I am happy for Badji. He deserves success in his career and he is now at a team where his hard word will pay off.
Exactly. That was point I was trying to convey earlier. That’s the head scratcher for me. It’s almost like FCD is getting two players now that Badji will count as domestic player.
Was interested to learn more about Badji, so came to this forum and found this. If interested here's some Acosta insight. Kellyn is a 1st Gen HG from the FCD Academy. This time last year the club was using a hashtag called #TheYearofKellyn as he was bossing midfields, dropping in free kicks and generally living up to a new level of hype. Then he left to go play with the USMNT in the Gold Cup - and it all evaporated. It happened to Matt Hedges too, but he pulled out of the poor form. Kellyn did not. He also suffered a injury that required surgery just before the start of this season and at the same time Pareja wound up and let loose Jacori Hayes (a 2017 draft pick) who just blew everyone away with a long run performance. While we were told they were slowly bringing Kellyn back, in reality he wasn't outplaying Hayes, Gruezo or Ulloa in practice. When he finally received some starts he was underwhelming. Ask a Dallas fan the last time they remember Kellyn playing at the level that had him rumored to be on move to Europe for $10MM or the "the box2box mid of the USMNT future". When he's in form, Kellyn is a fantastic box2box mid, a ball winner, great passer, set piece taker and a guy who should be plying his trade overseas. But he hasn't been that in over a year now. Why? The USMNT funk stuck to him. He was openly telling people last summer he wanted to go to Europe and for whatever reason it didn't happen and he seemed to sulk about it. Additionally, there has been plenty of gossip about off the field matters that won't go away (family/relationship stuff) and all of it has created a guy who is the soccer player version of that teenager who the parents look at each other one day and say "who is that person?" When Dallas went to New Jersey Kellyn was pulled at halftime and went straight to the locker room and bypassed the bench. That is when it all came to an end. (there was a sequence on RedBull's first goal where Kellyn gets out played by Adams for a ball at the top of the box and he just stops playing as Adams runs away and gets an assist. When I watched it I became visibly angry) Lastly, this didn't happen unless Kellyn agreed to it or asked for it. Hunts don't operate in that manner and are player friendly in that way (re: Diaz). His deal is up at the end of the season and it's been assumed he was going overseas. But, while the package of stuff Dallas got in return for him, it's not the $10mm value everyone had been expecting 12 months ago - and that speaks to how the market currently sees Acosta. My opinion is Dallas got the better of this deal, but on a personal level I worry about him going to a team not known for fostering young midfield talent (another Dallas youth, Powers, comes to mind). But if Kellyn can get away from the things that are haunting him and get his 'head right with ball' - you've got yourself a fantastic baller. Would love some local insight to Badji, who most of us here in Dallas only know about because of that goal he scored on us.
IMO, there’s no secrets to Badji. What you see when he scores is what he is. An athletic speedy forward with decent instincts but he outthinks himself when given time. He’s an 8-10 goals a season guy and I don’t see that changing.
I'm not the only one to notice this, then! Looks like a world-class finisher when it's a one touch but can't hit the broad side of a barn in a 1v1 situation. He seems like a good guy, and he'll continue to be a hard worker. Could be really effective if paired nicely with a complementary player.
Funny, the new "open" regime resorts to same tactics of the old: Bunker ball to reduce the L's, Bringing in a "name" (Acosta) they know there is no way on earth will be here next season, which they then can spin that they "tried" (both for this season and future when he goes elsewhere) real hard. All this makes you also wonder who the RFO thinks is part of their future, Barnes gets a start while our DP's continue to be subs, Badji is not the future. So we have maybe Castillo, Price, Ford, Sjoberg (who didn't seem to be at start of season) that RFO sees as players for the future? I see another major overhaul coming and then a Coach firing that will necessate another complete overhaul since few Mgrs play this 3 back formation. Will we ever have a decent product as long as KSE is at the controls?
Just FYI. Acosta’s deal includes an option for the league at the end of the season. So, it’s not totally he’s going to just cleanly walk away. Plus, he has to get an offer in Europe, something that hasn’t yet happened despite what you may have over wise heard.
I'd add, for people who don't know the background. He was a guy whose name first showed up during a SuperDraft combine because he finished very high in a number of combine tests (speed, agility, jumping, I think). I think he was a 4th round pick. He's pretty thin but surprisingly strong. Between his wiry build, the combine tests, and coming relatively soon after Deshorn Brown (who is superficially similar), I think people have always thought he was faster than he is. He is fast but not necessarily Mbappe-roast-the-entire-Argie-Defense fast. That said his value to the Rapids are that they love to try to kick and run and the rest of the strikers are pretty slow (Boli, Gashi). He has learned to fight for the ball on a Rapids team that for years could not hold possession, send numbers forward, or figure out any way to get service to forwards other than kick and run or long crosses. He's not a great hold up man but is surprisingly serviceable at holding off defenders. He seems a lot better at winning 50/50 (or worse odds) balls than say Boli, who has a lot more pro experience and is stronger. He has improved...he has seemed to put away more shots this season. Holdup play was something he learned. But on a good MLS team, no way he's your #1 striker.
