Drogba was world class and he certainly destroyed some MLS defenses. Keane, Kaka, Villa were all world class in their prime as well and have had some great moments in MLS. I'm not convinced Zlatan would be that much better than any of these.
I am talking about still world class. Zlatan can walk into pretty much any team in the world, and be a starter. Before joining Montreal, Droga had been playing in Turkey, China, and then had a short stint back at Chelsea where he only scored 4 times in 28 matches. Drogba definitely wasn't a top player when he joined Montreal. Same went for Keane, Villa, and Kaka. Keane was a sub for Tottenham. Villa was at Athletico but not producing as much as they wanted, so he was sold. Kaka hasn't been world class for nearly a decade. Zlatan would be the first playing coming to the MLS who is still one of the best players in the world.
Distracting from your larger point, but Keane was only a sub because he’s pissed off Redknapp for organizing a Christmas party after Harry had cancelled the official club one as a punishment the season prior.
Zlatan is still good enough to play for a top club (though that was also, arguably true of Drogba). Problem is, diminishing marginal returns. If Keane can score, 30 G+A in his best season, is Zlatan going to give you 40? 50? You can only win 1 MLS Cup a year. Paying a player double what Kaka' gets (and triple what Keane got) doesn't result in double /triple the output on the field and I don't think the novelty of watching Zlatan abuse MLS defenses is going to be a long-term lure. I know people who bought season tickets to watch every one of the last games of Gerrard's career; I don't see people lining up like that to see Zlatan after the initial commotion wears off. So why would we do it aside from saying we could?
That's why I'd much prefer to go after Chicharito. It makes much more long term sense. Although the whole Zardes should be our starting #9 kind of makes going after a DP forward feel dirty.
I think Zlatan would be bigger than Gerrard. He's played for much better clubs, been far more effective, has a more flamboyant style of play and a much, much bigger personality off the field. He's also far more talented than Gerrard ever was and has far more left in the tank than he did.
I think Zaltan can move the meter in attendance. His skill + ego make him And he is still a lot more relevant to kids then Gerrard. I think Zlatan could definitely move the meter. He is a star not was.
I vote for Chicharito: 1. Long-term prospects 2. Marketing potential in LA 3. A huge middle finger to LAFC 4. Stub Hub will be rocking
I say we give Romain until the summer to either greatly improve or we chop lettuce and get both Chicha and Ibra so we don't even have to worry about playing defense. -------Ibra--------Chicha------ Lletget------Gio------Zardes -------------Jones------------- Cole---JVD----Steres---Smith ----------Rowe/Diop----------
I mean I think we all would prefer Chicharito because we understand he would be better for the club long term on and off the field, but if he is not available, Ibra is a pretty good option as well. If we have the option to sign either, I pray out front office makes the right choice and goes for Chicharito.
Kevin BaxterVerified account @kbaxter11 22m22 minutes ago Manchester United has a date, site and opponent for 1 game on its summer tour. It will play the #LAGalaxy on July 15 at the StubHub Center. So, will Zlatan be playing for the Galaxy or Man U in this game?
Chicharito would struggle in that line-up. None of the support players are consistent enough at providing the consistent service that Chicharito needs to excel. One of the biggest criticisms of Ibra this season has been how sloppy his game the further he gets from goal. The ambitious flicks and first-time touches are worthwhile attempting in the box because they're lethal when they come off and low-risk if they don't. The trouble is, he doesn't modify his approach when dropping deeper, so all too often, he winds up turning the ball over cheaply during build-ups and counter attacks. In the line-up provided, I feel like we're squeezing names into a formation again, rather than building a team around a cohesive system. I think you sign either Ibra or Hernandez, not both, then make that guy the pinnacle of your attack.
Yeah, I honestly don't see the current FO willing to admit a mistake in Allesandrini even if he doesn't improve much over 16 or so games. So, we're stuck with him for at least this season IMO. I feel we lack a point of focus on offense like we had with Keane. Gio doesn't seem to be that guy so far. So yeah, either Zlatan or Chicharito could be that piece we need to compete with the likes of these attacks: http://www.fourfourtwo.com/us/features/best-attacks-mls-major-league-soccer
Just got an email from my ticket rep. STHs will get 50% off tickets to the Man. U. match on Saturday, July 15th.
In fairness to Lettuce, in three games he could have scored and he has two assists, playing in a new league, in a different country, having joined the pre-season camp pretty late. Any talk of him being a bust is very premature at this point. If anything, Gio has to deliver on some of the promise he showed when the Galaxy were sans Keane last season. If he doesn't, he needs to be the guy we have the guts to give up on.
Great points. I was under the impression that Romain was coming in at full fitness but, that wasn't the case so half a season would be the very least I'd give him to get comfortable and adjust. Gio earning 3 times what Romain does lends credence to your second point but, would the FO sacrifice the loss of local, Mexican supporters(jersey/ticket sales)?
It's kind of beyond the point for me, Ibra vs Chich or whomever. Does anyone actually believe that Curt has what it takes to fit our current players into a well oiled offensive system, much less when you add such a big figure like Ibra into the mix? Or a top class poacher like Chicharito? Does he possess anywhere near the ability to find a spot for Gio in this team alongside Jones and Lletget? Basically, it's irrelevant for me who we bring in until Curt has proven he's got any sort of tactical acumen or he's fired and we bring in someone who has that tactical acumen. Until then, we're just adding pieces for the sake of adding pieces.
This is true. The next couple of months will prove a lot. Just getting all our starters back first, will help to see just what Onalfo can muster. In the meantime, I can't help but dream of what help may come because we'll need it.
I don't get all the desire to add another striker. The Galaxy's biggest need has, for quite some time, been a creative field genius. There's no one on the roster that fits that bill. Adding another striker would do little or nothing to energize the attack. We have plenty of guys that can bury the ball but nobody to get them that ball in dangerous spots. Look what a creative mid-fielder did for the evil green slime up north and what an injury to Dallas' guy did to them. I think adding another striker, no matter how good, is a woefully misguided approach.
Ideally, I'd like to be the team with the blank check offer to Iniesta(supposedly NYCFC). Apparently though, this is the direction the FO has in mind what with the rumors of the record-breaking offer to Zlatan.
Would you like this deal if it was for $335,000 a year? Just the salary cap hit? The salary doesn't bother me that much. The opportunity cost and short term thinking does. But it could be worse. We could have picked up Schweinsteiger.
I get that DP slots are limited and therefore a scarce resource, but I still think the personnel decision that potentially kills us is Pedro, not Alessandrini, Jones, or a third DP. If Pedro is at his best, he might rise to the level of Juninho, but at a much higher price because of his transfer fee, which will be an anchor around our neck for several years given that we chose to amortize it over the life of his contract. If Pedro turns out to be a flop, then that transfer fee will be dead weight even if we find someone else to take him off our hands (unless they pay a fee). The opportunity cost of a DP is another DP at the same slot. The opportunity cost of Pedro could be 2-3 MLS solid mid-tier and depth-type players, which can cost you several wins over the course of the season while front-line players are out.