Man, I am so disappointed to lose Nagbe. Outside Josef Martinez, he was our most important player. 2020 is going to be a total rebuild... I hope FdB can at least get the right tools in place and we can contend again in 2021.
Losing Nagbe sucks, but if the man has his heart set on the move I say "Thank you for your contributions and I wish you well." In lieu of landing a like-for-like replacement it will be critical making sure other midfielders are adept at ball handling and staying in position. Nagbe covered up a lot of space left open when the likes of Remedi or Barco would chase the play, so it's either replace the man properly or do so via committee.
Doug Roberson has an article out that said Nagbe absolutely wanted to return to Ohio. Even Cincinnati was an acceptable destination, so the Porter connection seems to be secondary. Whoever would pony up the money would get him (and why Cinci didn't take the opportunity to take him is beyond me; they need all of the help they can get, and he'd be a hell of a piece to build around). Not a whole lot you can offer a player whose primary motivation is to return home. Wish nothing but the best for him, but absolutely hate to see him leave. Kinda wonder, depending on the formation used going forward, if Barco is the best replacement on the team for him. He does a pretty good job with the ball at his feet, and I still feel his best position is in the middle, not out wide. If his situation awareness increases (he seems to miss good passing opportunities at times) I think he'd be very good there. Just need to make sure you have a good defensive player behind him.
Does the Gressel camp not realize that the FO is waiting on the CBA? Does the FO not realize that they can tell Gressel they're waiting on the CBA?
I'd be shocked if Gressel isn't playing with the club next year at a salary he has earned. I also would not be surprised to see his contract inked before the league and union can come to a CBA. On another note, it will be interesting on Monday to see the allocation money that the Nagbe contract brings. Initial rumors were it sets an MLS record. What that means until the new CBA is beyond me.
Well he was gone one way or another, so glad we got big funny money Garber bucks from the deal. I thought it amusing while listening to the football jocks blaming FdB for running him out of town. I love 92.9 The Game because they actively promote the team and the sport, but listening to Randy McMichael try to explain a faux #9 always makes me laugh.
So, today we all assumed we'd be settling in to watch the Stripes, be it at home or in LA. Alas, at home we all sit. So who's watching and what result do you favor? Since I bear no ill will toward either side I'll be watching to support MLS in general, hoping it will be a fine display for the league. (What else am gonna do? Watch the Falcons?!) So for today I'm gonna root for the eastern team in hopes this can build into a fair rivalry among conference powers. Sure, I'll go with that.
I dozed off in the first half. The last thing I recall is Taylor Twellman droning on about Seattle not scoring against in an MLS final for 210 plus minutes. 45 minutes later I wake up and they still haven't scored.
Toronto have dominated this match, but now you can sense their desperation as they bring on a hobbled Jose Altidore. What goes around comes around.
Sport can be a fickle mistress sometimes. TFC seemingly fighting the ref, too, who has been hesitant to draw cards.
Welp, couldn't help but watch that thinking "What might have been?" Hopefully the lads were watching and use that to inspire the Stripes' campaign next year. Last season one match away from best regular season ever, this year in touching distance of a Treble. Atlanta isn't a superclub yet but so far they're putting themselves in position to become one. Can't really complain about that.
Yes, I read that TFC were furious in that there apparently was a foul not called leading up to one of Seattle's goals.
Here's my best shot. TAM, just like GAM, is mainly used to lower a player's salary cap hit. However, while GAM can be used on any player, TAM can only be used to buy down the cap hit of a player making DP level money (up to $1 million a year). Think Tito the last couple seasons. Since the deal also came with an international slot, my guess is we'll see an international player with a low DP style contract brought in, with the TAM used to buy it down to non-DP levels. This is why domestic players aren't a big fan of TAM. It's not going to help Gressel, for instance, in getting a larger contract signed, unless the team planned on making him a DP level player (highly unlikely). MLS hands out much more TAM than GAM to teams. Interestingly enough, I saw an ESPN article that stated TAM might go away in the next CBA. Hope the team gets something in return if that happens.
Thanks for the info! What's domestic about Gressel, tho? I don't think he has a green card, and AFAIK he's not yet married ti his girl.