Acosta is (or can be) very good, but this is another acquisition that feels like Smith is fumbling around in the dark just trying to grab onto something.
Several questions come to mind with the Acosta deal: • He'll be operating under the same contract he had in Dallas, correct? • Is he 100% physically? • Are the Rapids going to be giving anything else up besides Badji to get him? If he isn't going to play hard I doubt that he'll see the pitch much regardless of his talent. If he comes in with a motor and attitude like Barnes showed in his first Rapids match he'll most like be fine. As for Badji, he was a family favorite in my house. We'll miss him. I agree that he is unlikely to get a team much more than 10ish goals a season, but he does work hard and has drastically improved his hold up game.
I think it is because of our lack of confidence in Smith and Hudson. This is the kind of move a good FO and coaching staff would make. Badji was a draft lottery ticket--not powerball but a pretty decent scratch off ticket. Get some value for him before he starts making real striker money. Get a 22 year old quality midfielder with ambition and help rebuild his career while he helps rebuild your team. In the post-apocalyptic soccer hellhole that is the Smith/Hudson Rapids however, we see Badji as one of the few players who can outfight the zombie horde and score a goal here or there. Acosta was disgruntled before and now he's coming to a place where there's no society. How's he going to deal with it? We know Badji can survive in it.
Gotta say, the exact details make this a bit more favorable to us. I'm liking this move more but I'd feel better about it if I hear Acosta signs a new long-term deal (like through 2021 or something).
That's for sure! There is absolutely no confidence by posters here in the RFO when making any sort of move, thus everything they do is viewed with suspicion, even if on the surface it looks to be a good idea. Yes! It would make no sense to bring him in for only a few months and then see him sign somewhere else.
Ryan Madden most of known what I was asking above: To clarify, Acosta is under contract with the club for 2018, with club options for 2019 and 2020. So under club control for at least 2 1/2 seasons.— Ryan Madden (@Ry_Madden) July 23, 2018
Perhaps the second half at RSL went to Smith and Hudson's heads and they really believe that the team is one or two players away from being a contender. Or maybe there's a deal already set up with a European club to unload Acosta for a big wad of cash. In any event, it seems like the Rapids, a team not exactly loaded with talent, has traded one of their few good players for a guy who wants to play in Europe. And they've also given away one of the top one or two picks for next year's draft and an international slot. That's going to make it even harder to add talent to a club that's in desperate need of quality players.
The reality is that we're a bad team, and you need to be willing to rock the boat to improve. This is a good example of that. Badji is a good player and has improved every year, but we tend to play kick-and-run soccer when he's on due to a combination of his speed and the fact we lack a playmaker to dictate the midfield. Acosta is a good pickup and should help create a much better link between the defense and the attack. We still need a talented striker, but I'm guessing thats the next step in the plan.
I think this trade could be fantastic. We get 2 1st round picks for next year. A 22 year old American International. Yes we lose a great striker....time for Boli to show his worth. Hopefully Acosta will create more chances for him. I fully expect a DP striker in the off season
No, we swap our first round pick with Dallas next year and get their 2nd round pick. so a lower 1st round pick than we would of had and 2 second round picks.
Ah ok. I guess the point i am making is for me is that overall i think the long term aspects of this trade look really good. The spine of our team is young and can grow together. Barnes looks potentially very good. Its all about seeing more from Boli now.
I actually think we got a good deal on Acosta. I think this is one of those situations where it was a mutually beneficial. You get a speedy guy that can take on defenders. Very athletic. His technical skills are okay, but he's done a good job of improving on that every year he's been here. He can strike with both feet. You'll get frustrated when we blasts a lot of shots into the 20th row, but when he hits them right, he can produce some pretty special goals. Acosta will help us bring more stability in the midfield and improve our linking play. He's an upgrade even if he's not at 100% (which tells you how terrible our midfield is outside of Jack Price). It's a good pickup for us that comes with a lot of potential upside, more so than Badji. As for Powers, him failing wasn't the Rapids fault. There was plenty of "fostering" going on which him and he was the core part of the team. I loved the guy, but he ultimately plateaued and didn't make the most of the opportunities given to him.
Concerning draft picks, these days how important are they? I think the key questions about the Acosta trade are: • Is he going to work hard (even if that means a transfer to a European club in the future)? • What role does he fit for the Rapids? Is he going to help improve the link from the back line to the forwards? • What's the next move for the Rapids? Are they looking for another striker now or in the next window?
Also, Acosta will be participating in today’s open training session... so come out!— Ryan Madden (@Ry_Madden) July 23, 2018