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Rapids deal Larentowicz to Fire for 1st-round pick and allocation

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

By IVES GALARCEP

INDIANAPOLIS– The Colorado Rapids have been looking to move midfielder Jeff Larentowicz for some time and have no completed a trade that will make them even busier at the 2013 MLS Draft.

Sources have confirmed to SBI that the Rapids are trading Larentowicz and the No. 30 pick in the draft to the Chicago Fire for the No. 11 pick in the 2013 MLS Draft and $75,000 in allocation money.

The deal is the latest major off-season trade for Chicago, which landed midfielder Joel Lindpere earlier this winter from the New York Red Bulls.

The trade, coupled with a trade they are set to complete with Toronto FC for the No. 1 pick in the draft, will now give Colorado the No. 1 and No. 11 picks in the first round. They are expected to select U.S. Under-20 central defender Walker Zimmerman with the first overall selection.

Larentowicz became expendable in a Rapids midfield that now features Martin Rivero, Jamie Castrillon and Hendry Thomas. He joins Omar Cummings and Conor Casey as key members of the 2010 MLS Cup-winning Rapids team to leave Colorado this off-season.

The trade looks like a steal for the Fire, but sources tell SBI that the Rapids took the deal over other sweeter deals in order to accommodate Larentowicz’s preference to go to Chicago.

What do you think of the trade? Think the Fire got a steal? Like the idea of the Rapids making aggressive moves to re-shape their roster?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. I’m just thinking of another time that a despised player joined a Chicago roster and made the team somewhat better. Don’t want to see JL in a dress, though.

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  2. J-LO started 95 of 96 regular season games for the Rapids and has a ring on his finger. He is a gamer. He will help Chicago even if he is the best practice player on the squad, but it won’t go like that. He will make the starting line up, AND he gets to stay on the same team as Wells Thompson for the third time. JOHN 3:16!

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  3. As a lot of people have said I don’t get this move if they still keep Pardo and Pause. Larentowicz is better at this point but why bring him when we have depth there already? I also agree we need one good striker who is known to score goals and i think we are a title contender. I was hoping after we shipped Flaco out on loan it freed up a DP space we can go out and get a really good striker but instead we bring Larento in.

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  4. as much as i would have liked colorado to get the best possible deal for larentowicz, i appreciate them choosing a deal larentowicz felt more comfortable with.

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    • You are craxy. No way in hell they do that. The Rapids would not pay the salary he would demand. Nor should they. This played into getting rid of expensive players such as Cummings, Casey, and Larentowicz.

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  5. good time here in CO. not very likable player when he is going against you but Fire fans should enjoy his consistency in the field of the field.

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  6. I’m a Fire fan and I like this move.
    I appreciate Logan Pause, but his ability to cover his centerbacks in the midfield has diminished, to have someone more mobile and can shoot from long distance to cover for Pause/Pardo will only help. Pardo has a good range of passing and is good on set pieces, but he’s getting older and will find more injuries. Pause has picked up more little injuries himself, and with so much of his game predicated on hustle and work rate, his effectiveness will only fall.
    I’d like to see them pick up a true RB in the draft whose more dynamic in attack, Anibaba is athletic, but I think he’s better suited in the center. Segares isn’t getting any younger himself, with all the good LBs in the draft this year, it would be wise of the Fire to pick one up.

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  7. Congrats Ives,

    You’ve been getting some much deserved shout outs on various soccer sites recently, including the mls mothership page. You also got a shout out on last weeks Men in Blazers pod for one of your tweets, although they mispronounced your name like the soap, but i guess you’d expect that from a couple Brits.

    I always check this site first because i know you deliver the most up-to-date info with reliable sources that go beyond speculation.

    keep up the great work

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  8. Best picture of the Ginger Ninja ever. LMAO! Serious good call on the “twisty-leg, half grimace, hip-turn” move. ha ha ha ha!

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  9. Not a big Larentowicz fan but with Pardo’s age, more help in the midfield would be a nice help. Hopefully he can make me a believer. Time will tell.
    I’m just happy to know that the Fire are not sleeping in the off-season again. Pleasantly surprised and hopeful.
    Peace out

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    • I’m really happy about this move for the Fire. Larentowicz may not be flashy, but he’s solid and consistent. And although I think everyone agrees he isn’t a legitimate contender for the USMNT roster for high stakes games, he still showed Klinsy enough to earn a few call ups recently. With MacDonald and Rolfe playing so well together up top at the end of last season, adding Larentowicz to strengthen the spine in-front of Friedrich and Berry really balances the team IMO. I’m still not sure what the situation is with Alvaro Fernandez, but with the additions of Lindpere and Larentowicz (almost forgot Maicon Santos), I think the Fire will be right there with the top teams in the Eastern Conference next season.

