Yeah, but that's gotta be a bucket list item for almost any player.... Congrats to him, no matter the score. Heck, I'd have given almost anything to play one second for a pro team.... Had to settle for scoring two goals at Crew Stadium in one of those jersey auction deals.
Opoku should be playing. Haven't sighted Martinez in a while either. I will say what I said earlier: our wing olay is so dreadful we should play 352. If the wings are Afful & Valenzuela, we lose nothing offensively. And at least Mullins gets on the field. Of course, Abubakar has been terrible of late. Mensah, Sauro, Williams could work.
The fact that we play a 4-2-3-1 and none of us have any confidence in any of the guys that could play the 2 attacking wide positions at this stage of the season is damning.
In a side note to the Williams article, the Dispatch reported that Abubakar has gotten his green card.
Hopefully he gets he brain back now too. He's had a bit of a rough patch when it comes to decision making and positioning at the back lately.
I saw yesterday that Steffen was nominated for the goalkeeper of the year award, which is cool. And then I saw the early part of the article: "Columbus Crew SC Goalkeeper Zack Steffen has been nominated for the Allstate Goalkeeper of the Year award, alongside 20 fellow MLS goalkeepers." That just made me laugh. There are 23 teams, but 21 goalkeepers nominated for this award. I suspect Orlando City's goalkeeper is one of the missing two.
Did you play goalkeeper for an MLS team this year? Yes Did you start more than half your team's games? Yes You're nominated!
#CrewSC winger Mike Grella underwent successful knee surgery on Tuesday the club announced. He is expected to be out about four weeks. Surgery was done by Pete Edwards.— Patrick Murphy (@_Pat_Murphy) October 24, 2018 Grella likely out for the rest of the season.
After we win tomorrow and crash out of the playoffs, this offseason will be critical. Hopefully things become official and our new owner/s make some major moves. I want a aggressive Atlanta United approach
So, the question then becomes, whom to protect & whom not? Auto protect = 2. Crognale (HG), Opoku (GA). No brainers = 3. Steffen, Trapp, Zardes. Near locks = 3. Mensah (I), Afful, Valenzuela (I). Likely = 1. Artur (I). After that, it gets tricky pretty fast. Does Pipa play another year? Is Meram worth keeping? Abubakar? Sauro on a discount? What about handy vets like Williams, Jimenez, & Clark? Mullins? Sosa? Argudo? Do not see anyone beyond those 10 as even a potential keeper. Personally, I think we need an offensive makeover.
By my count, we now have: Only 6 international players; Mensah, Santos, Valenzuela, Artur, Sosa, Martinez. Green cards: Pipa, Afful, Sauro, Abubakar.
I disagree with Mensah. Not because he hasn't played great this year, but because I have a hard time seeing an expansion team picking up a CB who makes 800k a year. And if they do pick him, it is a position of the most depth we have. It's just Cincy jumping in for 2019, With their additions, I doubt they would take pipa for 1 year. I wouldn't protect him. I would also leave Santos and pray he gets taken. So, Trapp, Zardes, Steffen, Milton, Afful, Abubakar, J9, Niko, Mullins, Artur, Sosa
You're thinking along the same lines as I am. I protect: Steffen, Trapp, Meram (half sentimental, half because he has value), Valenzuela, Zardes, Sosa, and Argudo. Crognale and Opoku auto protect if I understand the rules. I'd dare a team to take Mensah, Santos or Pipa. Throw in your favorite of the un-protected guys to make up the numbers. It really doesn't matter. I've said before, in the past it's been easy to name the full list and have 2 guys you'd love to protect dangling in the wind. This year, i can barely find 6 guys I'd be glad to see back next year.
Any of our guys have No Trade clauses? I thought there was a rule in the past where they have to be auto protected.
Including Steffen on this list depends on what his future plans are. As one of our lower paid players, he is due a massive new contact or a trip back to Europe. If he wants to stay in the states we should meet whatever salary demands he might have for sure, and protect him. If he wants to go to Europe, don't waste a protection slot on him. Possibly the most important thing in this process though... Who gets to choose who to protect? An outgoing coach? An outgoing owner? A prospective owner that hasn't closed the deal yet?