When eight-year veteran defender Nick Garcia walked into Peter Vermes' office Tuesday morning, he had "no idea of what was going on." The Kansas City Wizards technical director soon broke the news that Garcia had been traded to the expansion San Jose Earthquakes for the top overall pick in Friday's MLS SuperDraft.
"[My reaction was] more shock and awe than anything else. I wasn't upset. I wasn't happy, just an emptiness feeling," said the 28-year-old, who had been with the Wizards for his entire MLS career.
As recently as Sept. 11, Garcia had said "I envision myself, hopefully, being here for the rest of my career." But now the club's all-time leader in games started and games and minutes played has to deal with moving away from a city that embraced him as an advocate for the community and as a man about town.
"Change is hard to embrace ... it's no different for me and my [wife MeLinda]," said Garcia. "It's something that we have to deal with. We need to take the positives and do something with them."
The decision to trade Garcia, Vermes' teammate on the backline when the Wizards won MLS Cup 2000 in Garcia's rookie season, was not easy for Vermes.
"I personally did this with a heavy heart ... I have the utmost respect for him. I think he's a competitor, a winner, and all those things. But to get something, you have to give something away," said Vermes.
"The nature of the league is not set up to keep guys forever because of the salary cap and the amount of expansion that is going on," he continued. "There are just so many things that are occurring that you have to plan for the future. This was not an easy decision for this organization."
The week of the MLS Player Combine that culminates in the SuperDraft is always one filled with talks of trades between coaches, general managers and technical directors. This deal was unique though.
"We weren't actively trying to move Nick," said Vermes, who was traded twice in his MLS career. "The opportunity presented itself. [San Jose] kept pushing hard for Nick, and we were talking about maybe some other guys. They kept pushing hard for Nick. It just came down the fact that it was that or not much else."
In Garcia, San Jose gets a player who was taken second overall in the 2000 SuperDraft, the experience of a player who won that MLS Cup, and one of top man-markers in the league. Garcia is excited to play under Earthquakes coach Frank Yallop and to help what he considers an atypical expansion outfit.
"I haven't had any experience with Frank before. I know I've heard nothing but great things about him from guys who played for him," said Garcia. "He is a total player's coach, and I think he will be a great asset for me and for San Jose to help us get back to San Jose's glory days of MLS Cup."
Before the first incarnation of the club moved to Houston previous to the 2006 season, the Quakes won MLS Cup in 2001 and 2003 under Yallop's guidance.
"This is not a typical expansion scenario because you have a team that has been around before, you have coach who has [vast] experience. I see it as a team that is being built with veteran leadership and veteran players who have the experience to start off right of the bat," Garcia said, referring to players like Ryan Cochrane and goalkeeper Joe Cannon.
Although the immediate future is perhaps somewhat unclear for Garcia, at least one thing is for sure: When he steps onto the field in Kansas City wearing the Quakes blue, black and white, he will still be adored by the Kansas City fans.
"To the fans: Thanks for memories. Thanks for the time. I will be back to Kansas City at some point in my life. I see Kansas City as a place for me to be with a family," he said. "Regardless of how long I'm out in San Jose ... Kansas City does hold a special place in my heart."
Bob Rusert is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
