season, and in the happy hypothetical world where TFC get themselves a very competent centre back and a good defensive midfielder, he could well do a good job as the second centre back. I’d  be even happier if he’s battling with Hagglund to be considered the first backup option behind two as yet unknown competent centre backs. I could see him sticking around at that ‘almost but not quite starter material’ level for plenty of years in MLS.

Tony: 15. Unfairly labelled as the benefactor of nepotism, Zavaleta proved he was more than a nifty nephew. Promising depth player at most.

Mark: 10. I REALLY wanted to take the piss out of him on grounds of nepotism, but he wasn’t terrible for a Chivas castaway.

Kristin: 16 Nepotism isn’t always a bad thing? Unkie Greg brought along a pretty useful bench piece, but not useful enough during backline crisises.

Mark HSV 14. Not a bad player for a young defender. Did well early in the season, but not sure what happened later on when he fell below Williams. Worth keeping around as a back-up defender, who might develop into something more.

Yelling at soccer 20. Scored a goal, didn’t seem to be terrible.

TC St Clair 18. Started out playing well. Not so much the rest of the way.

Jordylike 10. Solid back up. Greatly benefits from lack of competent centrebacks, marginally benefits from nepotisim.

Zicogold 17. Got hung out from his defensive pairing but did was steady although slow and unspectacular

Jason Anderson 19. Q, not C and not K and not CK.

Ben Bromley 17. We’ve now reached the “at least they’re young?” portion

Richard Wyatt 10. Savvy pickup; well done Bez?

Alex Lach 14. An average season , another young defender that had his moments for TFC but was again thrown into the fire a lot of times with fragile TFC defense that needed stability not youthful energy

Mike Newell 11. Got a stretch of games at CB along side Perquis and it was probably the best pairing we had back there all season. It didn’t last once Kantari showed up which IMO was a mistake, but he should get another look in preseason. Can compete with Hagglund for the first CB off the bench job.

Enrico S 17. Has some potential to be better than he is, but doesn’t seem ready to take the next step.

Number 16: Herculez Gomez

Will Justin Mapp & Dilly Duka Return to the Impact in 2016?

Mapp and Duka - Will they stay or will they go?

With the Montreal Impact now firmly settled into their off-season the focus now turns to who will stay and who will go. The two players that stick out on the potential departure list are American midfielders Justin Mapp andDilly Duka. Both players have been solid contributors for the Impact during their time in Montreal. However with the opportunity for a change of scenery and a pay increase these two may seek out new challenges elsewhere.

Mapp:

Justin Mapp is one of the few players left from the Impact's inaugural 2012 MLS season. The Mississippi native was picked up by Montreal in the 2011 MLS expansion draft and over time became a fan favourite. His ability to join the attack from the midfield is one of his hallmarks and what makes him such an exciting player to watch. Mapp has racked up four goals for the Impact in MLS play and has also won the George Gross Memorial trophy as the MVP of the Canadian Championship in both 2013 and 2014.

Although the majority of supporters no doubt hope to see the return of Justin Mapp in 2016, things were different after the 2012 season. After his first season in Montreal, many were hoping that the midfielder would not be resigned after streaky play and his inability to link up with striker Marco Di Vaio. However over time Mapp became more comfortable at the club and found himself as a regular in the starting lineup. Although 2015 was a difficult one for Mapp, due to a number of injuries, he did hit a milestone as the youngest MLS player to hit the 300 games played.

Duka:

Dilly Duka came to Montreal under very different circumstances. The midfielder was acquired by the Impact halfway through the 2014 in a trade with the Chicago Fire in exchange for Sanna Nyassi. In what was a disastrous 2014 campaign, Duka proved to be one of the few bright spots for Montreal. If 2015 was the last for Duka in La Belle Province, he will have the distinction of scoring the first and last goals for Montreal over the course of the season. Duka scored the opening goal of 2015 in the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals against Club Pachuca and the last goal during the second-leg of the MLS Eastern Conference semi-finals against the Crew. Dilly Duka always showed up for the important games over his time in Montreal, something that has endeared him to the Impact faithful.

If Mapp and Duka have played their last games for the Montreal Impact there will be a big gap for Adam Braz and Impact management to fill. Mapp and Duka are two players that have been committed to the Impact since day one and provided many memorable moments over the last number of seasons.

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Whitecaps in with Ousted, decline options on Beitashour, Kah

VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Whitecaps don’t want star goalkeeper David Ousted to go anywhere else quite yet, but they’ve showed they’re willing to jettison some veteran defenders immediately in front of him.

The Major League Soccer team announced Tuesday they have exercised contract options for next season on 10 players, among them Ousted.

However, six other players had their options declined — topped by right back Steven Beitashour and popular centre back Pa-Modou Kah.

"We made a number of positive steps forward the last couple seasons and have a solid core in place," Whitecaps coach Carl Robinson said in a statement. "However, we are constantly looking for ways to take this club to the next level and this off-season will be no exception."

The Whitecaps also picked up the options on goalkeeper Marco Carducci and left back Sam Adekugbe (both homegrown graduates of the Caps’ academy program) defenders Jordan Smith and Tim Parker, midfielders Gershon Koffie and Nicolas Mezquida, as well as strikers Erik Hurtado, Kekuta Manneh and Darren Mattocks.

The Caps said the loan for Smith, seen as Beitashour’s possible replacement when brought in partway through this season, has been extended through the end of 2016 with an option to transfer from Costa Rican side Deportivo Saprissa.

Possibly headed for the exits, in addition to Beitashour and Kah, are veteran backup goalkeeper Paolo Tornaghi, right back Ethen Sampson, midfielder Andre Lewis and striker Caleb Clarke. The club said it remains in contact with all six players, as well as out-of-contract midfielder Mauro Rosales and striker Robert Earnshaw.

"There are still a number of discussions that are currently taking place and we will continue to provide updates when available," Robinson said.

Beitashour, Earnshaw, Kah, Rosales, and Tornaghi will be eligible for the MLS Re-Entry Draft unless they opt out or sign a new deal.

Meanwhile, Clarke, Lewis (the seventh pick overall in the 2014 SuperDraft by the Caps) and Sampson will be eligible for the MLS Waiver Draft.

Vancouver is coming off its best ever season in Major League Soccer, fashioning a 16-13-5 record for 53 points and second place in the Western Conference, as well as winning the Voyageurs Cup as Canadian club champions and an automatic berth in next year’s CONCACAF Champions League. The Caps were eliminated in a two-game semifinal series by their 2011 MLS expansion cousin Portland Timbers, who went on to knock off top-ranked FC Dallas in the conference final and will visit the Columbus Crew in the MLS Cup final on Sunday.