I don't think we've seenanything to assume puppo will start over nyarko.let alone be slotted as a lone forward.he may initially be ued as a sub for grazzini.not as a cam but to change into a later game attack formation with robayo playing more true cm. Frank has been quoted as saying well likey see robayo and pardo as the dual dm.don't know where this will leave pause.maybe with training camp he will fine tune his rb skills.
Well the little I have read about Puppo is that he is a poacher, so I doubt we will see his as attacking mid, if he don't start, then as first sub for Oduro then.
I stated he wouldn't play attacking mid.the formation would adjust with robayo playing more of a true cm.if we play a lone forwrd lineup its going to be oduro.he has the speed and strength to Break down MLS defenders.I don't think think puppo has the attributes to play that role.I could be wrong,right now its merely theory.well learn more the next few weeks from Florida training.
I think Oduro on the right with a striker up top might be better. It doesn't necessarily play to Oduro's striking strengths but it may help the team. His speed will spread the defense and open up space up top for others. His lack of crossing ability seems negated by his ability to turn the corner and create shots (and rebounds) from the wing.
Marosevic has been let go from TFC. Should the fire take a look, a local kid and he looked good when he got minutes. Still pretty young, could be a break out player.
I will throw out another name that I think people will gasp at...Jarju. OK, seriously...Jarju. Here is why, the guy is young and looked really good from what I saw during his Belgium days. He came to the worst team in the league mid-season and flopped. But to be fair, pretty much everyone flopped on that team. They were crap. Coming off a bad season could be a really good thing for us. If he is willing to take a pay of maybe 200k instead of a DP contract, then we should really consider him an option especially if Pappa is gone. Oduro also looks like a flop of a player, but really exceeded in the right situation. If you can get him at the right price, I think he is certainly worth the price. The question would be if he is willing to take a pay cut to stay in America.
I hear you, and it wouldn't be the end of the world. But I've grown tired of "taking a chance" on guys. We have had an endless parade of guys likePaolo Wanchope, Collins John and Nery Castillo who, "if they could just get in the right situation" could regain their lost magic and be a real steal. While I don't think we should stop doing this altogether, I am soooooooooo much happier these days signing guys like Pardo and Grazini and Robayo who were actually playing at a level we want them to play at when we sign them and not in some distant, youthful past.
Well I don't think you can lump all those guys together. I think John was making like 170k and Castillo was making like 2.3M. But I know what you are saying. MLS is a really tough league to transition to. Some guys can do it and some guys can't but if you only have 3M to spend, I think it is wise to roll the dice at least once a season if you can do it cheaply. There is not much difference between a playoff team and a non playoff team, sometimes it can be one guy.
I don't know. I really have a feeling that we have assembled a team that could really compete this year, and we did it by signing guys who are proven AND who were playing up to their high standards at the time we signed them. Puppo is something of a gamble simply because he was playing in a league that isn't at the same level as Mexico or Argentina, but who at least was playing very well. I think we still have cap room for the portion of a DP that would count against the cap, so we can still go out and sign a big time striker if Andrew will pull the trigger. Given the new Quaker money, I hope he does that. I like the team we have very much now. I don't want to take risks on redemption projects right now. I want to finish the puzzle to a championship. I don't disagree with you at all in principle, but for now, give me proven quality that is still playing at a high level. A couple of years ago, that was Blanco. We had a great team and he was the final piece. It nearly worked and I have no regrets about signing him. There are no guarantees but give us one more player like that as a DP (but more of a striker) and I think we are pretty set. Just a little more depth in the back. That's it.
Has anyone seen the trialist list yet? We have signed quite a few over the last couple years so im curious as to who is on it this year.
Offensively, we have had nothing but pacifists the last few years. Can anyone photoshop cdlc's face on the Quaker Oats old guy?
GK.- 1. Jonhson, 2. Nolly RB.- 3. Gargan, 4. Kinney CB.- 5. Gibbs, 6. Mikulic, 7. Anibaba, 8. KWS, 9. Berry, 26. Cuesta LB.- 10. Segares, 11. Pantazopoulos RM.- 12. Nyarko, 13. Pineda, CDM. - 14. Robayo, 15. Videria, 16. Pause, 17. Pardo CAM.- 18. Grazzini, 19. Bone, 20. Paladini LM.- 21. Pappa, ST.- 24. Barouch, 25. Gulley, 23. Oduro 22. Puppo Looks like Berry signed. Possible new signings: Kheli Dube Drafted: Luckymore Mkosana - FW Hunter Jumper - LB Evans Frimpong - FW Karl Woszczynski - GK Tony Walls - MF Justin Chavez - CB Rumors: In Out Cuesta (I need confirmation) http://www.chicago-fire.com/players Well we have 26 players with a max of 30 allowed. We have 7 internationals with a max of 8 allowed. (unless we trade for a spot) Banner was not resigned.
If Cuesta is out, that is disappointing. Considering his age and athleticism, he had some real potential.
At the risk of counting my chickens before they've hatched, I think we're one consistent striker away from a title-contending team. Even without such a striker, I think we're looking pretty solid right now. I'm excited for March!
I agree. He was inconsistent from game to game but that is to be expected with young, inexperienced players. I felt like there was a lot of upside to him once he gained more experience. I'd be more interested in developing Cuesta long term than I would be in Mikulic.
Considering their aversion to showing wealth, we probably wouldn't be able to use the money at all, except to remove the beer taps.
I agree, I think he's a very nice player. One thing I really liked about him was how often he would play his way out of situations where I was expecting a CB to just kick the ball out of play.
I think we should have given Josh Lambo a trial, if he doesn't sign for DC United, I think we should give him a shot. 1. he is a local guy (Chicago Magic) 2. out of contract so could be signed for a minimum 3. highly regarded as the best gk in his class when he played on the U17/U20 4. he signed with MLS way too early as a GK, and at Dallas he had to compete with Hartman, Seitz, and the Mexican U17 kid Sanchez. 5. He is only 21 (even younger than Johnson)
I don't recall ever repping Der Stich, but apparently I have, and must spread rep before I can do so again. Instead, I will give him a spore-friendly thumbs up
We need a solid CB replacement. Even if Cuesta is still on the team, who in their right mind expects Gibbs to last the season. Everybody is clamoring for a striker (which we do need) but the defense is in worst shape.