And the Latest Lee News is ??????

LIRE | #IMFC acquiert le milieu de terrain international uruguayen @alesilva_89 >> https://t.co/QYfpPPEWQm

READ | Impact acquires Uruguayan midfielder Alejandro Silva >> https://t.co/TiPyVBUz2n

— CF Montréal (@cfmontreal) March 19, 2018

IMFC was rumored over past week or so to be a lead suitor for Nguyen. Perhaps not so much now.

 

I believe it was also reported he was training on his own as well. After 4 weeks a professional athlete should be able to give you at least 10-20 minutes of quality play

 

So what is the story? Is he fit to play ?

 

That looks like a cut-and-past from a couple of weeks ago. All I can say is he had better be in the starting lineup Saturday or the leash on Friedel just got about 50% shorter.

 

On Feb 9, it was reported that Brad said (or intimated) that Lee was three weeks behind on fitness -

Jeff L keeps using weak words like "he's been training a couple of weeks" when asked about Lee's status.

Nguyen has been in full training for a couple weeks now. Friedel has said it’s now up to him to work his way into the mix. #NERevs https://t.co/WZgSSroK7R

— Jeff Lemieux (@jeff_lemieux) March 20, 2018

He's used it a few times now - he appears to be avoiding (or being told to avoid) putting any additional quantifier on the process timeline. From one point of view, it seems very intentional.

Just to think about the math for a moment - we are coming up on 6 weeks into that three week plan from Feb 9.

 

WHY ?
If Lee is still dogging it and not doing enough to have earned a start why would that reflect badly of Brad?There is so much we don't know about Lee and his current attitude that at best all we can do is wait and see. It's obvious the Revs wanted to keep him so why wouldn't Brad play him if he was ready and motivated?

 

They ran the calculations through the same algorithm that they used to project a SSS. 3 weeks, 3 months, 3 years, 3 decades...

 

Just speculating, but he was IIRC two weeks late for training camp. He has been back in the fold for more than a month, has not played in the first 2 games and with a week off... I can't imagine he's sitting around pouting, and not getting himself in the best shape he can to play. He won't get traded if he can't play.

Is Friedel still punishing him? I hope not, but if he isn't in the starting lineup Saturday, something is definitely wrong and it may be at the point where there's no turning back.

 

It doesn't seem that Lee was simply sitting on the couch during his holdout. There were tweets from Texas area entities (his former youth club, a sports media company, possibly others) documenting some form of workouts taking place at (or for) his former club team. In one instance, it appears he was working out with a former Wolfsburg coach.

So, that being said, evidence points to Lee as having shown up to Revs camp with at least some nominal fitness already in place. (That's most likely not the same as being at camp-fitness level) - but -

...to think that he was so out of shape that the current lengthy "fitness recovery" timeline makes sense - well, that doesn't seem logical, based on what has been published in social media about where he was/what he was doing during the holdout.

 

I don't see Lee dogging it and I agree we don't really know what's going on. It's hard to get any information on Lee. Lemieux is carrying water for the Revs so he's not going to say anything remotely controversial. The best source Ive seen so far is Jonathan Sigal. He at least mentions Lee.

This weekend will answer everything for me. If Brad ever needed Lee, it will be this weekend. NYC is 3-0 and is the best team we've faced so far. We got killed in game 1, pulled one out with some luck on Game 2. This week we'll see what we have and I don't think our offense has shown much so far with the present crew. Im hoping Brad figures something out to get the best players on the field at the same time and I include Lee in that best players group. I have no idea what Brad is doing with Lee but it needs to end this game.

 

Because they're not going keep him.

 

If that was true why wouldn't they have felt him before now. None of the makes any sense unless it simply as it played out on the surface----a player who wanted to be traded and the team said no and its being worked out.

 

Because they're slow to grasp the obvious.

 

So says the NNN club members

Of course we all know that no matter what Rev Central does it's a;ways wrong, dumb and many days late

 

That's beautiful!

 

So, we are just supposed to pretend everything is hunky-dory?

Putting speculation aside for a minute, let's review the facts:
1. Lee asked to be traded on 3 different occasions.
2. The team said no.
3. Lee held out for 2 weeks.
4. The team didn't like that and dug in their heels
5. Lee returned, but still wants to be traded
6. He has been back with the team for a month, but has not seen the field or even the bench in pre-season or regular season
7. The team is now fielding offers for his trade
8. After this year, the club has 2 option years on Lee's contract

If you think that Brad can just put him back in the starting lineup this week and pretend that everything above is behind them, you are missing the big picture.

That is just the point, Lee has no motivation. He doesn't want to be here, and if he goes out and plays well despite that, the club will pick up his options and he will be stuck here two additional years.

Now, we don't know WHY Lee doesn't want to be here, but I don't think it is the weather. I think it is fair to assume it is related to how he has been treated by the team.

That "mistreatment" may be real, or it may be imagined by Lee, but it is what he perceives, and he's perceived it that way for at least six months now, so it is unlikely to change.

You are the psychiatrist, what are the chances he resigns himself to being here another 3 years? My layman's opinion is that is unlikely. Therefore, this situation will continue to fester until they trade him, or rip up the options on his contract.

 

Because they haven't gotten an offer they like yet.

Friedel was never punishing him - I don't know why you keep repeating that.

I kind of doubt Friedel is going to throw him back in the starting lineup, because he (and the players) have said that they want to play high pressure up top - and that's not Lee's game.

Given that, I would say that there's no way you wouldn't want his attacking ability as an option on the bench, so that's where I expect to see him (and subbing in if we are behind in the 2nd half).

 

So we have a better chance at beating the best (so far) team in the league with Lee Nguyen on the bench?

 

So much of what we "know" about whats transpired between Lee and the Revs has been at best informed speculation. When I try to analyze all thats been written I have to say--I don't have enough factual information with which to draw a realistic conclusion.

What I do know is Lee signed a multiyear contract and the Revs had planned their roster based on having his services and seem intent on holding him to his contract.

What I see happening is one of two things.

(1) Lee is a true professional and will accept the realities and play like a professional fighting for playing time increasing his transfer value for next year.

(2) Lee is a narcissistic punk who will sulk and just go through the motions which IMO would kill his career

We will have to see which Lee shows up.
I think he's enough of a professional to want to do his best and we see him this weekend.

 

When a guy repeatedly tells you he wants out, it's over. If you think insisting "But this piece of paper says we OWN you!" makes any difference, you're wrong.

On top of everyone else, how do you expect the guys who want to be here to take it when they ride the bench behind the guy who wants out? I'm sure that would be fantastic for morale.

 

I think there could be a middle ground here.

Personally, I think it is really hard to "do your best", no matter how much you may want to, when you are not happy with your work environment.

 

If Nguyen is going to play a different way than the rest of the team, then yes.

There have been plenty of observations over the past few seasons about how Nguyen's holding onto the ball has slowed our attack. If the attack is going to slow when the ball reaches Nguyen, then, it may not work.

And, if you want to pressure the opposition defense and win the ball back in the attacking half, Nguyen really isn't one to strike terror into opposing ball-handlers.

OTOH, he can create 1v1 like no one else, so he may fit best (until he gets traded) as a situational player.