When Metro traded Amado Guevara for a Designated Player slot late last year, little did we know what kind of player that slot will be used to sign. So after David Beckham became exhibit #1, and no other teams made a move for a DP of their own, there was little argument when Bruce Arena used the slot to sign Claudio Reyna. US captain, EPL veteran, he's been through it all in Europe, and Metro would welcome his skill and leadership in the country and state he called home.

And then, other DPs started to trickle in. Our own Juan Pablo Angel. Cuauhtemoc Blanco. Denilson. All three, and obviously Beckham, have contributed on and off the field. Reyna? We're still waiting for his impact.

For his positive impact, that is. Now, Reyna plays in a position where positive impact is hard to quantify with numbers. Although some thought that he would be a Guevara replacement and the linchpin in offensive midfield, that has been hardly the case. Never a goalscoring threat or an assist machine, Reyna was rarely, or ever, an attacking midfielder for his teams; he was a link between the defense and that attacking midfielder. And this season? Goals? None. Assists? Just three; Reyna seems to be the master of the back pass. An attacking midfielder he is not.

And here lies the crux of the problem; it is an attacking midfielder that Metro needs. Guevara, for all the drama he brought off the field, was exactly that, and for three straight years, led Metro in both goals and assists. And for all our appreciation of Clint Mathis, he has never been at his best as an attacking midfielder, and his assist numbers this year (just two) speak for that. Sadly, right now Mathis is the best we've got at that position. But defensive midfielders we got plenty.

There is Dema Kovalenko, whose recent injuries showed just how much Metro needs him. There's Joe Vide, who has grown into the position in Dema's absence. There is even Seth Stammler, capable to fill in when called upon. So does this team need Reyna?

And here are some numbers which might confirm that theory. With Reyna on the field this year, Metro's goal difference is -7. Without him, it's +9, a remarkable difference. Compare that to Kovalenko, whose on-the-field number is +6. Vide is only -4. Stammler, in games he started in midfield, is +6.

There is also the theory out there that Metro will need Reyna down the stretch, that Metro will need Reyna to beat the good teams. Well, against the top four teams in the league right now (DC, New England, Houston, Chivas), New York is 2-6 with Reyna. Not exactly a confidence booster, considering it is one of those four teams that Metro will likely face in the playoffs.

And then there is the salary. Thankfully, since Reyna is a DP, only 400K of the 1.25 million RBNY is paying him counts against the cap. Sadly, since Reyna is a DP, those 400K count against the cap. And no, he is not the biggest waste of money on this team (hello, Marcus Schopp), but those 400K go far in hindering Metro's salary structure. And with Vide making just 12,900 -- dollars, not thousands, or 100 times less than Reyna, is the supposed drop of quality from Claudio to Joe worth those 387K in cap money?

Not to mention the other factors a DP is supposed to bring to the table. Beckham is Beckham, but both Blanco and Denilson have been injecting excitement into their team's fan bases. Angel has done the same, but he alone cannot lead an attendance spike in our disillusioned market. But at least the fans that go to games are excited to see Juan Palbo, our one true superstar. The same cannot be said about Reyna.

For Claudio Reyna is not a superstar. Claudio Reyna is an average player, past his prime, who should be judged on his current play, and not for his contributions to US Soccer. And so far -- and we will reserve our final judgment before the season is over -- it's not looking good. And if it doesn't end well, can Metro afford Reyna's bloated salary and indifferent play to drag the team down in 2008 and beyond?