Its not all about who is technically better than who, its about how they work in a system. Juan had a very similar skillset to Henry and liked to occupy the same areas of the field, so they made a very ineffective tandem. Rodgers and Cooper both compliment Henry, who I think anyone will agree is a far greater player than Agudelo, so they were always going to get the starting spots. Sometimes its just a shitty fit between the player and the team and there isn't much you can do about it.
Palsson, for example, is one player who saw more time early in the season, but when guys like Tainio went out injured, he was not very high on the list of subs.
In time, possibly. But he's a striker. He has a nose for goal. He just needs more playing time and there was no reason to give it to him here when we've been bagging goals left right and center for 2 seasons with Henry/Cooper/Rodgers. If Pearce craps his pants this trade is a bust, but I seriously doubt that is going to happen. Like 99% certain.
I just think Juan has a chance to be something special - and Pierce is a decent player, but not sure he's much more than that. I personally am more concerned about a midfield that has Ballouchy and Marquez playing heavy minutes, but I guess will see where we land after all the tinkering gets finished. Hopefully we'll eventually learn that continuity, chemistry, cohesion are important in MLS. Flash in the pan success is hard to come by.
In a 4-3-3? Sure maybe, but not in a 4-4-2, he doesn't put in any defensive effort, and I haven't seen an attacking 4-3-3 work in this league in the past few seasons. Colorado is trying it now, albeit with mediocre players, and they look awful. You're right, he does have the chance to be something special, but you have to know that the minute that he began to realize that potential (which is still very much just potential right now) he is going to run off to Europe asap. People act as if he would have become a world beater and then still stuck around for 3-4 years. For years now NY fans have been crying that Soler needs to go after "MLS-4-lifers", Americans that are in their mid-20's, on the brink of the national team, but aren't going abroad any time soon. He's done that and I think its the best way to create a team core that can carry over many seasons, and no matter how you slice it Agudelo doesn't fall into that group.
But this is also running on a lot of assumptions - that Agudelo is just going to bolt to Europe as soon as possible, before he gets established. If the goal is to win now, who is to say that Agudelo supersub doesn't make us better in the immediate and for the next few seasons? We shipped out DeRo for the same reason as Agudelo - doesn't work with Henry - but even Henry didn't agree with that rationalization.
Well for starters, the entire reason Juan requested to be transferred was because he was not happy being a supersub, especially not for another few seasons when he knows he could be starting at other teams. Soler said just today that they've been receiving overseas offers for Agudelo for the last two years and they've turned them all down because they had already put so much time and money into training him that they wanted him to stay. He also said Juan has been asking to be transferred for awhile, I can't imagine he's been suggesting that Soler tells Liverpool to screw off and that he would rather play for Chivas... There's a reason that there was a clause in the trade for RB to get a piece of his sale price, he and the league have every intention of selling him to Europe in the near future. As for the immediate future, we only have 1-2 months before we bring in extra attacking options to replace Juan, so its not like we'll be thin at striker all season, assuming of course we land someone worthwhile in the summer. And if Henry has another set back in the next few weeks, well the 4-5-1 with Cooper up top has been working just fine.
I personally don't put tons of stock into what Soler says right now - he wants to spin it in a way that makes it seem like it was best for Juan - whether it's best for the team remains to be seen. And while you're right, we aren't done with moves - I'm personally over counting on the next big move to save us - we need cohesion and continuity - guys that are used to playing together and know each others tendencies. We are now paper thin at forward and have issues in the midfield with Tainio out for an extended stretch and Marquez not giving a crap and Ballouchy still being allowed to trot around like it's a Sunday tennis match in the Hamptons completely allergic to anything resembling a tackle. And ultimately, if a talent like Agudelo is miserable, it returns us back to the thread title. Great coaches know how to manage personalities and keep people happy and motivated. Backe strikes me as a - my way or the high way - kind of coach - and with a player like Agudelo, who is starring for the youth National team and getting call ups to the full team - the coach needs to do a lot better keeping that player engaged. I read Jamison's post on Metrofanatic - maybe Agudelo has a sucky attitude and poor work ethic. But I think I'd be less skeptical of what Soler was saying if he stuck to what was best for the team in his explanations. I'll also say that Agudelo is the kind of player that I love to follow in MLS - and while I'm not Metz level outrage, can you really tell me that Backe knows how to bring in and develop youth players? A good coach knows that you need a balance of youthful energy and veteran leadership. I am really doubtful Backe is that good of a coach.
