News: DC United 2014 - News, Speculation, and links

-5 GD is better than -10...

 

False. It took me about 5 seconds to find similar information online using Google.

 

Thats 3 months from now. Rolfe is also a know quantity that can and has performed in this league. Add in another month or so for a foreign signing to adjust to the league and the team and the difference is much smaller. Also factor in that his salary is still being paid by Chicago and even though we sent some allocation money for him it probably wasn't the full $225k. Probably less than half. In his few games with us he has already made a big impact so it was a good signing.

Do you really trust our scouting dept to be able to find a good foreign player and then the coaching staff to be able to implement them?

 

I agree with DC Warrior's post above mine that I would choose Rolfe now over an unknown midsummer quantity for the same reasons, but why not both? If we have cap space/allocation funds left, stop the bleeding now with Rolfe, invest again in the summer. We have been doing this for a while. De Rosario, Luis Silva, Franco Neill, Lucio Filimeno, Pablo Hernandez, Varela, Emilio 2.0 (not saying any of those guys worked out except DeRo and possibly Silva, but the moves were made in the second transfer window).

And yes, Rolfe could absolutely lead to a -5 net differential, and 6-9 points. And not getting anyone would then be a -10 differential, and 12-18 points, absolutely enough to keep us out of playoffs. Rolfe's 5 goals could keep us in the 5 seed, wheras without his 5 goals, we drop another 6-9 points and miss out again.

 

Rolfe is definitely a great acquisition. Right now he's playing like a starter, not a strategic sub. The main issue is his age and managing his minutes, but that can be solved between him, Neal and DeLeon. And the return of Silva provides more depth.

Yes, find the best available summer transfer that you can find under the radar, but with Rolfe we shouldn't have to do it in desperation.

 

I think it is a 'just make the playoffs this year' kind of team. For the jobs and also with respect to the season prior. This team has a long way to go before being a championship contender. They spent a lot of money just to get the team competitive this year, and next year isn't on the radar. Pontius' expected production isn't replaceable unless you spend a lot of money on his replacement and get rid of somebody else's salary. For what they paid, Rolfe as Pontius-lite is about the best deal they could swing. It won't be enough to make the playoffs, but it will be enough to keep the team relevant. Now, if they actually care about making the playoffs, they will know by summer that they need to get another player.

 

This is exactly the same thing people have said the last few years. At some point the 'just make the playoffs' strategy needs to be apparent in order to really stick.

 

I was talking about this year, it doesn't matter what some people said about years passed. This team is built to be competitive, with the playoffs as a goal. They've spent the money and turned over the team. Now, when it becomes apparent they still need help this summer, what will they do? If they sit on their hands, that tells me they didn't put any money away for that purpose, in which case they are foolish, or they have money but don't actually care about the playoffs.

I'm thinking the team has some money set aside and will get a player this summer. I also think this player will be a 'bargain' that no fan will get excited about. Rolfe level, is my expectation.

Injuries should never be an excuse for sucking up the world with terrible soccer. But it is a huge factor in winning and losing games. Take away most teams best player and they will struggle. NY has that super high payroll, but when Henry doesn't play they are mediocre. The only way to plan around losing Pontius is to get another player with the same production. That's an unfair expectation for a team in United's (self imposed cash strapped) position. To replace Pontius they would have to pay that player his paycheck. How?

 

Trade/sell Hamid. With Dykstra/Willis we're strong enough in goal to use what we get for a Pontius replacement (although I think we will be very glad we have Rolfe, whatever else happens).

 

Well, we're not aggressive, but we might possibly be calculating. As some of our high dollar elders start aging out of the program, they'll have to be replaced. Rolfe isn't a long term solution. If Pontius comes back strong, we'll look at our roster (possibly Rolfe) and decide to let one or more guys go when a real opportunity comes along. I think Rolfe is actually a good replacement for Pontius for a year or two. His strengths are different. We're trading a direct impact on the scoresheet for a positive impact in the smart play arena. We're not committing to a long term flyer on a higher profile player that isn't really available at a reasonable cost at this time. That is kinda different. Now, we build some of these youngsters into real assets in the meantime, and we'll have some leverage and freedom to be more selective. I'm actually OK with seeing where this kind of approach goes.

Of course, it'd be easier if the owners would just flash some cash.

 

What kind of club are we? The kind where all the focus is on getting our own stadium - and using the money from trades on bribing officials or paying local businessmen. And the kind where the principal owner is enamored of his other franchise.

This is the reality of professional sports. Little of it actually has little to do with the team on the field, or court or ice.

 

The reason the restriction is self imposed is that they chose to reward Pontius with a pricey long term deal, and now they can't out from under it. At the time they made the deal, no one would have batted an eyelash, it was the right move. I agree they need to move on from Pontius as soon as they can, but that won't be this year. He has no trade value.
Where I think we're on the same page is how they have already missed opportunities to acquire attackers like Pappa or possibly Rosales to pair with EJ. If necessary, I would subtract Arnaud and one of Parke/Boswell to have that player, but they didn't go that route.

 

I think all of this discussion of ambition hits on the crux of the matter -- what's our ambition?

IMHO we've set the bar too low, in part because we haven't defined the steps needed to get there. You can't just say "the team needs to be better". The question is how. What kind of style will get us better? How will we play and use our players well? How will we match up against the key competition? All of these seem unanswered even with some much better play in the last 3 weeks.

Not having come to good decisions on the specifics, we're stuck in an eddy that no amount of tinkering will fix. You want to sign a DP? Great. To do what? How? Just looking at how they've got EJ playing so far -- and what they seem to be hoping for Arnaud to do -- makes me think they don't have a clear sense either of the pieces they really need or how to manage the pieces. You know how successful teams will play -- speed, style, bunkering, whatever. And the consistent teams draft and coach to their styles. Grit simply is not a style.

Don't get me wrong. I liked the last 2 games a lot better than last year and I'm pleased with any improvement. But I don't get the sense that DCU yet has a coherent PLAN for anything from FO to publicity, from coaching and on-field strategy to the stadium.

Doesn't mean I love my team less. Just means we're 1-2 injuries -- to players or interns -- away from some pretty dismal outcomes.

 

And so is every other team in the league. I was just thinking today that NY without Cahill is not a playoff-calibre team. And NY without Cahill and Henry is a lock for Spoon winner.

 

True, but being 0-2-4 isn't that bad. Chicago similarly has a deceptive record (0-1-5). If DC is 1-2 injuries from not being able to beat or draw bottom teams in games of attrition where we're dogshit for 50-60 minutes (after losing to everyone else), then that's a bad situation to be in. If we lose Espindola, Kitchen or a winger we might be toast.

 

So you think DC isn't already toast?

You feeling OK, man?

 

I posted that big ass prediction thread where I said one pathway to the last playoff spot is what we did in 2012- beat bad teams. Right now we have luck on our side, whereas in 2013 we may not have and we're getting results against the basement dwellers. So are we totally boned? Not necessarily, it depends on how the Eastern Conference pans out this year. If the last playoff spot requires 47 or 43 points makes a huge difference and we're not getting a clear picture of things yet.

 

http://soccernewsday.com/usa/a/1779/q-a-getting-to-know-skc-s-new-signing-victor-munoz

in which Victor Munoz describes how good SKC is and how awful DC is. enjoy.