This past offseason? We needed a talent overhaul back in 2017. We know pretty damn well why we did not have one. My lord. I am still unsure why Gregg Berhalter is the coach of the national team unless perhaps he got it to shut the ******** up about the shitshow that went down in Columbus. You know hang can heckle me all he wants about my lack of discussion about the intricacies of how many forwards can dance on the tip of a needle, but I am not the least surprised about the state of the team. Just as I was not surprised back in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2011, 2016, etc., etc., I shall not take Sigi’s name in vain because he is a freaking legend.
Pipa's injury gives Porter apologists another excuse to have this season as we almost certainly continue to be a very terrible team. But it also provides an enormous opportunity for Porter.... The conventional wisdom was that this was, if not a lost season, a grace season. People chose to be happy that we have a team, and while pre-season expectations were cautiously optimistic expectations have fallen virtually every game since the first month of the season. What many suggested was Porter was gonna try to keep the band together for one more playoff run, and really start the rebuild next year. With the rash of injuries we have we now have a golden opportunity to accelerate that timeline. The rebuild should in earnest begin now. Porter's work for the rest of the season should be focused less on results and more on what he is able to get out of certain players this season. Do any of the younger players step up? Is he able to really mold Guzman into the team. (Accam is a strange case now since he's a rental, and we're sorta ********ed). How do any mid-season/summer acquisitions fit into the team. Can the regression of Trapp, Artur, and others be reversed. I'm less interested now in finishing seventh and sneaking into the playoffs than seeing if and how Porter can develop these players and make adjustments. It's been an abysmal first half of the season, and at times Porter has looked like a deer in headlights. But now, opportunity knocks. Is Caleb up for it?
You are correct. I should have edited out the whole deer in headlights line. My dearest apologies on the oversight.
If CB9K doesn't adjust now (and I mean more than just slotting Robinho into Pipa's spot) he never will.
Hey folks.. here's something good that will come out of this mess of a season... we just might get the #1 spot in the college draft! I mean that will surely be the cure to our ills right?
Definitely not the cure to our ills....but a high first round draft pick can turn out to be a big acquistion, a future star. And if they dont...no big deal, they were free anyway. I know most think the draft is a joke and definitely not the future of this league...but...free players are free players. Our academy isnt cranking out talent at a fast rate yet so I think the draft is still somewhat relevant (though decreasingly so)
Yessiree. All we have to do is trade something to Nashville or Miami and we'll have our pick of the college litter (excluding home growns). Then we'll go on a roll.
Maybe we can use some of that TAM BAMA GAM LAMA Garber buckaroos and just buy the whole damn draft. Surely there are 15-20 future MLS starters in the lot.
Now you're talking! An MLS starter is simply someone who starts MLS games, not necessarily a good soccer player. Now that we've defined ourselves down, our strategy can't fail!
Yes, thank you for pointing this out. I wasn't going to bother, but the fact is that we can lose every remaining game for the rest of the season - and we do seem to be working towards that very thing - and still do no better than the third pick.
Caleb Porter strikes me as the kind of guy who needs to make multiple trips to the supermarket because he accidentally picked up parsley instead of cilantro.
I'm gonna be kind. Tonight wasn't even Porter's fault. He did everything he could. He did his best. It's just that his best isn't good enough. Fire the ************************.
If you are ever in the position to eat crow on Porter, then please invite me to your dinner table. I will fly wherever for that experience. I can bring cilantro.
If it makes you feel better, I’m actually feeling slightly more confident in Porter now that he’s free from the albatross of Higuain.
I think that this is where we disagree. Porter's best, with the best available players of his choosing, is probably good enough. My complaint isn't that Porter is the wrong man for this job, it's that Porter hasn't adjusted for the challenges that this job has presented. Maybe it's my lack of soccer tactical knowledge or my inherent bias due to my profession but I will always believe that the ability to adjust/pivot/adapt tactically is the most important key to strategic success. So, I'd amend Hang's above statement as such: "It's just that his team isn't good enough."