The Columbus Crew's final game of the 2013 season came less than a week ago, but it seems that the offseason is already in full swing.
First, news came earlier this week that, despite no official roster move taking place yet, the club would be parting ways with midfielder Matias Sanchez and forward Aaron Horton.
"(Decisions on Sanchez and Horton) were probably determined right near the end of the season with a game to go or two games to go, that regardless of who is the coach, it's probably something we're going to make a break from," Interim Head Coach and Technical Director Brian Bliss said after Crew training on Wednesday. "Finances come into play a lot.
At that point, you say the club can't afford for somebody to come out here in meaningless training and (injure) a knee, and then we're on the hook financially until whenever he is declared healthy by a doctor. We'd be on the hook for that, and that would really tie our cap up big-time."
Sanchez, an Argentinian box-to-box central midfielder, was expected to be an important piece for the club, but made only 10 starts in 2013 as one of the team's highest-paid players. Horton was the team's first ever homegrown signing, and after a season on loan with the USL's Los Angeles Blues, and proved to be a player who never realized his potential.
But the team was rocked even harder Thursday with the news that veteran Eddie Gaven would be retiring for personal reasons, leaving the club with another hole to fill in the offseason.
According to Bliss, Gaven was firmly in the plans for the team's 2014 season, and was an important player on the roster that they expected to have back.
"I was surprised. I don't want to say shocked, but surprised. I never expected that from Eddie. He's got the energy of an iron man, and I thought he'd play until his legs fell off," Bliss said. "I can tell you that the last meeting I had with (Owner) Anthony (Precourt) and (President and GM) Mark (McCullers), we had him penciled into the 20-man roster, and figured him into the cap and all that, so that kind of throws a monkey wrench in things. So we're going to have to start looking somewhere we didn't think we would have to look."
Goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum, a teammate of Gaven's during the club's championship run and Supporters' Shield titles, said Gaven's absence will leave a lasting void for the Crew.
"He obviously was a big part of what we did to win a championship. Year-in-and-year-out any success we’ve had he has always been a big part of it," Gruenebaum said. "More than that he has always been a great person and I think that is going to be the lasting impression - just how great he is to be around. I think that is going to be one of the biggest losses - just to have a guy like that in the locker room and now all of a sudden he is walking away."
The club is still left with roster decisions on goalkeeper Andy Gruenebaum, defender Josh Williams and forward Dominic Oduro, the team's leading scorer in 2013, who are all out of contract. Oduro said earlier in the week that he "100 percent" wants to stay with the club, and Bliss said that he's optimistic that all three will be back with the team.
"We kind of took a break from speaking with agents with maybe four games to go," Bliss said Friday. "We restarted that Tuesday, and we engaged those two agents. We're picking up where we left off four weeks ago, and hopefully we'll nail something down sooner rather than later, and I'm optimistic on those two guys. It's very similar to Dom; those guys want to be here and we want them back."
