I have to stress that I am fine with Cooper and think he is a good player but it just seems like the economics will force RBNY's hand on this one. He is a solid MLS striker, for sure, but he is a very limited player. IMO he does one thing well and that is strike the ball. That is (of course) a very important skill for a player in his position. He just leaves a lot to be desired in the other areas. I like his work rate and he did seem to get better at using his physical frame as the season wore on. I am fine with him staying and I am fine with him leaving if RBNY does a good job of replacing him with solid options. I never saw anything from Le Toux to consider him a viable option going forward. He also did not mesh well with Henry which is somewhat surprising considering they're both French. No matter your opinion of #14 he is going to be a part of this team for the foreseeable future and you have to build a team with him in mind. I am warming to the Roxburgh hire. He should have a vast number of contacts across the world that will prove beneficial for player procurement. If RBNY does the right thing and hires a coach with MLS experience (or at least a working knowledge of the league) then I think this will be a nice re-structuring. I would be fine with Nicol being the guy.
Good post but I disagree on that part. I think Cooper has a really wide range of skills and I don't think he's limited at all. Here's some of the skills I think he's good at/has: -finishing -shooting, heading ability -Great size/Physical(at times) -Ok dribbling(does this too much for my liking) -Good control and deadly in the box(remember that pass to Dax against DC on the top of the box?) -Great work ethic and work rate -Good at penalties(although the playoff miss won't help his cause..) But the finance issues may be a problem.. I'm just worried if we use Henry/Cahill as strikers that we are going to struggle and we are going to miss a huge % of our goals from the previous year. Also, there's always that threat to injury for Henry and possibly Cahill at this point of their careers. If it's a decision between Pearce or Cooper since both are making similar contracts I don't know who'll be the more important player for us.
I have a problem with Copper, but right now is the best and only striker we have, Henry don't help in here, so that is the problem, because in while we have Henry, Copper will be having a poor production, remember that when Cooper got ahead in goals was when Henry was out in a DL, when Henry return he has a drought for six or seven games because Henry factor, and to keep him as a Sub is to expensive, but we have a worst areas on the team, a Center Back, a Left Wing, a Left Back and another Striker is very important to be addressed, like this will be feasible to have at the beginning of the year a team like this: Meara Robles, Vuolo Barklage............Pearce............Conde Borrajo, Ruthven* McCarty Lloyd..........Lindpere..........Lade Cahill Cooper..........Henry Hertzog* *)They are developers players I think that Arteaga 44K, Digao 90K, Holgersson 190K, Keel65K, Le Toux 169K, Miller 112K, Palsson 95K, are in they way out, So, we will need at least 5/7 Seniors players, to fill the first roster and the bench..... Now, we will only need few touches here and there, like I say, maybe a LW and of course to fill the reserve with good prospects locals and internationals 24 years and under.....We have like 8 spot for reserve open and we need to have it full with purpose of develop players for the future and use as a subs also....
He signed for Portsmouth in August and is now on loan at Shrewsbury in League One. Ya, less than zero is correct.
I think it will come down to one of the two. Which is a damn shame. I would LOVE to have them both. However, we can't upgrade at all the outside roles AND keep Rafa on the books AND keep both of Cooper and Pearce. Just no way to do that.
I prefer Pearce to Cooper. Coop is a great guy but the only thing he knows how to do is shoot. Granted that is an important skill, but as soon as he is in a situation where he has to dribble to create his own space inside the box, 95% of the time he loses possession of the ball. Also many times he is in a situation where he would do better to pass the ball to someone else in the area and instead of passing it he shoots the ball into the stands or he makes a wrong pass that gets intercepted. For a guy like Coop to work at 100% potential he needs service in the box and that requires a great through pass from a thinking midfield player. Unfortunately, we still don't have that elusive midfield maestro we have been looking for--the one that would set up the play in a majestic manner to the forwards. That is why Henry is our greatest striking asset--because he has the ability to create his own space and his own opportunities inside the area without midfield help.
