Is It Time for the Dynamo to Trade Mike Chabala?

by Zach Woosley on May 9, 2011 2:03 PM CDT in Signings, Trades & Transfers

Remember Mike Chabala? The 26-year old fullback that was a regular in the Dynamo lineup last season, who had become a bit of fan favorite?

Yeah, that guy. What happened to Mike?

Chabala is still here, still training and working hard like the rest of his teammates but instead of being a starter or even seeing time as a substitute, Chabala has spent nearly the entire season on the bench, making a single 8-minute appearance. Talk about going out of favor.

You had to know that it would be hard for Chabala to find playing time after several new defenders were signed in the off-season, but I don't think anyone expected him to fall completely off the radar. It has to be frustrating for a player that had kept his nose down and done everything the team has asked of him for the past five seasons. If the situation is bothering Chabala, he's not saying anything publicly about it, which is probably the right choice.

So the question becomes, has Chabala's time with the Dynamo come to an end? It's fair to say that he's become the fourth choice fullback behind Freeman, Ashe and Hainault...and don't forget rookie Kofi Sarkodie is there as well. If the team no longer sees Chabala as part of their plans, why not explore trade options for the young defender?

There has to be several teams in MLS who would be interested in a fullback capable of being a week in, week out starter in the league who has an extremely reasonable contract. Not to mention a player with good speed and the ability to get forward and help on the attack. Why not trade Chabala and either pick up another player, a draft pick and/or allocation money rather than leave him on the bench and playing in reserve matches?

There is nothing wrong with having depth, but if there's one position the Dynamo seem overloaded at, it's fullback. Better in my view to allow Chabala to move on and move forward with the group of defenders you have. Don't forget either that Chabala's contract should be up at the end of the season (at least I believe so, but it's hard to know for sure since MLS keeps contract details locked down tighter than Fort Knox) so moving him to another team, rather than letting him leave for free in the winter would seem like the better choice.

Either way, it's disappointing to see a player who has worked hard for the Dynamo be relegated to the background, even if the coaches feel that's what's tactically best for the team. Better to let him get a fresh start with another club in my opinion and get some kind of value in return that can help you either this season or in the future.

What say you Dynamo fans?

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Agreed, but we seem full @ the moment...

… though the right flank needs a bit of upgrading, and we definitely need depth @ DM, unless Mr “I Play Everywhere” Cameron is deputized if Palmer gets injured.

by playtherapy on May 9, 2011 2:41 PM CDT reply actions

Freeman and Ashe are the starters

What I don’t understand is why Hainult is viewed so much more highly than Chewy. To me it seems Chabala should be next in line at FB, at least until Sarkodie is ready. Hainult gives us nice size on set pieces, but we lose some pace with him outside, not to mention that I don’t think he brings as much to the attack as our other options.

I can see Dom being higher on Hainult…but not so much higher where Chabala can’t see the field. I thought for sure with our crowded stretch of games that Chabala would get some serious run to rest some of the regulars. Instead Hainult goes back outside and Robinson gets the start? Dom obviously must have seen some things he didn’t like last year.

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by papabear on May 9, 2011 3:20 PM CDT reply actions

Time to trade

Disagree that Hainault is only a notch better than Chewy. Chewy struggled a good bit on a defense that struggled mightily last year. While he likes to push up his ability to actually take on defenders is suspect to say the least. And maybe it’s just me but it just appears that he doesnt bust it to get back on D when someone gets in behind. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t dislike Chewy but Hainault is a better defender, Ashe is better in the attack, and Kofi is the heir apparent. Just don’t know where Chewy fits in with those options. Also watched the KC reserve game and while ERob looked solid, Chewy appeared to struggle there as well. At this point it may be best for both parties to move on.

by Coach G on May 9, 2011 4:08 PM CDT reply actions

So why not try him as a backup RM?

Lol. I know we have Davis there permanently, but I’d like to see what Chabala could do as RM. Just saying…

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by Fuzion on May 9, 2011 4:28 PM CDT up reply actions

hmmmm

In a season full of nasty injuries, I don;t see much upside for trading Chewy except for backup for Palmer. We’d get allocation money (not much and our salaries are pretty low anyway), don’t need a DP slot, low round draft picks are a dime a dozen but occasionally pay off… hmmm, guess we could use another international slot but I get confused about the rules for Canadians. How many international slots have we used up? Does Hainault count as one?

by playtherapy on May 9, 2011 4:26 PM CDT reply actions

International Roster Spots

Each MLS team is given 8 international slots, which can be traded. There is no limit to the number of INTL spots a team can acquire either.

As of today, I don’t know how many the Dynamo have, but I don’t recall them trading away any. So assuming they have their original eight, they are using five (Koke, Hainault, Taylor, Watson and Palmer).

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by Zach Woosley on May 9, 2011 4:42 PM CDT up reply actions