Toffeemen in Town; Mastroeni to Impress?

Everton have arrived in Colorado for this weekend's game against the Rapids. It will be an intriguing game, not least because of the many subplots emerging. Just as manager, David Moyes, appears on the verge of agreeing a GBP 60,000 a week contract -yes, that's right, he will be earning about four times as much in one week as Bouna Coundoul does in a whole year -Everton's CEO has resigned. Officially, it has nothing to do with the club's protracted negotations in moving to a new stadium, a move very unpopular with many fans because it will mean the team will play outside the boundaries of the city of Liverpool.
The bigger concern for the Everton players is that they don't have enough teammates. Everton's arrival in the Rocky Mountains comes after a 2-0 defeat to the Chicago Fire where they were forced to play three teenagers and only had five substitutes available at a time when nobody is anywhere near match fit. "We can’t hide the fact that we need new players at Everton," Moyes told evertonTV. "Everybody knows it, I know it, the players know it – we have to get five or six players in before the season starts." Such comments can only lead to speculation about Rapids' skipper, Pablo Mastroeni, who has openly stated a desire to play in Europe. Mastroeni, who is out of contract at the end of this MLS season, would fit in well with the Everton squad. He has the toughness and ethical standards that a tough Scot like Moyes will demand. He has the pedigree and the experience and could be a real mentor for some of the Everton youngsters emerging. I will try and pin him down for a comment tommorrow.
One other piece of interesting news is that Australian, Tim Cahill, has surprisingly joined the Everton team at their training in the US. It had previously been made clear that Cahill, recovering from surgery, would not make the US trip but his appearance could maybe lead to a surprise outing for the tough tackling midfielder in Colorado on Sunday. That would be a major treat for all soccer fans.