If we only see Bendik as a starter in the Open cup or when we face Roma during a friendly, then this could be good business. If anyone starts Bendik in the regular season, then feel free to go full @hangthadj on them. I hate Bendik and think he is an overweight lout. Now he is our overweight lout.
Let me get this straight: we're condemning our new ownership and new head coach for a backup keeper signing, before the new ownership or coach have even officially been announced? On two separate threads, yet. Some of you guys need to make some serious New Years resolutions, or seek out professional help. What sad and miserable lives you must lead.
That's just standard operating procedure for hang: blow out or proportion anything erroneous or questionable, and ignore anything factual that contradicts his sky-is-falling narrative. It is, shall we say, a tiring schtick.
This gives me idea...Are there any pictures of Trapp's golazo that shows both Trapp and Bendik's failing dive for the shot? I'd love to get that signed by both parties at the season kickoff party.
How long is the gestation period before we are allowed to criticize bad signings? Is this shorter or longer than the waiting period we endure before criticizing the coach after a loss?
I meant for his rights. Salary, as you note, is something else. But I was talking about the cost of acquisition. That's pretty cheap. And Bill notes that we could have gotten him for "free". But there may have been other bidders. Let's face it, $50K is chump change--and was chump change even in MLS 1.0. It's the equivalent of the proverbial "used hockey net".
Ralph Branca thanks you.... (I actually saw this while at the Hall of Fame when Ashburn and Schmidt were inducted--Branca and Thompson were signing balls together at one of the venues).
8:30am and I've already learned my new thing for the day. Thanks KG, just going to relax the rest of the day while I wait for the big news!. It doesn't seem like Bendik would have that kind of humility though.
Bendik is fine as a backup/emergency starter. Pretty cheap. Has starting experience. Hang is just an idiot hipster who thinks crapping on everything makes him cool.
Honestly, I'd be ok with Bendik as starter for the second half of the season. He's pretty much your standard-issue American keeper. Great reflexes, good shot stopper, doesn't really command his box the way Steffan can (but then, who does?) Yes, he yells at his defenders all the time. He should, they're awful, I yell at them too. Even if the Haslems have money to throw around, they've still got to work within the league roster rules. If you're not burning a DP slot on your keeper, anything you pay them has to fit under the salary cap. If you get someone from overseas, you've got to use an international spot too. No matter how ambitious your ownership is, they're not signing champion's league caliber players at every position. Bendik's a perfectly serviceable MLS keeper, and presumably fairly cheap.
This is a reasoned post and I agree with it. Sadly, Bendyk is likely the best American keeper available. We're in a bit of a jam, hard to recruit a starting caliber keeper when you can only offer them half a season. Hard to justify paying them too. I really don't want $1M of our 2019 salary cap tied up in 3 or 4 goalkeepers. All that said, I don't have really high hopes for this season. We're hamstrung by our current DPs from making any high quality signings. We have 5 players (Mensah, Santos, Pipa, Meram and Valenzuela) over the max so have to pay 2 of them down before we can spend anything on an acquisition. We have about 8 or 9 MLS level starting players (and based on last season's performances 2 of our top paid players don't qualify for those 8 or 9 spots). I understand not wanting to start from scratch. It would kind of suck for the general relaunch of this franchise to stink up the place. As a die hard though, I'm about done with every player over the age of 26 on this team. We've seen what they can do and it's not good enough to win a trophy, no matter who coaches them (IMHO). I don't know that there is a way to dump Santos. I'd be more optimistic if there were. Cutting him and signing nearly anyone to the same salary could hardly be worse. Generally, I think we should be building for a championship in 2021. If any decision is made that doesn't fit that plan, I'm likely against it. I do understand that relaunching a brand and a "rebuilding year" may not go hand in hand. One thing I will say for Porter, he didn't seem to have a problem benching under-performing high paid players. We'll see how this season plays out. #OvercastBrigade.
We should be able to buy down Santos, and free up a DP right? I dont exactly see that happening though. I think we bring in Robinho (who I dont think will be expensive - I'm guessing 250k transfer and 150-200k salary...ballpark) to be an immediate threat to Meram and Santos...but they will get the first half of the season to produce. If it's looking bleak by summer....maybe we pull the trigger and get another DP winger. I just keep thinking.. without an impressive big name coach to show off and without a brand new stadium ready to go.....the new owners would want to debut with some kind of flashy something? Maybe not though
I've been lead to believe that we have a significant stockpile of MLS funny money. Santos would require about $350K of it to get below DP threshold. That's kind of a kick in the teeth. Throwing good money after bad. I suppose it's all a wash if we're doing so to sign another player at or above Santos' price point. Would we be the worst MLS team ever if we trotted out Afful Crognale Abubakar Valenzuela Hansen Artur Argudo Robinho Sosa Zardes Bring in a new right back and throw the kids out there and build to something by 2021.
MLS has an option whereby a team owner can purchase up to 2.8 mil of allocation money at his own expense. I expect Haslam will use that option. I have doubts Precourt exercised that option. We'll also have a good bit of allocation money after Steffen is sold. So I'm not worried about the budget, but about finding some better players.
That's very interesting. Since neither of our senior DPs make over $1.5M, they could both be bought down to below DP level. I had considered the possibility with Santos but not Pipa and certainly not both. We get $1.2M in TAM from the league. That's almost enough to buy down all of our over max salary senior guys, Santos, Pipa, Meram and Mensah. I believe we have other GAM/TAM available, plus the Steffen money. I'm curious if we could actually sign 2 DPs this offseason without too much trouble....
Gotta say I think I would go the other way. Despite craptastic wing play, and rumors of relocation and the coach moving, we had a decent season and won 2 of 3 PO games. We paid down Mensah & Meram last year and I do think we have a decent stash of funny money. According to this, each team gets $1.2 million in TAM for 2019 and an additional $2.8 million in discretionary allocation $$. For signing & re-signing existing players whose salary plus acquisition costs are above DP level but below $1.5 million. Would assume buy downs are a part of the intended use. http://www.espn.com/soccer/major-le...ed-allocation-money-for-2018-and-2019-seasons That $4.0 million of league allicated TAM would not include GAM, or TAM/GAM acquired in trades, or received for transfering a player out of the league (Steffen). Bottom line, for around $650k we could get Mensah, Santos, and Meram down under DP level. With $4 million in allocated TAM, the millions from the Steffen sale, whatever GAM the league allocates, and our haul of GAM/TAM in trades, we easily have enough to buy down & get an impact wing as a DP. If (and when) we choose to go that route is another thing entirely. But our hands are certainly not tied. This may be our last year with Pipa, I do not want to p!ss it away. We have Steffen till summer. Zardes, Trapp, Valenzuela, Afful, Mensah, Artur, and Sauro are good MLS players and we have good CB depth. With another legit playmaker, and a tad more steel/height, I think we are a contender. Next year, we can move on from Santos (who is decent but not DP level), Meram, maybe Mensah, and Pipa's spot will be open. Just reload at that point, no need to tear anything down.
To be clear, that $2.8M TAM is at the discretion and from the pocket of the owner. Similar to the DP payment above the max salary. I don't know if that is money our new owners (operators, sorry!) will be willing to spend. I do know that would go a long way to announcing their commitment to on-field excellence.
Tim Bezbatchenko is signed once we get a coach officially then hopefully we will see some moves. Not expecting much from the draft
Mock Draft https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019/01/03/armchair-analyst-2019-mock-superdraft-v1-0 We're projected to take Abdi from the Zips.
I hope where his college is located isn't a factor in who we draft. The odds are already long enough that a college player will help. Let's pick whomever is the best player.