Revs off-season Part II

Anybody know what the arrangement is with Rochester? Was that a one year deal? I think the MLS requires an affiliation with a USL team, right? The Rams affiliation doesn't cover that base, does it?

 

No, I don't think it was just a one-year deal. Four teams had USL partners last year. Houston and Columbus jumped in this year, making it six. This article from yesterday still lists the Revs as one of the six, so I assume it continues this year.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/artic...ounce-affiliation-usl-pros-dayton-dutch-lions

I also read elsewhere (and posted it in the USL-Pro thread) that all MLS teams are expected to have a USL affiliate, or create their own USL team, by 2015.

 

That's pretty much the Revs motto, only "one area" generally means soccer.

 

While that is true, I am a bit more optimistic about Knighton. He is approaching the age where keepers start to enter their prime. Keepers are rarely quality starters anywhere in the world in their mid-20's. In fact, some guy named Matt Reis had failed to keep a starting job until he was about 28-29.

 

I would put our priorities in order at: 1. Striker 2. LB 3. Physical DM (what Cisse was supposed to be)

LB is one of the few places we could add straight-up speed to a relatively slow lineup.

The Crew just added speedy Waylon Francis as a LB (non-DP) from Costa Rica, for example.

The Rapids just brought on Marc Burch--the closest clone of Tierney in the league--as a BACKUP LB and LM. That's what Tierney should be--a backup in both positions.

Dorman may work out to fulfill priority #3 in the short term, so going after a DP striker and a faster, more defensively solid left back is not too much to ask for an offseason.

 

It's one opinion (from one of the top US soccer writers of this generation!) plus a few more here. And, re-affirmed with a 2nd ranking.

I'd still like to hear, if he sucks so obviously, why we don't give up more goals from the left side?

 

To be fair, I haven't the faintest idea who O'Brian Woodbine is

 

Do you know of a breakdown of where we allowed goals from? I'd be interested in seeing that. I know OPTA tracks that, but I haven't seen anything published.

 

Finland's finest? Sign me up!

 

He looks like a cheaper version of Kevin Alston.

 

Aren't we due for new kits this year?

 

Just the primary.

 

Portuguese striker Orlando Sa has 10 goals in 14 games. He plays in Cyprus for AEL Limassol. Hes also cheap, only 25 years old. Transfermarkt Profile: http://www.transfermarkt.com/en/orlando-sa/profil/spieler_64535.html

He has also played for FC Porto

 

$1M Euro (about $1.34M US) is cheap? You don't know the Revs very well...

 

10 goals in Cyprus hes the next ronaldo...

Not saying he couldnt be good but Cyprus isnt the hardest league in the world to score in, and for 1 mil its to much of a risk.

 

either way, i can't wait for the first peek at 'em!

 

Sa was brought in by Fulham and got 7 EPL appearances (scoring 1 goal) but couldn't break into the lineup fulltime and got released after one season. He also couldn't really catch on with Porto. According to his wiki he's only scored regularly in Cyrpus and Portugal's 3rd division (where former Rev Andrew Sousa also spent a season).

MLS is a weird beast though - on the Revs alone a guy from Regionalliga (Sene) has succeeded, but a guy who dominated the Danish League (Lekic) couldn't really hack it here. There's no telling how a player would perform in the league based on past history. Even elite imports like Cahill and Keane needed nearly a full season to adjust.

 

The statement almost answers itself--service.

Sene creates for himself off the dribble, Lekic finished fine on the rare occasions he was given service (I remember a great headed goal vs. KC), and so did Caraglio, who's now scoring in the Argentine league.

But the Revs are a different team now and I do think a finisher like Bieler would fit in nicely up top if we could pry him away from SKC, where he's clearly not "athletic" enough for them, despite the goals he scored before being benched.

Most of MLS won't buy into the concept, because for them forwards should spend all their time on lung-busting runs and on pressuring or hammering the opposing defense. But just imagine how many more goals DiVaio and Magee could've had with better strike partners. Freddy Montero, as well--he had to settle for Jaqua knockdowns.

I think the Revs are on the "right side of history" with the style they're playing, but the poor level of officiating and refusing to call obvious fouls (as we saw in MLS Cup) is holding the whole league back.

This is a time to make a mission statement and spend the damn money and get a pure finisher as a DP. We've got the approach play and the service now.

 

This is a key point that is often overlooked when a new SI signing doesn't do well the first year. MLS physicality and permissive Reffing take a lot of adjusting for players used to playing flowing soccer.

 

Well, I hope that's the track for Bengston to be successful, but I'm not willing to give up my pessimist card quite yet.

 

I agree with the entire post, except for the Lekic bit, which is a bit more complicated than described. It's not just that Lekic wouldn't play D or make runs, he wouldn't compete for balls in the air or on the ground, traits shared by Sene. (He had a much better first touch than Sene, but as stated, Sene has a wonderful way of getting off the occasional fast, accurate shot, even at a bad angle.) Until MLS changes, we need forwards who can mix it up.

I would be OK with Bieler, but Caraglio is more the prototype - young, strong, with an excellent first touch.

 

While we were busy shitting on Tierney, the same rankings put Goncalves first at left centerback and Caldwell fourth at defensive mid.

 

While we were all shitting on Tierney (read: throughout 2013): JoGo became an elite defender and Caldwell became the kind of role-player that is invisible for all the right reasons.