The "Thoughts That Don't Require Their Own Thread" Thread VI

I don't think those last three spots should go to just anyone. But there are young guys out there that you could bring in on the cheap, train, and maybe build into players. The joke I'm making in the roster thread is that there are guys like Larentowicz and Wondolowski who were crap when they joined the league and now are among the top guys at their position. I'm not saying that if just grabbed Romena Bowie (as an example) that he's going to become Larentowicz, but if he has it in him and we don't, we missed an opportunity.

If we signed three guys at the league minimum today and managed to convince Paul Pogba to sign tomorrow, cutting a guy on a minimum deal is not anything to worry about. If the guy can't hack it and doesn't come back next year, we're out how much? 40k?

 

Also, and I forget what thread this is in, but the debate over Tom Brady and David Ortiz being the result of good scouting or luck, why can't the answer be both? Mix in a bit of the right situation.

Someone saw something in those guys to take a chance at them when others passed. And yes, I know Brady was the 199th pick. You don't take a guy at 46 (Pats first pick that year, Adrian Klemm) that will be there at 199 because you think he's a potential player, particularly when its a gamble, like Brady was at the time. That just isn't smart business (Tavon Wilson being the outlier here).

Add in to that the right spot. Bledsoe goes down, Brady goes in to the starting role with no expectations, no pressure, and what turned out to be a damn good defense and he's in a position to not lose games rather than win them.

Going back to my Larentowicz example, its the same idea. Someone in Revs land saw something in him that made them say, "Why not this guy?" Put a defensive mid out there after a year of development next to Shalrie Joseph and with Michael Parkhurst behind him and you have a good spot for a guy to come into his own. Joseph was such a disruptive force at the time that offenses were geared to stay away from him and Parkhurst read the game so well that he could see the mistake you were going to make in the 50th minute of a Saturday match, during a water break on the Tuesday before.

If Larentowicz never turned into anything, no one cares. But if you leave that spot open, we're missing even a chance at finding that guy.

 

Since the drafting by the Revs have come up. I decided to make a Google Document showing all the Revs drafts(Inaugural,College,Supplemental,Dispersal,Allocation,Super). All in one spot with notes about picks they didn't make that were traded.


https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ak0eFc-KDI1vdEl4d0ttYURXY2ZBZXpnUzVKWnp2WVE&usp=sharing

 

I do not disagree, but I wonder if some of what they saw was that he was a relatively local guy?

 

Then find another relatively local guy. Doesn't have to be Romena Bowie, he's just a name I was throwing out there. Look at BC, Brown, BU, Harvard, URI...hell, look at Berklee's intramural leagues, just look for someone who can, maybe, be someone some day.

 

They do every year. This year it was Omanga, It is not everyday that a blind dog can find a bone.

 

Great stuff. Thanks!

 

I must have missed where Omanga is still on the roster and developing as a player for the Revs. He's not what I'm talking about. Don't just give someone a chance for a month in training, keep the guy for a year and see what happens with him. I don't remember Larentowicz in camp, but based on the one minute he played as a rookie, there wasn't much there, but they gave him a chance. Trialing a guy isn't the same.

 

My point was that they pick local guys every year and roll the dice. Larentowicz was able to stick even without playing time and later things worked out. Most players have not been able to stick and make it work out. Others probably know better, but I bet some of Dorman's appeal originally was that he went to BU?

I understand what you are saying, but as I am sure you know, the Revs are not built that way. With no reserve league and no USL Pro team under their control it is very hard for them to develop players outside of the youth academy. I wish it was different.

Having a bunch of draft picks every year adds to the competition for spots with the guys who were drafted the previous year and made it through the season. This makes me think that the biggest competition for spots on the Revs is probably for the bottom of the roster spots between players with the smallest salary and least experience.

 

And looking at 02, you see how much the contraction of TB/Mia helped this team get to those 4 Cups.

 

Again, this isn't really about whether they should fill the spots or not. It's whether it's urgent that they do so now, instead of Burns' self-imposed date of May 7th (or whatever).

Yes, I absolutely agree. That's the point, that they haven't filled the 2 biggest needs coming into this season. The empty roster spots are just a distraction.

The comical thing is that you keep implying that anyone is suggesting that "trying" is good enough. I've never said that, yet you keep throwing that out there.

The point of bringing up "trying" in this context is that it shows that Burns is aware of the need to bring in a starting level dmid and striker (and has been since last season ended) and and has said he's going to do that.

The point has never been to say that "trying" is good enough, it's always been that the discussion shouldn't be about whether Burns should or shouldn't get those guys - he's already agreed that he needs to. The point is and has been that he hasn't gotten it done.

No doubt about that. But Ralston was the only one who had a lasting, major impact.

 

Daniel Hernandez and Matt Reis were both acquired in trades involving players that we had acquired through the dispersal draft.

 

And Twellman, Revs moved up in draft because MIA/TB went away

 

At the time, KC were pissed that Twellman went into the draft as they had tried to put a discovery claim on him when he was coming back to MLS. How different things would have been...

 

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/artic...ackworth-says-retooled-midfield-led-keon-dani
He does look like Shalrie at 25 yrs old, but I think with his size, speed and skills I 'd play him over Dorman and Caldwell everyday.

 

Cachet.

Cache.

Not the same.

 

Arizona United is essentially the club formerly known as Phoenix FC.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona_United_SC

 

Does anybody remember some time in the last 10 years when the Revs had a stated goal of regular season home attendance of 300,000? I know that they missed that year and that last year's total was around 250K (I think) and that figure represented a rise in attendance.

The year they had that goal, does anybody remember if they tried anything new to meet that goal? Did anything work and become the norm? I think that that figure is a great goal (maybe longer term), but I was wondering what people thought could be done, if anything, to achieve that goal in the future?

Given 17 home games, that is about 17,650 fans/game.

 

Yuengling back in MA. Got a case of it a mile over the border in Attleboro for $21.50 after tax and deposit. Easily the best beer for that price. Great for tailgates.

 

I remember distinctly the quote spoke of "soccer fans at Gillette", referring to Revs games + USMNT + friendly matches. If I'm not mistaken, it referred to the 2006 season.

 

My mistake. I thought it was for the regular season. Anyway, I did like that goal and was wondering what they did to try to achieve it. Sounds like they had some friendlies and national team matches.