One, you're assuming that players over 30 haven't crested the hill and these stats won't fall off. Two, I don't think either is industrious enough on defense. Three, Tomas didn't do crap last year so that's speculative, I already made that argument this thread. Four, my thing is if it takes a million and a half plus trade concessions to get either in, is that really the best use of a million and a half plus trade concessions, or would I get even more production shopping $1-2 million/year salary abroad. I kind of think y'all are playing within a restrained box in favor of an older player. I look at this and it's like they are soft and could fall apart tomorrow, go take that same amount and shop for a younger or even better player. I mean, $2 million gets you Almiron, Howard, Lodeiro, etc. Look it up. And you're going to take that same sum, and burn it on a couple touch players who never won a darned thing anywhere, and aren't so good they are NT fixtures. I think we can do better and don't have to play their auction game. It's a fib to suggest I don't want Alex/Sanchez/Martinez supplanted, I've been saying we need an upgrade since last offseason. It's more like, yeah, they're pretty good, but they ain't won trophies, and if I have the amount of money they want, I think they are overrated for the cash and that given the same bankroll I can do you better for the same price. I think the affection for Kljestan and Nguyen is woe is me blinders. We won't spend much, so we have to buy MLS. Leaving out, if they are asking for seven figures, that is not woe is me tight fisted money, that would be the most we have ever spent on a salary by 2x. If that is in fact within the budget, then it is not woe is me, MLS is not the bound, and shop me anyone I can get for $1-2 million anywhere. Blinders be gone. They got a million plus for Torres and took three quarters of a million off the payroll/cap. If your reaction to this is oooooh, what second tier MLS mid can we trade for, man, you might as well admit you've given up a little, despite the budget they just told you you had to shop.
This is malarkey. How much did we "pay" for Elis? Cabezas? Torres? I have decided that the payroll is a somewhat misleading indicator of ability to pay here, because we will cough up seven figures in loan or transfer fees. If you compared the fees to the payroll it would be a substantial percentage. We used to only buy on free. Now we pay $2 million to acquire $4 million worth of salary players. Why not pay $6 million salary? So it's not that there is no money, it's how we're choosing to use it. Torres was $7.5 million coming in. That's almost two years' payrolls and that happened three years ago. Even annualized that's $2.5 million/year in additional acquisition cost. Plus Elis and Cabezas. On top of ordinary payroll. And in double-hit nature because we did it loan then purchase, two years. I keep harping on it but our veteran myopia results in us paying out in terms of trades or loans or transfers to acquire players, on top of ordinary salary. I have usually voiced it in terms of economic efficiency vis a vis development or draft picks, but you can also look at it like that in theory is actually within the budget -- it is in fact expended -- but is being expended on acquisition as opposed to salary. As going to how we use our budget, and whether it is wise. So I'm saying not just spend more on development, my old hobby horse, but now tossing out, hey, if you're gonna spend millions on loans and transfers, why not just sign one good player on a free and use those millions that way? Like I've said before, I find it telling that we spend millions to acquire a player who when he arrives pulls a moderate six figure salary, a more pointed estimate of worth. If we will pay seven figures for fees why not cut out the middleman and sign the seven figure player.
Re "name a AM at this time" that almost sounds like an excuse for settling as opposed to an argument in favor of signing someone gamechanging. Repeatedly said lately why bother now, sit on the slot til the summer and fill it right. Implication: we have missed most of that market. "At this time" is also oddly inconsistent. Kljestan is off the table so that's counterfactual, and it's debatable whether Nguyen will be allowed to go. His team says no. Maybe enough time or angst or handing them our crown jewels and they get motivated, but not even sure of that. So are they even "on the market at this time?" It's an assumption that they are any different than the ones under contract someplace where the January window is ending. But more to the point, "at this time" when it's almost February is a narrowing device making an excuse for settling. "Who else was available at the end of the window." People who think they are calmly and patiently putting together their best XI don't say such things. This is instead like you give a kid their allowance and not only do they run out to spend it, but even realizing the toy they really want is sold out, they wander the aisles for 30 minutes and buy something because the money burns a hole in their pocket.
Sucks to see him leave. He is the last playing Legend from the old guard... I really hope like Brian Ching said in a tweet to him..to come back and retire in the orange. He along with Ching, Davis and Onsted will held up as absolute legends for this team! They were always stand up characters for this club!
Joe Willis has been re-signed by the Dynamo. https://www.houstondynamo.com/post/2018/02/07/houston-dynamo-re-sign-goalkeeper-joe-willis This signing means the Dynamo are at 24 players officially on the roster at this point.
http://www.pacificrimcup.com/ Kinda cool for them to get something Hawaii going again. People may have forgotten since it was ages ago. Or repressed that Gamba Osaka game. I know we're cheap but I'd kind of like to see us at La Manga or one of the international type spring training tournaments, instead of the SOS. Every. Year. I assume this weekend is the de rigeur HBU game, having ticked the boxes of RGVFC and UTRGV so far, and with AZ to come. Groundhog day. When is the last time we played an international game that counted? 2013? We got spoiled.
