MLSnet.com - LIVE CHAT

Brandon from Indianapolis
Coach, in the past two SuperDrafts, the only players you have selected who have seen significant playing time are Jason Garey and Brandon Moss. What do you look for in draft prospects that makes you think they can be an immediate contributor to the team?

Sigi Schmid
You're always trying to look at positional needs, which are important, but you're also trying to find the best soccer players available. The draft class from the last two years will turn out better. Brad Evans was injured for the majority of last season, but we still expect big things in this coming season. And Kei Kamara, who recently traded away, had scored a few goals for us but he allowed us to get Brian Carroll who will be a good addition to our team.

Adam from New York
Why did you choose to leave Ned Grabavoy unprotected in the expansion draft?

Sigi Schmid
Unfortunately you can't protect everyone in the expansion draft and that was a difficult decision for us. But we had an inkling that we would be able to work a trade for a midfielder, which we did, and based on the other players we felt we needed to protect, Ned was a player we had to leave exposed and San Jose jumped on him.

Matt from Columbus
Sigi, what do you think about the pro prospects of some of the players on OSU's final four team? Balc and Brunner seem to be getting a lot of attention.

Sigi Schmid
We've had both Brunner and Xavier Balc to train with us in the summer months. I think Eric Brunner has had a very good season and is one of the better defenders in college. And Xavier has certainly scored timely goals for Ohio State. With only one pick in the first round, the chances of us getting one or both of them with the success they've had is something you don't know right now.

Joe from Columbus
Coach, what is the status of the Crew Juniors program and do you see that eventually feeding a few players to your first team?

Sigi Schmid
I think Crew Juniors is very exciting and the Crew Soccer Academy as the upper part of that is even more exciting. The fruits of the youth programs are probably a few years down the line but it's something our team, along with all teams in MLS, need to pursue. The ownership has shown a committment to invest and it's going to benefit the young soccer players out there and will eventually give us more quality coming to MLS.

Patrick from Cincinnatti
What needs to you expect to fill in the draft? What needs do you expect to fill from allocation? What needs do you expect to fill from a designated player?

Sigi Schmid
Which of those vehicles fill which need is something that's always in flux as you have to see what are available. The needs for us are to add a quality forward, an experienced central midfielder, like to pick up a central defender with pace. Left back was sort of unsettled for us last night. If we see a good central defender with pace, we'll add that from the draft and we won't go overseas. Right now, on a DP status, the primary ones we are looking at are forwards or experienced central midfielders.

Jim from Columbus
Last season we made a great move in acquiring Schellotto. What kind of scouting network is in place to bring more international caliber players to the Crew?

Sigi Schmid
Scouting network for most MLS teams is the coaching staff. No MLS team is financially able to put scouts out there and compensate and pay for them. You spend a lot of times on the phone. Just recently I spent 10 days in Europe with Robert Warzycha. I might still be going down to South America before the season. With the work we've been able to do, and our contacts in the soccer world, we're constantly exploring options. We have some good options and we're exploring them and hopefully some of them will be concrete. We'd like to add those types of players in the January transfer window; if we can't do it then, we might have to wait for the summer transfer window.

Josh from South Bloomfield, Ohio
Do you see our younger players (Rogers, Ward & Zayner) playing a more important role this year and how?

Sigi Schmid
I think the younger players started to step up at the end of last season. We have good expectations for Robbie Rogers, and Eddie Gaven, who many peole forget just turned 21. Which is young as far as I'm concerned. Timmy Ward made some strides last season. This is an important season for Jed Zayner. It took him a while to recover from his knee surgery so this is an important preseason for that. We have a good young nucleus, where I include Danny O'Rourke, Will Hesmer, Andy Gruenbaum and Chad Marshall, I think our nucleus is as good as anyone in the league.

Greg from Hilliard, Ohio
How did you rate Will Hessmer's season as the Crew No1?

Sigi Schmid
I think it was more positive than anything. I thought he came in and had a good effect on our team and the results reflected that. Like our team, I felt he fell into a little valley, but he finished strong, especially gaainst D.C. United in our last game of the season. He started more games this year than any other year so that was new for him. I'm also very confident in Andy Gruenbaum and I think with those two competing we'll be very good in goal for years to come.

Brandon from Indianapolis
Coach, it seemed that last season whenever the Crew took a one goal lead, they let their foot off the pedal and began to bunker down. It seems there is no killer instinct to this team. Why not keep pressing for a second or third extra goal?

Sigi Schmid
Certainly we did not take our foot off the pedal intentionally. A problem we're addressing in the offseason is there were a few games, five by our count, that we either tied or lost in the last 10 to 15 minutes of a game. That's something we need to change. One reason is inexperience. One part is learning how to win and believing we can win those games. There are times we could have put games away with better finishing and that we're trying to address. There were times it was good last year but times it wasn't. Hopefully with another year of experience, and some new players, with everyone having grown another year, we'll be able to put those problems behind us.

Nicki from Westerville, Ohio
With rumors circulating of Schelotto possibly not returning, what can you tell fans today as to his status with the Crew? Is it the Crew's option to pick up, or is it Schelotto's choice to play the last year of the contract?

