Not directed at you specifically, but I've seen this thrown around a lot here. What does it mean exactly? My take on it is that it is implying that we get all of our points against weak teams, and struggle against top teams, which is then why we would struggle to outdo another "top" team in the playoffs. Am I right on this?
Chris Klute is languishing in Columbus. Maybe he could be had. He's not a surefire upgrade, but worth a gamble at the right price. He has speed and a strong left foot, with a little luck he could be a key cog in the team's success.
I've felt it meant that we need one guy who is cool as ice and able to put the game away with a single good chance. Other Espy, who's forced to create a lot, we don't have that guy.
I think it means the team's depth is very helpful in the regular season, with all the injuries and call ups and suspensions, United is well positioned to continue to pick up points. None of that matters in a short, home and away series. The team with a difference maker or two stands a good chance of advancing. Personally, I think United can do just fine in the playoffs, because they don't give up a lot, and have Hamid. Having said that, what's wrong with an outstanding offensive weapon to hedge against any drop in quality the rest of the team may suffer? I agree with those that say the FO needs to make a splash and really go for the Cup, it's there to be had and the opportunities don't come that often.
I'm not someone who says this, I am perhaps the wrong person to answer. But my understanding was that this team is built to outlast the opposition. DC has shutdown a number of pretty good offenses this year; scoring on DC usually takes a lot of hard work. For scoring goals, DC tries to counter or, when that isn't working, tends toward high pressure, hoping to exploit mistakes or defensive laziness. DC essentially tries to keep the game close and pounce on a moment of weakness (or just opportunity, like a set piece). If I understand the argument correctly, that's not good enough for the playoffs. Opposing strikers are more likely to push their abilities and get a moment of brilliance or are willing to put in the hard work of breaking DC down. Conversely, DC is less likely to find defensive mistakes or laziness from a playoff defense. While in the regular season DC gets away with keeping the game close and winning by a goal, but in the playoffs, that is more likely to come back and bite them as, facing elimination, the team they're playing will be trying everything and anything to score. During the regular season, DC has been able to go down a goal and then come back to win, but without someone to really pull out some offensive magic or the players to break down a defense, DC is less likely to be able to mount a comeback. If a team scores two goals early through amazing play or even just a fluke, I think a lot of people doubt DC's ability to overcome that deficit, even in desperation mode.
In the regular season, Opare is a guy who helps you win when Boswell or Birnbaum are injured or out on yellow cards or just need a rest. In the playoffs, he's just a guy on the bench. Sort of like in basketball, both college and pro, where teams shorten their rotations. Guys who play 15 minutes in the regular season play 3 minutes in the postseason. Or in baseball; your #5 starter in the regular season in useful. In the playoffs, he's a long reliever for when you're behind by 5 runs in the 4th inning.
I compare this team to Houston's teams in the recent past. They were hard working, stingy, and gutsy, and they pulled out a lot of wins. However, it was never enough to get them over the hump. Then there was the Houston team that won a couple of Cups. That was a similar team, but they had an out of sight DeRo and a pre-injury Holden. That team had the grit, but some star power to go along with it. That's a better template to winning it all than the more recent Houston success story, and DC's team as it now stands.
To me it means we are well to get points in games like Chicago and Toronto just now because of strong depth. We can withstand injuries and absences better than other teams, nut we are likely to hit at least one team more healthy and playing better by playoff time.
I thought I remember Ben saying that there won't be any big Summer signings, that he wanted to compensate/ reward current players. If we do get to spend the EJ money, there should be a good bit left over even after upgrading current contracts. A couple of thoughts on who could be available this summer: Aron Johannsson has said (per Ives) that he wants to come to MLS. I know very little about him other than his play with the USMNT. And I've given up trying to understand MLS' rules regarding who gets allocated and to which list and how long you have to stand on your head to get there. He has a good goal scoring record in Holland. That should translate well to MLS. Another more intriguing and speculative addition would be one of the central midfielders from NYCFC. With Pirlo and Lampard coming, where does that leave Diskerud and McNamara? Mix, especially, is a player that I like. Does he sit the bench (dugout?) at Yankee Stadium and woud McNamara be an upgrade of what we have in central midfield? asitis
It means that DC is made up of 10 mid-high level MLS players and one who is sometimes (but not always) called up to national team duty. Other teams are built with 3 DP national team members who miss stretches of time for friendlies and the gold cup and 8 lower-quality MLS players. We can build points in the standings against these teams during the long regular season, but these teams are a lot stronger in the playoffs. In other words, If you charted talent by team in the MLS, with and without their DPs, DC would be a flat line, but Seattle / Toronto / LA would have a much higher peak and lower trough.
My inclination is to bet that we won't make any changes in the window. We're on top, and Ben is too conservative to fix something that isn't broken. In terms of playoffs, I think Ben is the wildcard. Will he be able to squeeze the very last drop of effort and brilliance out of the players we have, or not? If he can, we can get a run together. If we go at the games like regular season games, we won't.
And we got Mishu at Outside back. This guy has tenacity on defense and speed on the flanks to overlap and recover. However, thats just more depth. Not a difference maker.
The 90s Atlanta Braves found out the hard way that when you hit the World Series, even the 4th starter becomes basically that.
I'm not saying you are wrong, because I also think Ben is conservative, but this is the time to be looking for a "big name" player because it's transfer season for most of the rest of the world. It is much harder to get somebody in the January window.
Of course, but we have this same conversation every year for like the last 3 or 4 years, and in the winter they say there isn't anyone available, and in the summer (when we're doing okay) we hear that they "like this team". I'll be shocked. Floored.
We need someone to make a defenses take note. Say what you will about BWP but you can't not mark him. We had that with EJ (if the defenses snoozed they lost and he would bag a goal). When Espy drops into deep midfield to get a ball he's of no threat at all. Why should defenses care if Arrieta, Coria, Aguilar, etc. is up top. They are all the same level of player and not much of a threat to break a team. We need someone like Luis Suarez (yes - like Suarez) who is a 10x version of Espindola. Someone who can play up top but plays with his head up and pulls defenses toward him and can lay off the final pass if a shot isn't there. Is there someone out there - probably not that our scouting team can find. I wish we could get Griezman. We could win the league with him. James
I think this is it. As long as Espy is the only one who can really take it to defenses, we're going to be looking for a 1-0 victory every time. We're not that hard to defend -- remembering that by definition the playoff and CCL teams are better -- and every good team we play seems to have us on the ropes for huge portions of every game. In the playoffs where quality can shine brightly, we need the spark to put teams away or change the game. Espy can't do it alone, and relying on our defense to pitch a shutout regularly is a big ask. Gomez was a game changer. But his influence created chances for Eskandarian and Moreno... who could also be a game changers. Another true finisher puts DCU in the elite teams of the league and makes us a joy to watch. Without more true firepower up top, we're a team built to "not lose", which will get us a lot of points in MLS given our depth, but is dull as dust to watch and shouldn't win us trophies. Even the most die-hard fans I know -- and I'm on that bus -- still find this style of football hard to enjoy. Good news is that with one addition our style, watchability, and even defense should improve, as we might... might... just build up a big lead at times with someone like BWP.