What more could Backe have done for Juan? He tried starting him up top with Henry, they made a terrible tandem. He tried to moving him out to the wing, and he only impressed in brief moments there. He gave Juan more minutes than almost any other of the league's best young players when they were his age, both as a starter and a sub. He tried to warn Juan when he started doing advertisements that he shouldn't let the hype go to his head, but we've both read the issues with his work ethic and sense of entitlement. In the end, Juan was never going to be happy as a sub, he didn't fit well into our system, and Hans was never going to change the system that best fit Henry to accommodate an 18 year old kid who wasn't willing to work hard in training. No amount of man management was going to change that. They spent years training him and trying to make it work, but in the end it didn't end up being a good fit for either the player or the team so they let him move on. These things happen sometimes and it doesn't necessarily have to be one person's fault or another's. I think the mismanagement of young talent issue is overblown, they develop talent just fine when they spot a player they think is worthwhile. They brought Ream and Agudelo along the last two seasons, and this year there is a whole slue of young American talent that is thriving under Backe so far. I think the real issue is that last year they didn't have any young talent they thought was worth developing, and judging by where most of those players are now I don't think you can make a decent argument against that.
iced1776 +1 While tactically I am not the biggest fan tactically of Backe I do give him credit this year for trying to field the best possible team whenever he can, if you fits his tactics (bearing Rafa). If Backe was against young players why is Meara our starter since day 1? Why has he come out and said Barklage might have made Right Back his own? Why was Tim Ream a starter from day 1?His stubbornness tactically has him value certain players (Rafa for his long balls) more than we (the fans) value them, but thats Backe. Backe isn't against young players if they play HIS way. So tactically I hate how stubborn he is sometimes, but people saying he hates playing young players couldn't be further from the truth imo.
I read a few tweets (one from Matt Kassel) that might indicate the Juan was unhappy at New York. And while I agree a coach should manage personalities, I don't think Juan could be happy being the third striker. And while I agree he has great potential, I also recognize he's not going to put either Cooper or Henry on the bench. Cooper has already done more in his short time here than Juan has, and Cooper started on the bench. Right now, I think Kenny Cooper is a better striker than Juan Agudelo, and if Juan can't be happy playing his role for the team, he's better off in LA.
Nor should he be happy but I don't think he should expect anything to be handed to him. And we have already heard rumors about his work ethic. I just wonder how all that is gonna change for him at Chivas. I hope that he fights through it and becomes a productive player on a consistent basis.
Cooper is a better striker than Juan right now. His experience and soccer smarts are light years ahead of Agudelo, and yet these attributes are CONSTANTLY under-rated and thrown under the bus cause some 18 year old kid can do a step over and a bicycle...and miss the target. Look Juan has something that Cooper doesn't. Something that can't be taught. However, Cooper has attributes that Juan doesn't have. Things that can be taught and learned. Agudelo is not going to learn and refine those skills for many years. Hell, Jozy is STILL working on them. I think Juan has the potential to be 10 times the striker Cooper is one day, but right now it's just that: Potential.
Exactly....Henry will be going soon, Agudelo have 14/15 years ahead of him, and like I say before, how about if we don't win a shit this year, what will happen the next 2/3 years when Henry, Lindpere, Pearce, Tainio, McCarty, Solli, Dane are going, what then...if we don't have the bunch of young players that we have been sending packing, ...WHAT THEN?....
Might as well start talking about selling Meara. Keeps playing like he is and he won't be here in a year or two.
What makes you think that McCarty (age 25), Pearce (age 27), Richards (age 28) won't be here in 2/3 years? Tainio, Henry, Lindpere, and Solli may be gone after three years, but you act as if its impossible to replace them with other players. We have a good core of young Americans right now that could easily still be in our starting lineup in 3 years - Cooper, McCarty, Pearce, Lade, Meara, Ruthven, Barklage... these are all players that could easily still be the core of our team then. You say Agudelo has 14/15 years ahead of him, and he does, but you do realize that the second that he began to realize his potential he is going to Europe right?
Before today, What possible thing was makes you think that we will saying goodbye to Agudelo?......Exactly, the same three thing of always, ..nothing...nothing and nothing.... Just the Wizard saying, yes I can.....