Thursday, April 19, 2007

Simply Marvell-ous

Marvell Wynne is a classy, level-headed guy. If anyone can make the most of an unexpected trade, it's Marvell.

That doesn't mean there wasn't some disappointment involved. After all, at one point, Chivas USA held the number one pick in the 2006 draft, and Wynne was hoping to stay in his home state of California. He adjusted to New York, though, and I'm sure he'll do the same with Toronto.

The move might be hardest on his mom, according to what he told me.

"When I was drafted, I thought, 'Yeah, I’ll be far from home, but I’m in New York. It’s going to be fun.' Now I’m thinking, 'Well, I’m not going too far from New York, but I am going farther from home.' But I’ve heard that Toronto is a nice place. I called my mom about the trade and she was 'You’ve got to be kidding me. You’re going even farther away? I didn’t even know that was possible. They just added this team and now you’re going?' She was sad to see me leave. She is excited for me, but she wishes it was a little bit closer, not a little bit farther."

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Since when (or from where in California) is Toronto farther than NYC??
It's a good 250 miles closer to LA than NYC is, and is well connected to several cities in North America and around the world by flights..

A.C. said...

I doubt, however, that there are nearly as many discounted flights between Toronto and LA as there are between NY and LA. Plus, you don't need a passport to fly to NY.

A.C. said...

I looked it up, and Toronto was listed as being 2,580 miles away from Los Angeles. New York was listed as 2,462, which would make Toronto, as Wynne says, a little further from his home than New York is.

braden said...

I just wanted to say kudos for your recent column on Wynne and the effects of an influx of foreign stars crowding out young U.S. players. It's certainly something to be aware of!

However, two points:
I think Wynne's trade is actually a reflection of the fact that another talented young American prospect, Hunter Freeman, might be a more technically talented and intelligent defender than Wynne. And, is cheaper. Why bench Wynne for Freeman when you can trade him away for Angel. I think everyone wins. Wynne will actually get playing time and the Red Bulls take an over-priced player off the books.

Second, couldn't an alternative argument be that bringing in designated players with experience and a commitment to helping their teammates succeed produces better young American soccer talent? OK, I'm not sure about Blanco's influence, but Beckham, Angel, and Reyna are class acts and should help their American teammates develop. (However, I will be really angry if Altidore is side-lined for Angel.)