Photo by Jose L. Argueta/ISIphotos.com
D.C. United goalkeeper Bill Hamid has yet to play a minute of first-team soccer this season, but that hasn't prevented the team from showing a sign of good faith in its goalkeeper of the future.
Hamid and DCU agreed to a new contract on Thursday, one that will count against the team's salary cap as opposed to his original deal when he signed as the team's first Homegrown Player. Hamid played in eight league games last season, splitting starting duties with Troy Perkins before suffering a shoulder injury and undergoing surgery for a torn labrum.
He has appeared in reserve matches since being cleared by doctors to resume playing and is expected to contend for the starting job again once fully fit. Terms of his new deal were not disclosed.
What do you think of the move?
Share your thoughts below.
Actually, it makes a relatively big difference. He was cap exempt before and now he isn’t
Part of it is locking him in for more years. But DCU has always been big on trying to show players something positive upfront with the hope it leads to a return. For instance. when Troy Perkins was on the reserve team making a pittance (under $15k a year) and became a starter with an injury to Rimando (and then just beating Rimando out when he came back), DCU tore up his contract and gave him a starter’s deal (with the ideal that you do something now that you’re not obligated to and maybe the player gives you a break down the road when you’re cap crunched or a foreign team comes calling).
If I’m not mistaken Hamid was making somewhere between $37,500 and $40,000 so a raise won’t really be hurting them terribly considering it was probably only about 10k-15k.
I think we will be ok, but you have to admit there’s kind of a gulf in talent after Howard and Guzan. Maybe we got spoiled and incredibly lucky these past 20 years with such great goalkeepers like Friedel, Keller, Howard and Hahnemann, but it just seems like there are less good American keepers out there.
Howard will play in 2014, but who knows about 2018. He’ll be 39 then.
As for Guzan, I think he’s good, I think he can be great, and can possibly someday be spoken about in the same sentence as the aforementioned keepers. He’s just gotta get his club situation figured out. Until now he’s sat behind Friedel his entire career since leaving MLS. I hope Hull gets promoted and they sign Guzan because it definitely sounds like Aston Villa doesn’t have him in their future plans. All I’m saying is the guy could wind up just being an average Championship goalkeeper. I think Guzan has to latch onto a starting EPL GK if he wants to ever be the starter for the USMNT. Even then he might not get a chance at World Cup. Yeah he could potentially surpass Howard for 2014 (I doubt it). Maybe 2018 is his time to shine, but maybe not.
As for the youth GK’s you’re throwing at me, I see your MacMath, Cropper, Cervi and Bingham and raise you a Chris Seitz, a Brian Perk, and an Adin Brown. Some of them are going to fail, and some of them are just going to be average to really good MLS keepers.
Why “SOL for a while”? There’s also Zac MacMath, Cody Cropper, David Bingham… so that’s at least 6 options in the 18-24 age range, counting Johnson, Hamid, and Cervi.
And of course Howard and Guzan are young enough (32 and 26) that even if all 6 don’t pan out, we could be fine until another DOZEN young GKs emerge.
Basically what I’m saying is this is the last thing we need to worry about.
To be precise, he’s 20.
Don’t forget Samir Badr, the other DCU academy product, now with FC Porto’s reserves.
More years on the deal. Probably three more, lock him up for five more seasons overall. He’s the team’s keeper of the future (and probably the present) so for a pretty measly sum, most likely, you have both a keeper and a potential asset to sell.
Actually, their backline is much better this season.
for my lack of MLS rules, but i thought Homegrown salaries dont count against the cap so why would an MLS team shift him to a regular domestic senior player? What is the maximum salary a homegrown player can earn? Was that the reason?
Sorry for all the questions
True. But I hope one of them does. Cuz we could be SOL for a while.
Avi, do you think this was a move to shift salary obligations from the team to the league, just making sure they’ve got him wrapped up for a few years, or is DC making space for another Homegrown?
what about philly’s young keeper
or if neither do.
Chicago has a young keeper that might have something to say about that.
Good young keeper with all the raw tools. Good size and reflexes. He made the odd mistake on a getting to some crosses, but those things come with experience. He’s very brave throwing himself into an attacker’s shot. He’s 18, so he’s got a lot of growing to do but so far he seems like a top prospect.
I guess all you really need to know is he ousted the experienced, though under-performing, Troy Perkins last year for the #1 job.
But staying healthy and a poor backline at DC could be an issue.
It is very simple Will-SBI. Bill Hamid is a DC United homegrown product, and he will be the starting USMNT keeper at some point. He is big, strong, physical, and has quick feet and good hands. In limited action, he looked like he could organize a backline as well. He absolutely has a bright future with both club and country!
That’s good news for DC. I’m excited/curious to see whether Hamid or Johnson becomes the next GK heir apparent for the USMNT.
Primero. I am not familiar with Bill Hamid. Can someone please give a brief run down of his strengths/weaknesses upsides/downsides?