I always hated that idiotic nickname for Meram. He was born in ********ing MICHIGAN. He's no Mesopo-lion. Christ, until he joined their National Team, I'd been to the middle east more than he had...
I'd maintain that they are not really proven, then.... Or they'd be going higher than MLS. Mind you, it's better than it once was....
If they played season somewhere and scored and assisted double digits i don’t care if it was in Mexico , Brasil , Italy etc... as mentioned we have guys that maybe had a good season in college at best on their resume
Forgot that one good thing about tony queso was he only had the contracts go until 2020. Everyone could be gone (minus latest additions).
Yeah, every field player we've signed, or been linked to, in this window has been young (20-24). Room's age is fine for a keeper. It remains to be seen, of course, and maybe I'm just too simple-minded and old school to see things another way, but I do feel as though "the final piece" that Bill references, is really the piece that matters. This guy in Sweden - with stints at Fulham and in Holland - seems to be interesting. Same with Diaz. Pedro, I think, has had a decent year, all things considered. Zardes can score goals in MLS, recent experience notwithstanding. It's the vast gap in the middle that really causes the entire structure to stop working. Guille elevated everyone around him. I mean, was Ale Moreno an MLS superstar striker? Higuain, in his prime, wasn't at that level, but similarly made the players around him better. We either will find that kind of player, or we won't. But I don't see how this team, and especially this coach, will manage many positive results until it deals with that mission critical issue.
I'm stuck thinking that the Haslem's are bringing to Columbus something they're used to in the Cleveland: historically bad teams. As a relative pointyball know-nothing who has die-hard Browns fans in his family, it seems as though the Browns are willing to spend a lot of money but they've been plagued with two major issues: 1. Their coaches have been consistently sub-par. Plus, a ridiculous level of coach turnover. 2. They have plenty of quality on the team, some long-time pro-bowl type guys. But, they've been so many years without a solid QB. Does this sound similar? It does to me. We need a solution for #10 and we need better coaching. Until those two pieces are there, we're gonna suck like the Browns. Ugh, I hope I don't become like my in-laws: constantly optimistic in the offseason, rooting for trash in the early season, and cynical by the end of the season. Then again, here we are.
I think that it's a mistake to try and draw a lot of corrollaries between MLS and the NFL. I would also point out two other things: 1) Jimmy Haslam made a lot of mistakes, acknowledges that he made them, he admits he had a lot to learn, and has changed his modus operandi. 2) The Browns are widely expected to be an exciting team this year and are favored to at least win their division. So if you discount the learning curve years , we're on track for a two year renovation project. Which, incidentally, coincides nicely with the opening of a new stadium. Bottom line: forget the browns. Bezbatchenko is running the show in Columbus.
Nonsense. You just have to actually pay them, and we don't do that here. Ola was a proven guy. Guille. Lodeiro. Zlatan. Vela. Altidore. Henry. BWP. Villa. Pity. Josef. Almiron. Stern John. Mendoza. Someone who can make/score goals. Mexican league. Dutch league. Uruguayan league. Norweigan. Czech league. Costa Rican league. Don't care.
Wasn't it Bez who found Pozuelo for TFC? Who was their next option if he hadn't come? It would be a mistake to wait for a CAM until next window. If we bring in someone in winter, then there's a couple months of "gelling", etc. This isn't like the NFL or NBA where losing at least gets you good future players. We don't need some extra "you suck" allocation money, we need wins and a reason for fans to buy tickets next year.
I agree with all of your points, save the "Costa Rican league" comment. We tried that once before... "The 26-year-old Olman Vargas joins the Crew from Club Sport Herediano of the Costa Rican first division, where he scored 17 goals over the last two seasons and helped the team reach the final of the 2011 Apertura season."
Planting KFC FC players into the ground will be fun to watch..I do think that will happen. To much history and pride on our side.
Many of the guys you noted were past their sell by date in Europe or elsewhere. Stern John was playing in New Orleans in the USL....
hj That's what I expect. I'm cool with the Diaz signing, hes young and apparently comes with some credentials between being awarded the best player of the clausura or whatever it was, and being on the fringe of the Costa Rican national team. He sounds like he could be promising and that's good to have on our team. I just want a person who has a recent track record of getting it done. Not 3 seasons ago, but last season. I dont need one of the top scorers from the EPL, Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A, or Ligue 1. Someone younger or in their prime, coming off a solid season in South America is what I want. Yes, theres competition for those players by bigger clubs around the world, but that comes back to the idea of being willing to spend some money to make some money. If you can spend 6,7,8 million, win a couple trophys, and sell that player on for 20 million...that's well worthwhile.
And they were all proven goalscorers who scored when they got here. Do you think I am advocating for signing Messi or Greizemann (sp?) and upset we aren't? Obviously Euro stars at their apex are not coming. But I will take Wayne Rooney all day long. Vela. Villa. Keane. Henry. Gio. Like I said, I will take Ola. Someone who has actually done it, or someone you hope can still do it/do it again, rather than someone who never has. Right now, we have Zardes and a bunch of never hases (sic). We need SOME proven offensive players. As for Stern, he was scoring a lot of goals for T&T. 10 before we got him. That's double digits. And on the list. League. Cup. Country. If you can bang them in, come on over. Wanna try again to pick nits that have little to do with the overall point?
I'm picking nits?? You gave a list of once very big name stars. Which has little to do with the original comments that I was commenting on--like... My point is that guys in a lower league aren't exactly "proven". And 10 goals for T&T isn't exactly "proven". There's a reason Stern was in NOLA. H*ll I had over 350 goals in my career--and no one would have ever picked me for MLS.... What we get in this league is possibilities. Stern was all of that and he made the most of it. But the list of Crew names along the entry to the stands are littered with "possibilities". Most never made it. And that's ok for this league. Once in a while you get lucky. But "proven"? Good luck with that. I'd not even consider Ola "proven" before he came to Columbus. He was a project--most folks here thought so at the time and it was only Kei's situation that gave Ola a chance.
Talk about lacking ambition. MLS should be a competitive destination league. That would mean our players are in demand as well. I know the history of the league and the fact that they were frugal to stay in business, but hopefully, soon, they will take the training wheels off, show that American players can play with the best, and be in the top 5 leagues in the world.