Ex-Whitecap Boxall the victim of pre-transfer window cost-cutting By Steven Sandor Posted on June 23, 2012 1 0 930 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter The period before the opening of the summer transfer window can be an exciting one for fans and clubs: Talk of new additions, teams making tweaks and, in the case of the Vancouver Whitecaps and the Montreal Impact, already-signed Designated Players Barry Robson and Marco Di Vaio become eligible for selection. But, for players on the fringes of teams, this is nail-biting time, as this is the time clubs may need to make salary and roster room to fit in new additions. And, Michael Boxall became a victim of the numbers game Friday, as he was waived by the Vancouver Whitecaps. According to the MLS Players’ Union, Boxall’s salary was just a hair over US$44,000, but every little bit help on a team that carries Eric Hassli, Barry Robson and some awfully large non-DP salaries in the forms of Camilo, Jay DeMerit and Davide Chiumiento. Michael Boxall With the emergence of Martin Bonjour as Jay DeMerit’s central defensive partner, there has been no room at the inn for the New Zealander, who in 2011 started in central defence for the club’s MLS-launching 4-2 home win over Toronto FC. He played in 19 MLS matches last season, none this year. Boxall was left unprotected in the 2012 Expansion Draft, but the Impact didn’t bite. The New Zealander was the first pick of the 2011 Supplemental Draft. He was expected to go in the SuperDraft, but his stock slipped after the combine and the Whitecaps felt at the time that they got a steal. Boxall played in all three of New Zealand’s group stage matches at the 2007 U-20 World Cup held here in Canada.