I really hope it doesn't come down to a choice of Cooper and Pearce. I think we can find a way to keep them here and still get under the cap (particualrly if we get rid of Rafa but that's incredibly wishful thinking, I know). Also with people saying Conde might be done because of what happened with Hans, I don't think that may be the case seeing as Hans is gone and maybe new management will realize that Conde may be worth keeping. Hypothetical for everyone - since Conde has a pretty hefty salary as well, pick 2 of the three - Cooper, Conde, or Pearce.
If we are going by 2012 numbers then Conde is making less than half of Pearce's contract I believe. It's an easy decision then Cooper and Conde
To be honest I did not see much with Pearce. I was very excited when he joined us but he has performed below what I am used to seeing from him. Conde has been solid when he was playing and is a very hard worker. He gets back fast and really hustles. I also like his distribution of the ball. As for Cooper. No brainer. Keep him. He is worth it. Yes he needs to work on his play technically but a man who scores the amount of goals he scored should be an automatic choice to stay on. It would be a shame if he does not stay with us.
Pearce is the kind of guy who may not make highlight reel plays, but he's as reliable as a player that you'll find in MLS. I think he should be more confident distributing out of the back and he gives WAY too much space to attackers when defending 1v1, but he's otherwise a disciplined defender.
Thats his best quality. And I agree that he is good as you will get here in MLS but unless he can get back to his FC Dallas form I dont see much here. I remember in 2010 when people were calling for Pearce to be in the US World Cup squad.... it is now known why he was not. To be honest I think it was because of the shift in defense. We never really had a solid back 4 which we would automatically put out. We would always shift and take out players each game. So that may have put him off a little.
I guess the question comes down to whether or not "disciplined" is worth the price tag. I believe Chivas was paying part of his 2012 salary, we'll see what his cap hit is going into next year. The consistency is definitely a problem, but Backe's hand was really forced by constant injuries. Conde and Rafa couldn't stay on the field for more than 2 games, Barklage had two long stretches of absence, Pearce, Holgersson, and Miller also had small stretches where they were out. You look at KC's back line and they had the same four guys for almost the entire season, I don't think its a coincidence that they were one of the strongest defensive teams in the league. The guys we have are very talented by MLS standards, I think if we can keep the same four together and get regular pressure from the midfield (something sorely lacking during Backe's reign), we'll stop leaking goals.
i hope the galaxy and metro swap a couple players this offseason, you need a bit of our attack and we need to shore up our d, and we both have players that dont fit in with the clubs scheme.
Agreed. That was a problem last season. Every time the defense got a good run of games something would change and we would get back to leaking some goals. I think thats the cost we get for relying on a Conde who has a recent injury history and a very old (and quite shite) Rafa. The only defenders I saw on the pitch a lot were Miller, Lade (when played there) and Holgersson. Only 3 defenders had constant games. Compare this to say 2010 when Tim Ream played in all 30 games for us. Mike Petke was more reliable to be used than say Rafa Marquez in his last season. As was Keel in 2011.
I would disagree with you since RB was third in goals scored in the league, with LA being second. The defense was what held us back all year long. As for LA, you shouldn't have much to worry about seeing as they are on the verge of making another MLS Cup final and winning back to back titles. Bruce knows what he is doing.
I don't know if this was already mentioned, but Metrofanatic is reporting that Tyler Ruthven and Corey Hertzog will not be back next year. Goodbye Corey and Tyler--thanks to Backe we hardly got to know you....
I don't understand the moves. Ruthven was only making 33k and when he played well when he was on the field, much better than Marquez or Miller as defenders and yet they're still under contract. As for Hertzog he was a GA that wasn't on our cap. I think the best move would be to keep them around for the new manager and see if he likes them as players.. Atleast give them a chance. We should be getting rid of Miller and Marquez not getting rid of a player like Ruthven who is dirt cheap and has shown he can be reliable depth.
Metrofanatic says that the cuts are "to be announced shortly" so i guess that means they are not yet official--inside source i guess. Why would the team even consider such a move? It doesnt make sense. You dont give up on a first round draft pick so easily--Hertzog just led the Hammerheads to their league final and he is now brimming with confidence. Ruthven is a competent bencher that can come in during a pinch.