GB said on soccer speakeasy podcast that they would pickup the option on Meram but that does not mean he cant be sold. Id love to see Afful stay but I feel like he will be gone too. Martinez does not impress me at all and I still think Pipa has something to offer. To all of you who think Steve Clark needs to go I say you are crazy. Sure his feet make me nervous but he is easily one of the best shot stoppers in the league and many teams would take him over their current situation. I am not sold on Sauro but I do hope Naess stays. Other than that this roster is an open book ready for change and who knows maybe GB impresses with some signings this offseason.
Why do you think Afful will be gone? Sauro depends on health and what the staff knows and Believes about recovery. If healthy he is worth the salary and he should start. Parkhurst is the one that needs a pay cut or salary slash. Higauin is not worth DP money maybe 250-400k Otherwise you only keep him if you fail to landed a impact DP to take his starting spot
Have at it..... Would you rather: 1) Have our current roster and coach or 2) A clean slate like Atlanta
Not the point. By all accounts he is slotted at DM and he is much smaller than Trapp - who many think is a bit slight. If he were AM and lighting quick and highly technical, fine. But at DM, size does matter a bit more. I truly hope he is the next wiz kid, but if couldn't get PT in Pittsburgh, does he have a future in Pros? Why didn't he get PT? Was it a physical stature issue that technical/tactical abilities couldn't overcome?
Swanson went down with a season-ending injury back in July. http://www.columbuscrewsc.com/post/2016/07/29/crew-sc-places-ben-swanson-season-ending-injury-list
OK Fair enough, But he wasbn;t getting minutes prior to. So then what are our collective expectations for next year? Starter for USL affiliate, Bench for First Team, Just training in Columbus, Bench for USL, Not on Roster? Does he get YNT call ins - that might be indicator of his development?
Does it matter? Not everyone on the roster is expected to contribute, especially by Gregg. Even when the team performs like shit, he puts the same tired line-up out. Maybe it's because he had garbage depth, or maybe he's a stubborn mule. Do I really care if Swanson (who will be what-18/19) is anything more than an open cup player and hopefully USL affiliate starter? Not in the slightest. If he isn't coming from the bench the year after, maybe we jettison him like we did Speas. But he's hardly an issue compared to Cedrick, Parkhurst, Pipa, Casey, and Barson who are both much older and not earning their spots/wages.
Crew will probably have a better record than Atlanta next year. But having a big, enthusiastic fan base and a free spending billionaire owner committed to winning makes me think they might win MLS cup before CCSC does.
I wouldn't include Barson as he can't catch a break with Afful ahead of him. He's basically depth at this point, and the few times I have seen him play the last few years he seems to have been good, but then again I don't remember what I ate for lunch yesterday. But I also remember that Parkhurst has turned into total shit. Eboe
It matters because we are paying him to be a pro. If he isn't going to be a pro, that's money to spend elsewhere. Same goes for the others you listed. They all need to earn what they are being paid. Doesn't mean they need to be starter. If you're paid like a backup/depth player (Barson), then that's OK - We need some of those guys. But if you're paid like a starter, then you should start (Cedrick, Parkhurst, Pipa). Casey - well his time is up. Paid like a spot starter/sub and doesn't see the field - Bye bye! Will be interesting to see what does happen this offseason with the roster.
Adam Jahn turned out to be pretty productive for us. I think he's one of the few players that all of us here agree on.
He did, I'll even hold my hand up on that one. It did look like an MLS equivalent of a panic buy. Deadline day, exhausted any overseas options. Not a flashy move in the least. Gave up TAM (which, obviously we weren't going to use at the time, so why not?) to get him. I'm happy to eat crow on Jahn and hope he serves up more of it next season.
Of course! Now that I think about it, pretty sure it wasn't deadline day and we weren't yet futzing around with MacDonald, don't remember the exact series of events, but it was close enough for it to look at first glance like a move for the sake of making a move.