So, farewell then Floyd Franks. Having just shot my bolt this morning on the waiving of Michael Boxall, we learn this afternoon that Martin Rennie's long-time companion with the Carolina Railhawks has taken the pipe.
The 28-year-old Franks was getting his second crack at Major League Soccer with the Vancouver Whitecaps. A hard-nosed, foul-prone two-way midfielder who could be used out wide or in the middle, Franks mustered a total of nine minutes in two MLS appearances plus 90 more in the Voyageurs Cup. A regular with Rennie in the Railhawks days, Franks apparently didn't appeal to his old boss at the MLS level.
I'd have thought that Franks, a decent defensive player, might have had a role to play as a substitute. But Jordan Harvey has been the go-to midfielder to hold a lead (and done a decent job at it). Moreover, with the exceptional play from Jun Marques Davidson, John Thorrington and Gershon Koffie this year, Franks's value to the squad certainly dipped. He brought some useful skills (good on corners, grit which no other Whitecaps midfielder but Koffie could match) but he was a limited technical and athletic player.
The departure of Franks gives the Whitecaps two free spots on their MLS roster.