Sigi Schmid
With Schelotto, everything is moving forward. Our expectations are that he is returning and will be able to tie up all the loose ends. Our plans are, and everything we're planning for right now, is with him being on our team and being part of our squad for 2008.

Thomas from Honolulu, HI
Some of us fans have been known to get frustrated with Eddie Gaven at times, but he really started coming on strong towards the end of last season. It's so easy for us to forget that he's only 21. How do you see him progressing in the future?

Sigi Schmid
First, it's nice to know we have a fan in Hawaii where the weather is much nicer than in Columbus right now. Eddie Gaven is a player I still believe has a very bright future. He's gone through the natural growth and maturation process that all players go through. I'm expecting good things from him this year. I've seen a lot of improvement in his game, especially in the second half of last season. He's a very consistent worker and that's what allows him to grows a player and what will help him continue to grow.

David from Indianapolis
So you're saying you were willing to potentially lose our only back-up to Guillermo in order to sign another DM? Where are the signings that will improve the potency of our attack?

Sigi Schmid
Certainly the players we are looking for are offensive orientated players. When I say we're looking for a central midfielder, it's someone has to be able to run our attack from the deep part of midfield. It's not a destroyer type of player. it's not the type of player who's just there to mark the other team's best player. It's someone we need to run the ship and keep us going in the direction we want to go in key parts of the game. For that we need someone who is experienced. What I feel with Robbie Rogers and Eddie Gaven started to do last year at the end of the season. Six goals in two away games against two of the better teams in the league shows an ability to attack. We scored 23 goals away from home which I think is second highest in the league. Where we struggled scoring goals is in home games and that's where we need that experienced hand to break down packed in opponents and that's what we're trying to solve with the addition of players. The players we're looking for as DPs, as discovery or in the draft are players who can play there. We also feel Brad Evans being able to play next year will give us another player who can play in that role.

Ben from Columbus
We dropped a lot of points in the last 10-15 minutes of games this year. why was this? lack of fitness? mental lapses? disorganized back line? and how will we fix it?

Sigi Schmid
It sounds like you were part of our post-season coaching meetings. Those are all various points we discussed and we're going to address all of those. We want our fitness to be better. Want to be quicker and faster and we're striving for that. We need to be more composed at the tail-end of games. We need to be more confident and mature at the end of games. And we also need to put games away by scoring decisive goals when that presents itself so we're not in such a tight battle at the end of games. We need to improve that as a team in two ways: 1) in training and our day to day approach and 2) acquiring players who will help us maintain leads and win games at the end of games.

Mike from Columbus
Coach, how do you think the removal of the north end stands, and some of the most vocal supporters, will affect the gameday experience?

Sigi Schmid
Well, first, I hoep we haven't removed the most vocal supporters and that you'll still be there, because we need them. An enclosed atmosphere, 360degrees enclosed, is the best to play in. But there's lots of stadiums I've been to in the world of soccer but the excitement, noise and energy is created by the fans and often the fans spur on the team, and the team spurs on the fan. If I agree or don't agree with the change isn't important, what is important is that our fans bring their voices and enthusiasm and that we bring our best effort on the field for them and we'll have a great experience and success.

Jason from Columbus
Mr. Schmid, there are rumors that Dallas is shopping Carlos Ruiz. I don't know if you are allowed to name specific players, but are the Crew looking to make a deal with FC Dallas?

Sigi Schmid
We're always looking for good players. I obviously have a past history with Carlos having brought him to the league. When teams talk to us, we talk to them and if there is a deal that makes sense, we'll try to make it.

Stuart from Columbus
Last year, the primary formation was 4-3-3, was that due to the players that you have available, or are you adding players to fit that formation?

Sigi Schmid
In my belief, and in our league, you have to play a formation that is conducive to the abilities of the players you have. We felt going into the season that 4-3-3 would be good for us with players like Jacob Thomas and Ricardo Virtuoso. WIth Jacob and Ricardo missing time, by the end of the year we were playing a 4-2-3-1 when we got Schelotto returned to the team after his injury. The system is important because you put players onto the field ina position they can excel in but you must have players that know how to play in the area they are in. If you're an attacking player, a forward or midfielder, you need to know how to play in that area, for defenders the same applies.

Eddie in Johnson City, TN
Coach, with a current team roster of 29 players, what are the expectations for the open tryout on january 25? any real chance of players being pick?

Sigi Schmid
There's always chances of players getting picked because MLS has very few guaranteed contracts. So if you find a player can help your team and is better someone you have, then there's a chance to make it. But it's a little bit like a boxing match. To win the championship, you have to be better than the champion, not just compete with him. We're looking for players who will make us a better team, not just to keep us where we're at. We're not changing for the sake of change.

TheCrew.com
Thanks for chatting with us today, Coach. Any final thoughts?

Sigi Schmid
Thanks for the questions, thanks for the interest. Even the hard questions are fun since those are the same questions we ask ourselves. We're looking forward to a great 2008 and I hope you are too as I really think this is going to be our year.