Didn't Le Toux score like 10 goals in the second half of that season and lead us to our first playoff appearence? Didn't he then score our first playoff goal against Houston? What a flop.
How could Ruiz possibly hear these racial slurs and jeering when his ears were constantly pressed against the grass?
While that is some funny stuff I was actually surprised that he didn't flop as much as I was led to expect with the comments about him when he signed. He did some flopping here and there but it wasn't that bad. Now him being offside a lot is a different story........
I also think it's funny how we criticize the refs/linesmen for being so poor, yet everytime Ruiz was called offside it was because he was slow and lazy...
It seemed that LeToux and Jack Mac were/are offside just as often, if not more then Ruiz was. So the question is who's at fault: the striker for mistiming his run, or our inept midfield for not passing the ball quick enough?
A little from column A and a little from column B. With better passing into the final third, I would've loved to have seen what Ruiz could've done.
I think with Ruiz a lot of his were timing with the midfield as it takes some practice to get a players timing down right. I only really mentioned offsides and Ruiz because of one bad game where he got called a bunch of times. Some his fault, some the passer and some the ref just missed (on the ref side they do make bad calls throughout MLS with offside - see Eddie Johnson). Le Toux had the chemistry but would get caught mis-timing his runs sometimes. As to the refs I sometimes wonder if they know that it is from when the ball is kicked to determine if you are off or not. they seem to think that it is when the ball passes the defender.
Please, please no Ruiz plain and simple. It didn't work well last time and it won't work this time. JacMac is our poacher style forward for the future, we don't need another. People seem to forget Ruiz was a lazy basterd and only worked when there was a cheap and easy goal scoring opportunity. And who really liked his playing style, diver, chippy, lazy - no thanks. This just seems hasty and reeks of a lack of creativity in finding new players. Pass on this idea and keep on looking - this isn't a good move. Has to be better (and still realistic) ideas our there. Hopefully this rumor has no legs. This doesn't feel like Hacks line of thinking in the short time we've known him as head coach.
I do not think MLS ARs are a problem at all. Most are quite good and it's an insanely difficult job. The Eddie Johnson decision was one were the AR was screened from the second to last defender by Johnson. Really tough play. I saw games live in England, Germany, Denmark, and Mexico and aside from the English, all the ARs were poor compared to what we see. Ruiz was offsite a lot because that's how he lines up. Lots of strikers do that.
Some Union-related defender tidbits: http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/artic...-exports-orozco-fiscal-san-luis-transfer-list San Luis puts Michael Orozco Fiscal on its transfer list - MOF says that he would consider a return to MLS under the right circumstances (i.e. no bung payment to Nowak). http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/?id=4514708 Former Union Jamaican LB trialist, Lance Laing signs with Edmonton (NASL).
Ok, let me see if I got this straight. Our team at the time (and now) was made up of a majority of non-white players from various countries and backgrounds. Our fans (a good majority in your mind and Nowak's for that matter), in unison selectively pick out one of those non-white players, racial abused said player (while at the same time throwing their support behind all the other players) to the point where he opts to leave the team to go a lesser division for more money while never giving an interview stating this single fact about his departure, but instead felt it was better to leave it to be voiced by a coach who single-handily destroyed our team and actually put his players in harm's way through his tactics and training, while being fired later for these actions along with other decisions; is all because the Philadelphia Union fans are racist (which you have clear cut evidence to prove this based on your personally experience of observing 3-4 a**holes acting like a**holes), Le Toux loving, ignorant fans that just should have just stayed quiet while Nowak was destroying our team! Yeah, you're right, it was the entire fan base that made him leave. I can make that same conclusion now from your rational ramble. Furthermore, I will repeat that bringing in Ruiz is a good move if and only if the money is right. Same goes to our lover-boy Le Toux, or anyone else our FO wants to bring in. In a capped league, how much you pay someone is almost as important as who you are paying that money to. But then again, its more fun to make the assumption that 18k people are racist and ignorant on any giving night because of the actions of a handful of idiots. Nowak really like that game as well!
I personally would welcome him back. But i think that it was give the team such negative press and reopen old wounds that it wouldn't be worth it in the end.
I talked to a high ranking member of the MLS tonight (can't say who, sorry). I couldn't get the details out of him but he told me "The Union are in for a big offseason, some exciting stuff is on the table. I can't tell you who or what, but I think you'll like it." This is very intriguing. I'm sorry I couldn't get more info, but let's hope he's right.
It is deja vu all over again. http://www.brotherlygame.com/2012/7...up-by-peter-nowak-saga-philadelphia-union-mls Now Sakiewicz has begun to search around for ways to continue to pull the Union out of their early season troubles and may soon put together "major moves" according to the source. "Signings are coming soon," the source said, but with some caution as to the validity of signings versus other types of transfer moves. "There is something in the works. It's kinda tight lipped right now. Philadelphia definitely won't move up the allocation order list again. "But Nick is working some serious, heading spinning wheeling-and-deaing moves," the source said. Those moves would be in addition to the acquisition of former Chicago Fire center back Bakary Soumare, who was a finalist for Major League Soccer Defender of the Year in 2008, before the Fire sold him to a French club in 2009. The moves during the season after this July report were the Cruz-Pajoy trade and the Perlaza release - not exactly serious wheeling and dealing. At least the off-season striker transfer rumors of Ruiz, Le Toux, Armani, Grafite, etc. have been more entertaining than watching some of the games of 4-2-3-1 this season with Carroll and Lahoud at DMs - Cruz at RM, M. Farfan at AM, Adu at LM - McInerney on an island as the lone striker ..... with the obligatory 60th minute sub of Hoppenot.
Saw this on PSP this morning The Union website has a piece on last weekend’s open tryout. One of the players who participated was Birnis Adames, the local player who won Sueño MLS 2011. Following that, Adames had spent time in Spain playing for the reserve teams of Atletico Madrid and Getafe. “I am back in the States and I am trying to play at least in a reserve league or some sort of academy situation. I am just here to play, I don’t want to stop. I know I have what it takes to be a professional, so I am glad there are tryouts like this for me to showcase my skills.” Why's he bothering? I thought he had a free pass to the Union's academy?
yeah, but this is a high ranking MLS source.....so it's kinda an upgrade from last year..........kinda.......
There is obviously more to what happened then what we have been told (which is next to nothing) Not that I'm trying to defend the FO here, but they said they were working on them not compleating them. I belive their were at least to aging Italian players that they were working to get at that time.
Exactly. Why is he 'auditioning' for the Union if he already had won a shot? It raises a lot of questions.