The MLS Hot Stove: Scouting in the Caribbean

As we move into December you might think that MLS coaches and technical staffs would be preparing to take vacations. Well, some of them have made their way to a Caribbean island, but it isn't for a vacation.

Scouts from several MLS clubs are in Jamaica this week and weekend for the Digicel Caribbean Cup Championships and it's no secret what many of them are looking for: affordable attacking players.

The New York Red Bulls, Toronto FC, San Jose and Houston are just some of the teams in attendance, looking for the next Kenwyne Jones or Ricardo Fuller (or Dane Richards). It should come as no surprise that the four teams mentioned here happen to all need strikers, but there are some good midfield talents who are also drawing strong interest.

So who might MLS teams be looking at? Here are some possibilities:

Keon Daniel (Trinidad & Tobago)- The free-kick specialist is on the radar of several MLS teams, though he's not a striker, which is what most of the MLS teams in attendance need most. I am hearing he is one of the most sought-after players in this tournament by MLS and I would be shocked if he didn't land an MLS contract this winter.

Rudolph Austin (Jamaica)- A central midfielder with a nose for goal, Austin was set for a one million pound move to Stoke City in the English Premier League until he was denied a work permit because if Jamaica's low FIFA ranking. Austin wound up going on loan to SK Brann in Norway this fall, but could be available for the right price. The price might be too high for MLS though.

Cornell Glen (Trinidad & Tobago)- Okay, chances are you might have laughed at this inclusion if you are a fan of one of the teams Glen played for during his bumpy tour through MLS. While it might sound far-fetched to think an MLS team would take a chance on Glen, who bounced around four MLS teams in three seasons before returning to San Juan Jabloteh after the 2006 MLS season, Glen is a speed-burner when his head is on straight and might draw a few offers from teams in dire need of forward help.

Eric Vernon (Jamaica)- A speedy right winger who played well in Jamaica's 2-1 win vs. Barbados on Wednesday, Vernon plays in the Jamaican league and could be worth an investment for a team hoping to find another Dane Richards.

One other player I was going to add to this list is Jamaican striker Luton Shelton, who is currently on the books with Valerenga. He's exactly the kind of speedy striker teams like New York and Houston need, but I've been told Shelton makes an obscene amount of money. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if Valerenga were looking to unload their $ 1.5 million summer signing. 

And for those of you wondering, Richards came on as a sub for Jamaica and made an instant impact, helping set up Jamaica's equalizing goal and troubling Barbados with his speed throughout his appearance on Wednesday night. 

The Caribbean championships run through Dec. 14, with the top four teams earning berths in the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup.

I will look to add some more names to that list of potential MLS targets as the day goes on. For now, feel free to share your thoughts on MLS teams scouting the Caribbean Cup, and what players in the tournament you could see making their way to MLS.

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

[Dannyc58]

West Ham was supposed to bring Keon Daniel in for a trial back in August. Still no idea what happened there.

LOVE him as an attacking mid...

[Shmenge]

What about Richardson--he looked amazing for Joe Public in the CCL.

[WTF]

IVES!

Any truth to Guevara leaving TFC? :(

Thanks!

[ivanov]

there was a lot of buzz about Gregory Richardson coming to Columbus, is there still any buzz? I would love to see that move.

[Eugene]

Yeah, I'm surprised there is no mention of Gregory Richardson, that guy looked strong for Joe Public against the Revs -- which likely indicates he would be a good player in MLS.

Ives, why the talk of the Red Bulls needing another striker as a top priority? I'm not seeing that anywhere else. Angel, Kandji, Magee and Wolyniec -- that looks like a pretty good striker corp for MLS, particularly if Kandji comes along in his skills next year.

I think the Red Bulls need defensive help first and also playmaker in the midfield. We have guys that can finish if given the chance, we just need to create more opportunities from midfield and need some help scoring off set pieces and defending set pieces. Get a good a-mid and he would also be a substantial scoring threat.

[SayervilleFC]

Somehow I think I'd feel better about MLS if, instead of looking for just the next Ricardo Fuller they were in position to actually sign Ricardo Fuller.

Don't get me wrong. I applaud MLS for being down in the Carribean beating the bush and looking for young, cheap talent. It's essential they do this and we all know there is MLS-caliber talent on the Islands and in Latin America.

But, a player like Fuller, who has had a good but not great career in England, is the kind of player MLS teams should be able to sign but too often don't.

[Ed]

Any chance of Nigel Codrington coming back to the US and play? He's probably the best Guyanese forward right now.

[SonicDeathMonkey]

Everybody from Joe Public looked good against the Revs. That was some fugly football the boys from New England played. It was made even more evident by the poor showing Joe Public had in the group stage.

[Chrös]

I've always wondered: If a guy like Dane Richards is an impact player in MLS but is only coming off the bench for Jamaica, where are these Jamaica starters? Bring them over, too.

[nicholas]

Hey Chros ... most of the jamaican starters start for teams in england... so that is probably why dane isn't starting, but what is intresting is tfc is there.. i guess they are trying to appease the huge carribbean population in toronto.

[maur]

What about players from Cuba and other islands?

[roger]

nicholas: that was hilarious!!!!
thats what i like about toronto... they can care less where u come from as long as your good.

go dynamo!

[Kevin Smith]

Heh, TFC needs a DP, clearly Luton Shelton is the man for the job!

[VPjr]

Nicholas and Roger

let me understand this....

other MLS teams go down to the Caribbean to look for talent but Toronto just goes there to look for some random islander in order to appease the many Caribbean decendants in the Toronto area????

Are you really as stupid as your comments sound or is that just a sad excuse for humour.

Toronto is desperate for athletic players up front and some midfield depth. Hopefully they find a diamond in the rough...if they do it will be done to appease their supporters, not a demographic.

You guys gotta seriously give up drinking all that Hatorade

[VPjr]

Roger...misread your comment....I delete you from my rant...apologies

[kofi_x5]

With respect to NYRB, we definitely could use a Very attack-minded A-mid and/or a striker.
Going with a striker first wouldn't be so bad, McGee is a decent A-mid and Kanji is looking like a very good option to draw the defense away from Angel. Woly had a few good shots during the season and a few terrific looks at goal and could not finish, more than once he was alone and staring at an open net. But Woly had some good games there at the end and Thank God for the goals he scored! He sure picked the right time to get them in the net for the first team. But when you take a good look at those goals, 90% of those shots were actually deflections off his foot or body. The shots could have hit tree stumps and gone in. They were not his own creations. That being said I'm not convinced we have a complete strike force.
Attacking Midfield presence with a A-Mid/CF type is best for NYRB especially with Tourneys coming up. He would create a lot of options for the Bulls.

[kawa]

IF the bulls could land Shelton the forward line would be great. Shelton was a star in sweden when he played with Henrik larrson . he lead the Swedish first devision in goals and has a great nose going forward. has been Jamaica's most consistent striker even more so that King or Fuller. not the greatest first touch but he's faster than Dane Richards better finisher for sure

[Daniel]

Any idea why Puerto Rico didn't enter the tournament? It seems the national team is on the rise there and a chance to make to gold cup would have been huge to them. Its disappointing that they didn't even enter.

[john]

great players come from those islands