That famous English midfielder Winston Churchill once described Russia as “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.”
With NYCFC’s selection of Matthew Dunn during Wednesday’s Dispersal Draft, one understands what the great man meant.
Now that the Dispersal Draft is Dunn, er, Done…
Going into the draft, one might think NYCFC would take this opportunity to fill in some of the missing pieces on the 7 player roster. Maybe someone strong along the back line to give all of those fans who have endured the perennially dicey Red Bull back four something to believe in. Maybe Danny Toia, who started at left back for so many of Chivas’ final 27 games. Or, if Jason Kreis wants still more attack, maybe Marco Delgado who can play either midfield OR on the backline, and who also had a decent number of appearances for the Goats.
But another pure midfielder? That makes three. That’s almost half the roster.
Now, sure, next month is the expansion draft and with teams only able to protect 11 players, NYCFC should have quite a lot to choose from. And then in January there’s the Superdraft. And on top of those two opportunities, NYCFC also get to draw as many as five players from Man City’s under-21 team. So pretty soon they’ll be swimming in players, and the team will start to take shape, and a method to the madness will be revealed.
But another midfielder? Really?
Now it’s quite possible – and this is said with all due respect to the latest acquisition – that Dunn was a sort of “Plan B”. Because there was a lot of speculation before the draft that while Dan Kennedy was widely seen as the pick of the Chivas litter (um, that didn’t come out quite right), it was not a dead cert that Dallas would pick him up. With Seitz and Fernandez battling for playing time, why throw a third goalie into the mix (fourth if one counts youngster Gonzalez)?
And again, none of this is meant to cast doubt on Dunn’s ability. Partially, that’s because he’s still a bit of a blank page. But also because there’s nothing carved in stone that he’s gonna be on the pitch come springtime. Just because NYCFC picked him up doesn’t mean that they intend to keep him. It’s entirely possible that he’s a part of a future package trade. For that matter, so is Kennedy.
Because while Dunn is young – just 20 – he’s got an interesting resume. Eighteen U17 caps with the National Team, three with the U18 team; youth side play with Grasshopper Club Zurich and FC Dallas, and experience with FC Koln in Germany, OFK Beograd in Serbia, and with the University of Maine at Fort Kent – all before the season with Chivas that landed him eventually in New York City.
For Dunn, the pick is fraught with possibilities. Who wouldn’t love the opportunity to learn the craft of midfielder from arguably one of England’s finest? Frank Lampard has probably forgotten more about the game than most of us will ever know. (Note to Frank: Everyone is hoping you haven’t forgotten too much).
In the other hand, how much do you get to learn if you spend the season on the bench playing behind him and Jacobson?
And whoever else NYCFC acquire in the next two months.
Thank you for reading. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport and @LWOSworld – and “liking” our Facebook page.
For the latest in sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for?
