Our central defense sucks. Every game, we can count on it to make at least one deadly mistake. Be it a needless penalty, a missed tackle, a runner blowing by... Game after game, something bad happens.

That wasn't the case last year. Jamison Olave and S. Markus Holgersson formed an excellent partnership. The Swede stepped up to the play, and the Colombian swept behind. That worked to the tune of 11 shutouts.

The time it stopped working is when Olave missed time, or when Holgersson was moved to right back to accommodate midseason signing Ibrahim Sekagya. And here lies the first part of the problem. Sekagya is not very good. Oh sure, he will give you a solid 89 minutes, but that 90th... prepare for that deadly mistake. That playoff giveaway will forever stay fresh in our mind... and that was last year. This year, it has been calamity after calamity.

Not just from Sekagya; Olave's two other central partners, Armando and Matt Miazga, have not exactly succeeded. Miazga, at least, one can attribute to growing pains. There is more than enough potential there to see him as a long-term starter for this team. Armando, on the other hand? He's just a stupid haircut with an arm raised, claiming offside. There can't be offside on every play, Armando!

So why was Holgersson jettisoned? He was under contract, scheduled to make a more than manageable (for a player of his quality) $250,000. Apparently, Andy Roxburgh and Mike Petke wanted two physical central defenders, and the smooth-but-not-burly Holgersson did not make the mold. Sekagya ($219,000) and Armando ($130,000) did. To say that this was a waste of money is understatement.

Right now, somewhere in lovely Cyprus, our former vice captain is playing for Anorthosis Famagusta. It's never too late, Roxburgh and Petke! Burned bridges can be rebuilt, can't they?

We miss you, Markus Holgersson!