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  10. I still can’t help but feel the Rapids are suddenly trying to be Chivas USA. Let’s hope there’s something of value at the 11th spot… usually outside the first 7 or 8 picks it’s a crapshoot.

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    • What do you mean “trying to be Chivas”??? There is absolutely no correlation whatsoever. The Rapids FO may not always have their sh** together but they are far from the mess that is Chivas. The Rapids have quitely been busy this offseason assembling a decent team (on paper) and getting rid of dea weight such as Cummings, Casey, and now Larentowicz. I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel by understanding the type of team Peraja is assembling. Will it work out successfully?? I sure as hell hope so. It better.

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      • I was behind the decisions to get rid of Cummings and Casey, but I would hesitate to say that Larentowicz was dead weight.

    • They’re nothing at all like Chivas, get a grip. It’s not 2010 anymore. Every move they’ve made has been reasonable and logical. The same cannot be said for Chivas.

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    • Re-read your post. If you mean “trying to be Chivas” in the sense they’ve publically indentified their #1 is pick in Zimmerman, I apologize and please dismiss me previous post.

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    • Do you understand, they are making trade to move their # 6 to TFC for a # 1 pick and player they really need.

      Then they stay in 1st round with another possible solid pick at # 11. Can’t say this is a crap shoot strategy overall

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      • As for draft picks, like I said earlier, it is pretty hit or miss after the first 7 or 8 picks. Only Ryan Mera of last year’s draft from 11-20 is a name a casual fan would know.
        Chivas USA had some success playing tough gritty soccer under Preki around 2009 and even won the Western Conference regular season title. Then they decided to blow all that up and try to go to some Latin-flaire style attacking soccer. They sent off all their old guard (although granted they were younger players they could sell for some cash to Europe and I’m sure the league played a role) and brought in quick players and tried to set up basically what Colorado is doing now. Look where it got Chivas.

      • Matt Hedges, Tommy Meyer, Tony Casico ( minus the fact Casico was huge for Colorado last year) just to name a few from last years draft after the 7th pick…. 2 years ago Will Bruin went 11. Anyone heard of him????

      • i see what you are saying.. out goes Cummings, Larentowcitz, Casey, Kimura, etc and in comes Rivero, Castrillon, Calderon… new coach wants to play Latin style 4-3-3 and rebuffs the old ways with an english coach and his 4-4-2…

        its kind of unsettling because Pareja comes off very egotistical thinking that everything before him was inferior and it certainly destroyed the team last year. that said he is building a decent team and the FO has his back. next year’s team doesn’t look bad its just an ugly process the first few years of a rebuilding..

      • 2010 Rapids was actually a pretty ugly team to watch and was lucky to sneak into the playoffs with the crazy wild card system that allowed up to 2 teams to switch over to another conference….

        They were borderline a playoff team in 2011 and got eliminated in the single elimination round and honestly was not very good at all… and then Pareja came in and tried to redo the squad….but both Cummings AND Casey were hurt… and Casey was very much an old and slow part to the team.

        Pareja has done well in finding jewels of talent but hasn’t gotten all the pieces yet

      • sorry meant to say they got eliminated in the first elimination round….got confused when i was talking about them getting eliminated in the playoffs and playing in the single elimination game to get into the playoffs…

    • Trying to be chivas? I didnt realize the rapids were signing players of a certain race despite the fact that they havent had much success in this league. In fact, the Rapids are the exact opposite of Chivas. They are actually building for the future with good players instead of the constant turnover which plagues many teams in this league. Im not a Rapids fan but your comment was just too idiotic not to respond

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  11. Rapids got value for a player that no longer fit their system. Not sure what Chicago will do with Larentowicz given that they have Pause and Pardo. Lots of wasted cap space on their bench now.

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    • Chicago is building a tough midfiled group. I see Pause as the utility player in the group — he can play anywhere across the midfield and right back. So, I think he’ll still be on the roster and useful for the Fire.

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    • Another D-Mid for Chicago? They should be trying to look for a playmaking replacement for Grazzini. It looks like Colorado is trying to play a better style. Rapids get the better deal here.

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