Sauro is 28 about to turn 29. Not really long in the tooth. Couple more years which doesn’t mean anything for this season Loaning Keita to a random USL team is risky. They have to play him or it’s pointless. How long till Crognale is tired of not playing on loan. He is bouncing around which isn’t good for his development.
Hang is gonna shit his pants... https://www.massivereport.com/2019/...ati-columbus-crew-for-rights-to-kekuta-manneh FCC trying to get Manneh rights from Columbus - Manneh is coming back to MLS.
Remember in 2013 when Chad Marshall was long in the tooth and his head injuries probably meant he was done?
Remember his concussion scare a season or two later? I'd hate to see Marshall end up with a severe head injury.
Degenerative disease that left him with minimal knee cartilage, thus a regeneration procedure that's highly variable in success. I believe his limited minutes last year says quite a bit.
I remember thinking at the time, I hope he retires, has great life and can remember his kids names. He is playing and he may pay a huge price for doing so. I certainly hope that isn't the case.
Manneh, a bit of a head case..varied greatly in his motivation on the pitch as I recall. Perfect for KFC FC.
I get it. Maybe. Me too. Yes. So would I. But he IS still playing and he was MLS Defender of the Year in 2014 and Best XI in 2014 and 2018. So, what did we learn? I actually don't know and that's probably my fault.
Abubakar and Crognale are both entering their 3rd season and are both 24 years old. We really ought to be deciding what they're future holds for the Crew this season. Its time to stop loaning out Alex and give him the opportunity to be the man. Lalas claimed the lions share of playing time, of the two of them...and that's fine but we need to see if Alex has a place here or not. At this point, Sauro is decent value for his ability but I think he could still be a tradable asset who a meh team like Colorado or Houston might take off our hands in exchange for a small amount of xAM. I highly doubt hell have much value on the world market. I could also see a team like Nashville taking someone like him. A player who's experienced, played in the league, actually good, but fairly cheap for a starting quality guy....and signing him to Nashville SC in USL....playing him sporadically to help them dominate the USL in their run up to their MLS debut. Sauros a guy that can help you begin to build your roster (similar to Adi at FCC?) Not saying that would happen...but it could be a viable way to offload Sauro that he would be cool with. I'd like to see Abubakar and Crognale both scrap for minutes next to Mensah this season. Mensah - automatic starter Sauro - sell, trade, or release Abubakar - compete with Alex to start Crognale - compete with Lalas to start Williams - can rest the others, play in Open Cup, friendlies, etc. Keita - loan to USL That's how I hope it goes down.
In the Hate ATX thread I said I guess that Brek Shea will be Austins first signing. I think Kekuta Manneh will be the second.
I suspect our new ownership might want to see us maximize the use of our academy products if at all possible just to reinforce their commitment to the academy and to preserve and add more local players for the cache they have with fans. That's why I still think Alex has time and why I also dont see them cutting Josh Williams anytime soon as long as he can perform serviceably. For me, it's about 50/50.... Sauro out or Abubakar out. I really can't see us carrying 6 center back for long. Now that I think about it, I think I would favor Abubakar being traded over Sauro. We should keep playing the veteran who still has good years ahead of him potentially and for cheap.....point taken. I'm sure multiple teams would trade for Abubakar for the right price.....which would be way more than Sauro would fetch. I wouldnt miss Williams personally....but I think hes got the whole long tenured Crew player and Ohio guy going for him. Itll be interesting to see how it all shakes out.
I think he is a good player but not a starter if he is happy to come of the bench for that salary then you cut josh Williams because our young guys Abubakar and Crognale have potential. Just as in GB system i think there will be a lot of pressure on CBs to 1v1 counter attacks which is why i prefer young fast and athletic CBs. Sauro has not shown much on set piece scoring so give me Josh and hope i get some money for Sauro . Or just keep all of them Incase we get some injuries
Despite the Crew's major winger issues, Manneh wasn't the fix in 2017 and hasn't found what he was looking for in Mexico or Switzerland so I doubt he's magically the fix now. He was unmotivated on the pitch and if his speed wasn't working, his game wasn't either. Now the Fusslads have a hole in their attacking midfield roster so he could fit there and maybe the playing time guarantee will get him to turn it on and develop a deeper game than speed. But I'm willing to take some garberbucks from FCC to let them figure it out.
One thing that doesn't get much attention is Bexbatchenko's administrative history. Specifically, he was the key force behind TFC's USL team - Bezbatchenko himself quite literally founded TFC II - and the directing of massive resources into the academy program, including the hiring of a French youth development expert to run it. He was a pioneer - literally - in stocking a team-operated USL team with Academy products, to the point that over the winter someone (here on BS) put together a list (which I can't find at the moment but since looking shit up isn't my thing it's not surprising), by team, of the number of academy graduates under contract. There were, IIRC, 61 total players across MLS (he only counted players currently under contract, not guys who left for overseas). Four teams accounted for around half of the players, and Toronto had more than anyone - the number 11 seems to stick with me but I won't swear to it. Point being it was far and away more than anyone else - the next team had, I think, 6. Bottom line, I think Bez was hired, in large part, to build out a similar system for Columbus. In fact, I don't think he would have agreed to come if he hadn't been promised that he could build the organization his own way. Put another way, why would you hire a successful executive and then not let him do what he knows works? Either way, I think it's clear this is precisely the kind of intelligent, forward thinking player system that Dee and Jimmy hired him to create. A team-operated (not just and affiliate where you can stash players) USL side is a critical component in this kind of deal, as other teams are showing. Otherwise, you spend a fortune finding and training a bunch of kids who end up either going off to college or signing elsewhere because you have no place to put them. (And that stupid, brainless model is why several teams are asking MLS to let them shutter their Academy programs. They're not willing to invest in a money-losing USL team, so there's no place for them to stash the kids when they turn 18. Meanwhile, other teams are frantically tossing money at these systems and pushing for the elimination of territorial recruiting boundaries and it's not hard to guess where Bez falls on that issue) So I think it's not a question of if, or even when, but rather "how soon can he pull it off?". I'm willing to bet a case of Kyle's finest that he'll have at least the outline for a team in place before the end of the year.
And this was a very big part of what Bez and Porter talked about last Thursday. They both stated that the Crew needs its own Crew II operation, and Bez noted that it could be done within a couple of years. Porter specifically stated that it was a missing link that would provide minutes to players with the first team that they'd need to stay match ready; to younger players the club was developing; to academy players who need to be playing 'against men.' And he noted that it also gave fans an opportunity to see the club's future. They were in lock step on this. It was an obvious priority.
I missed that.Thanks. At this point, the interesting thing to speculate on is where said team might play. There are three distinct possibilities: 1) Columbus - MAPFRE is free, the training facilities and coaching are right there and it cuts transportation time back and forth to zero. Synergy with existing systems. 2) Cleveland - huge market, possible to use some Browns facilities, would need to find a venue, but allows the possibility of drumming up local sponsors - and fans - without cannibalizing your existing market. 3) The Field - Toledo seems obvious. I think the Mud Hens do pretty well. Detroit has an NASL side, but that's probably not a problem. Another virin market that a smart marketing program might be able to capitalize on. Otherwise, you've got places like Sandusky, Youngstown, Canton has a soccer history. Overall, working in Columbus and playing in MAPFRE cuts enough expenses that it's got to be the frontrunner.
Personally I would take Keita over Crognale right now. Even still we have more than enough CB’s not sure we really need another one. The only way this guy from South Africa makes sense is as a CM.