Wow. I haven't seen him for a couple of years, so I'm sure he isn't quite what he used to be, but this could be perfect. He is also the same age as Nowak, Stoitchkov and Blanco when they came here.
Welcome to MLS. Until our league really matures, a revolving door is what you get (not that most teams in the world aren't like this as well. Go back and look at the starting lineups of teams in England 3 years ago and what they look like to start this season). It's pretty simple. Young players who improve and do well will want to move on to the highest levels (and dollars) they can get to. Older players are not coming here at 28 or 29 unless they have not made it at those top levels. So, you get a league of potentially really good young players, really good old players and then in the prime of their careers, you get a whole bunch of decent but unspectacular players. Nyarko and Oduro are not old. I simply said they are not young any more. 4 years ago, we all said, "if Nyarko could develop a shot and finish a little more, he will be awesome." He also would have been gone. When we played AC Milan in a friendly a couple of years ago, he showed great skill to the point you would think he could play with those guys or at least in the same league. He never did develop those finishing skills and so here he is. Donovan is an exception because he wanted to stay home AND got big dollars to do it. So, I agree with the concept of building long term, I just don't think there is such a thing in this league. To get a player to stay on your team for 6, 7, 10 years, you will get Logan Pause or CJ Brown. Don't get me wrong, there is nothing bad about that, but they are simply pieces to a puzzle and without great players around them, they don't make us better. A team like NY could use more of these types of players. We could use that one additional great player looking to win another title or two before hanging it up. I would rank our best teams as follows: 1. 2000 2. 1998 3. 2003 4. 2009 What do they have in common? 1, 2 and 4 were built around Stoitchkov, Nowak and Blanco. 2003 did not have that one dominant foreign player in the middle, but we did have Andy Williams and Chris Armas which was a really good pairing and we had our best forward tandem ever. So, we have a blueprint for success at this club. This year, Freidrich is our Kubick. Now who is our Nowak? I believe that adding Forlan or Riquelme would do the trick. You say there are busts. Of course there are. I'd rather take the shot now then load up with a bunch of never has beens like we did the last couple of years. Give me guys who have played at the very highest level of the sport and have that Michael Jordan-like drive to win. That has worked for us in the past and it can work right now.
Forlan is off the market. He signed yesterday with Internationale Porto Alegre. Huge failure by Petri and Leon.
That's exactly what I want to see out of ownership as well. I want to see that determination at all levels of the club, and I don't see it. Guillermo Rivera of Fire Confidential is reporting that not only did Diego Forlan sign for a team in Brasil, he signed for $2.4 million per year, less than Keane money.
My worry is that we are more likely to end up with the Wizards Michael Jordan rather than the Bulls Michael Jordan. Give me players that have played in lower leagues, have the desire to prove something, and a Michael Jordan like drive to win. Get them young, bring their ability up, and then, most likely, accept that they will go elsewhere. I'd rather have somebody from a lower profile or lower division league at 25 than I would somebody from EPL or Serie A at 35
1) There's just not a huge number of these players available. 2) When they get discovered they get purchased by the big teams in the big four leagues. Every once in a while you'll hit pay dirt with someone like Pappa, but more often than not you'll have Puppo.
I think Seattle has done well with Montero and Alvarez DC has Salihi Vancouver has Chara RSL has Saborio Not that I have faith in our scouting teams ability to identify talent at this point, but I think they are looking at the right kind of player. They just need to get better at identifying busts and booms
Hows that DP money doing for ya there hauptman... cough cough.. bullshit!!!! So happy I dont have season tickets...clap clap clap clap... so happy I dont have season tickets....ROFL...douche bag owner.. douche bag team...
There has to be a DP 1st. There isn't, or mostly isn't. We are being outbid by China and UAE and out history'd by Brazil and Argentina. Arne, Pardo, Grazzini and Puppo should be the exact spine we need. Injuries aside, Most results don't reflect what they should be accomplishing. Maybe it's not the superstar DP we need, maybe it's the coaching.
Well, I'm far removed from Chicago now, but if I were anywhere within reasonable driving distance, I would be a STH, and I would be there if the team was on its way to being 0-36-0. Its Fire till I Die, not Fire till the results don't go our way. Fair-weather fans are worse than no fans at all This is what I have been trying to say, to not much avail. I don' think we are short a superstar, I think we are short squad players, and a manager who doesn't mind rotating. We have almost no cover at fullback or forward. There has to be some league minimum back up quality players out there.
Good for you......I've been a season ticket from 1998-2010, I even stuck it out during 2004 season. The 2010 season was the last straw, I went to and watch ever game that year and I thought the best we could do is tie. Then 2011 started out just like 2010, I was was glad I didn't renew. Total waste of time and money and I put a alot of money and time into the team from 1998-2010. Just because we don't go to the games dosen't mean we are far weather fans. I've watching every game from 2011 to present, just because I'm not there doesn't mean I'm not a fan of the team. I've just not spending $2,000 dollars a year doing it.
Given the opportunity, LA would have gone after Forlan. Like I said before: our owner is definitely Hollywood's B-list. Even amongst MLS owners...
Man it must be tough to be a sellout to an owner who runs a mediocre budget conscious organization.. The Chicago Fire Firefan and I supported used to wallop teams when we had games like this at home. This owner is hurting the teams brand. Oh and for the record... I had a group of 65 people in section 102 of which about half havent been to a fire game in three years and let me tell you.. after that performance they wont be back anytime soon either... I spent more money in one game supporting this team than you do all season.. so settle down there sonny boy and let the big boys handle the discussions here.
Exactly... I have said time and time again.... This owner gets serious about putting a good product on the field that makes me want to come out all year.. I am going to be happily plunking down money for four of the the best seats in the house.
I understand where this is coming from but i don't completely agree. Being whatever level of fandom isn't really the issue. Putting a successful product on display is teetering between pleasing the hardcore fanbase and filling the stadium with old/new fans. See: lolHawks fans. Been living in this state for 14 years and never met a Hawks fan until a few years ago. Used to go to a dozen games a year too up until the whole death/redo BS. I'm not sure if id be more worried S8 dwindled to 20 Season Ticket holders or if the Club seats did. We'd be putting a value on the fan based on what you want to spend. If you try prying my $200 ticket out of my cold dead hands I'll punch you square in the goddamn face.