That game was brutal.... 90% of us were like who is Gamba Osaka, this game should be easy 1-0 we are up then..Bare happened.... blow out before you could finish the sentence!
This should send JuveChels into a downward spiral of no return! If you think he hated him last year, watch how much he will hate him sitting on the bench making anything more than a 16yr old at McDonald's!
I wasn't into the Dynamo until late 2008 so I totally missed this but I definitely knew who Gamba was! Even if it was a blowout I would have loved to be there or at least seen it. Gamba won the Asians Champions League and placed 3rd in the CWC (scored 3 on that legendary Man U team) (beat pachuca in the 3rd match) that same year so no shame in us losing to them.
I understand why Deric had to get cashiered but I am not sure on a good day Seitz is as good as Deric, so without belaboring what everyone already knows I feel about certain players, my complaint would be that short term this is weakening the position. That Deric + Willis > Seitz + Willis. That is the big picture I would look at. I was unimpressed with Nelson's highlights. He looked like a college keeper. I'm curious if he ends up signing here or going straight down. McLain was much more impressive in his highlights, except he constantly punches and parries. Hall used to parry a bunch of saves too and that has some downsides, rebounds out there coming back. But with Willis back will this be McLain either cut or signed but immediately loaned. I'd hoped for fresh blood. I feel like what has worked lately is taking some risks outside MLS, Elis. That altered our trajectory. For example, I have some interest and hope Fuenmayor can alter what is otherwise a low risk and moderate reward old man defense. When we start getting safe and playing around within MLS and re-signing people it seems to stagnate, 2016 being a big example. Seitz is decent but as a starter that's kind of moneyballing it. I will buy someone cheaper than the starter and generally scouted as not as good, and hope that I save money and wind up with the same level player. To me there's a little naivete in there. The "hope" in there is willfully ignoring what the scouting said. Nah, we got a diamond in the rough even though he has film. How often does that kind of moneyball pickup turn out like Alex? Most of them end up like Delagarza or Warner.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jader_Volnei_Spindler They also had some Japan NT guys. To be fair that was pre-season, MLS was a weaker league, and we were highly drilled kickballers. That's the obscure end of the pool, I am surprised no one grounches we haven't kicked a ball in official anger with Pachuca in many moons either. We used to have cross-border rivalries that didn't involve kvetching about how hard someone played a friendly. In any event, I wish we occasionally made some trips or played some teams outside of the charity game. Or earned back into international play, for that matter.
Why? Honestly. He's OK. How many people other teams were looking to lock him up as either a backup GK or as a potential starter? None. It's why he is back in Houston.
Because he is a competent starter and one of the better backups in the league. Between him and Chris they should do just fine. You sign a kid as your third. If we get lucky and Tyler is cleared than you've got the best stable in the league hands down (assuming and assuming). If not we've got a fine pool and turn your attention elsewhere.
Because to me there is a difference between a second string keeper since we can't start more than one, and literally signing a "backup" in quality. If confused, think about Hall or Deric versus Caig or Willis. There's "competent backup with the right salary" and then there's "he would start in most of the rest of MLS." Or "would start here in 2020." Thing being most of the really good "backups" don't get called that because they are pushing the starter or platooning as starter. Gonzalez in Dallas is now the starter. To be an admitted backup is to not be good enough to force that "quarterback controversy." Some might suggest Willis has, but they tend to be in denial of the stats. Say, allowing 5 goals in a playoff round. My other thing is you don't close the gap to the title game by returning the same players. It does involve some risk but I preferred the way the risky choices of last winter went.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...estic-violence-charge/?utm_term=.607574da7191 As the article points out this means that the Dynamo own the rights to Deric. It may be that Houston wants to keep him or plans to trade him if the suspension is lifted.
God this kid almost royally ********ed his career with this crazy chick. I hope he figures it out and can get between the pipes for us again. With what I said about Houston teams staying away from troubled players, Houston must know more than the public does to re-sign him while still under investigation or it's a money grab for later. I hope it's the first one.
The article talks about him signing a “low level senior context at less than half” of his $185,000 from last year. So they probably took a flier on a $80k Deric contract which will pay off somewhere if he is cleared. Really not a bad risk although now we have 3 or 4 keepers under contract. The risk is more the criticism they get from the #MeToo mob brigade that is now offended by kids Valentines Day Cards
I’m liking the distinct non-PC re-signing of Deric, especially because decent chance the chick is making this all up. Still shows poor judgment to hang around with her. Kind of like the “Oakland Raiders” mentality although I’m sure they will capitulate when the SJW brigade comes after them