Tino Implications

Today's Santino Quaranta trade, if you think about it, shouldn't really come as a surprise. While Tino is still young, only 21 as Kinney pointed it, and undoubtedly full of potential, he hasn't been a available enough for DC United. He played 11 games in the 2002 season, and then missed the rest of the season with a hernia. In 2003, he picked up a knee injury while playing with the USA U-20 team and then in 2004 made only one appearance during the regular season. Last year was his best ever in a United uniform, contributing 5 goals and 5 assists although he did miss a good portion of it due to call ups with the national team.

At a base salary of $135k, Tino is too expensive to be an option off the bench, if he's healthy. This move gives the team salary cap relief beyond this season. A number of players, Boswell, Walker, Wilson, and Perkins among them should be in line for raises, if any of their contracts are up this season.

It did surprise me that Tino went to LA, I would have thought he'd land in NY with the Metrostars. He'd be closer to home with a coach that knows him well.