KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Technical director Peter Vermes and head coach Curt Onalfo of the Kansas City Wizards have always said they are constantly on the look to improve their team. Now they have more tools to do just that. Tools they would not have had in three months time.
The trade of 27-year-old Trinidad & Tobago international forward Scott Sealy to the San Jose Earthquakes for allocation money gives the team another international spot on its senior roster and three options for what they can do with the money acquired.
"Scott made it very clear he was not going to be coming back at the end of the season," Onalfo said, "and it was an offer we couldn't refuse."
Vermes said the Earthquakes had approached the Wizards some time back, but the deal was not something they were willing to do at the time. Now, Vermes said, the allocation money received in return makes a good business decision for the future.
"With allocation money, you can buy down a current player's salary who you are going to renegotiate with or do a new contract with," Vermes said. "You can buy a foreign player and use it for a transfer fee, a loan fee, or even part of his contract. Or you can [trade] it. We have all three of those options in mind right now, and we're going to continue to evaluate what's going to be the best use."
For a team that has struggled to consistently find the back of the opposition's net, despite their current four-game undefeated streak, the decision will need to be the right one. Averaging less than a goal a game isn't going to result in too many victories.
Even though the recent signing of one-time Wizards forward Josh Wolff to the club helped Vermes and Onalfo pull the trigger on trading Sealy, they are still not happy with their team's execution, thus more changes are on the way.
"Have we had some better performances here as of late? Sure. Could they be better? Should they be better? Absolutely. Could we do some things a little better? Yes. I still think we need to make some tweaks as we move forward. Only time and performances are going to tell that," Vermes said. "But we're on the verge of turning the corner here. I've said this all along, we constantly are going to be looking to improve this team."
With Wolff rejoining the side, a whole new set of options come about. Designated player Claudio Lopez, effective recently on the left side of midfield, could move up top to combine more often with Wolff. Or right midfielder Davy Arnaud could resume his past fruitful partnership with Wolff -- the two led Kansas City to a spot in the 2004 MLS Cup Final. Onalfo has given either possibility credence. The weeks to come in training and matches will determine the outcome.
"We're still not pleased with the amount of goals we're scoring and how dangerous we are," said Onalfo. "We're going to still be tinkering with ways for us to score more goals in the run of play."
The Wizards recent home wins against Real Salt Lake and the New York Red Bulls and road draws against FC Dallas and Toronto FC and the subsequent move into a four-way tie for ninth in the overall MLS table from the basement are good signs, but they are not enough.
"Do we think we have a very solid nucleus of players here that can get the job done? Absolutely, 100 percent. But we also realize that there is a lot of hard work to be done for us to really get into the thick of things," said Vermes. "The recent points have brought us a lot closer to the mix of teams that are right there, so it gives us a fighting chance and gives us a little bit of confidence."
The international transfer window closes Aug. 15, yet MLS teams have until Sept. 16 to make roster moves within the league. Keep an eye on the Wizards -- moves on the field and off might be prominent in their future.
"We're happy with moving forward in the standings, but we want to be even better here," said Onalfo.
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