And now that Thierry Henry has been named the new Manager for the Montreal Impact, the reports of Alessandrini leaving the Galaxy as a free agent to Montreal make a lot of sense. They both fit in culturally very nicely in Quebec.
I will miss Zlatan, because he was hungry to win and as hard working as his 38 year body allowed him to be. Was he a putz on the field, yes, but so was Robbie Keane among others. Did he attempt to intimidate opponents, yes, but he did it by overwhelming them, dishing back some of the exact same play that was used against him, not by grabbing their balls like Carlos Ruiz. And FWIW, everything I have read about him is that he is a genuinely nice person off the field, especially towards kids. The COG has something about this in one of the last few podcasts.
I don't think he can just choose to go to Montreal even being out of contract. He doesn't have the years of service needed to be an MLS free agent (see below). If the Galaxy make a qualifying offer (what ever that is) then they can retain his MLS rights (under the old CBA's rules). Romaine is free to go outside of MLS, but within MLS he is very much constrained by MLS's rules and single entity structure (which is designed to minimize competition between clubs for a player). Three days after 2017 MLS Cup, teams can begin engaging with players via the league’s Free Agency process in preparation for 2018. Eligible players are 28 years of age and older with eight MLS service years and are out of contract – or have had their option declined. This allows players the freedom to negotiate a new contract with any MLS club, including their previous team, subject to certain restrictions. Now the Impact can certainly trade for Allessandrini and given the clubs direction and his injury history perhaps the Galaxy would let him go for less than what he might be worth on a straight up trade. Or they might follow the Bruce model and let him move on to greener pastures (is Canadian currency green?) without compensation.
Here is the new CBA free agency rule: Players 28 or older with eight or more years of MLS service whose contracts have expired can become free agents, but with limitations on raises: 25 percent for those earning less than $100,000, 20 percent for those earning more than $100,000 and less than $200,000, and 15 percent for those earning more than $200,000. As to Alessandrini's case he made 2.28 M under this rule he would be limited to 2.6M I believe, but not quite sure how the free agency rules apply to DPs.
That is part of the still current CBA as is the part I quoted. There are limitations on raises but I believe a qualifying offer can include a pay cut. I could be wrong but I can't find the actual language that describes what constitutes a qualifying offer.
Yahoo sports is saying it now also. I love this guy. He'd be great for this team. https://sports.yahoo.com/report-la-galaxy-want-cavani-191837695.html
This is picking up steam pretty quickly. My ideal is still Aguero, but Cavani is awesome. He’d be a fan favorite.
The main MLS site is reporting it now as well. This might happen yayyy!!! https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019...geting-psgs-edinson-cavani-zlatan-replacement
Hamid did not have a great season this year. He pretty much got DC United knocked out of the playoffs and he is more expensive.
Cavani will turn 33 just before the start of our 2020 season. In 2018 at PSG had 18 goals in 22 appearances, some injury problems though (hence only 22 appearances). In the 2019-20 campaign so far he has 2 goals in 6 appearances. He fits right into the aging superstar category that the Galaxy seem wedded to.
It's a good signing if it happens. He is average a goal every 150 minutes this season. That is exceptional. His injury has made him a sub for PSG, but he is still a fantastic player who seems to be made for the MLS.
I'd say Keane was more in the "hired-gun" mold, but was just damn good and loved playing the game. Beckham was a bit of both, but at the end, yes, he had his heart in it. I'd say 95% or more of emotional attachment players have for a team builds up during the current season. Then 50% is lost at the end of the season anyway.
PSG is also stacked up front. Neymar, Mbappe, Di Maria, Icardi, and Cavani are all vying for playing time in a 3 man frontline that also has some young kids waiting for playing time.
Cavani is the type of dude that would bleed for the team ultimately. He could be the second coming of Robbie Keane.
Hamid's 75% save rate was 2nd in MLS, behind only Steve Clark at 77%. I'm not saying save rate is everything -- Bingham's was a respectable 72% and I'm still not a fan. But it does have meaning in that top MLS keepers tend to hover in the mid to high 70's most seasons. And if you are looking for consistency - in 2018 Hamid saved 81% of the shots he faced vs. Bingham's sad 65% (???!) Hamid did look a bit shaky in their playoff game against TOR but it wasn't as bad as the final score made it appear. In regulation he only allowed one goal and that was a bit unlucky - he parried a well taken shot but it fell right to the foot of the opposing forward (aka "The Bingham"). But in overtime the wheels fell off for DC - it was chaos in the box for both their defenders and Hamid. Hamid is indeed a bit more expensive - 461k to Bingham's 375k. But I would take him in a heartbeat.
This has been my thought. Not that Bingham is super-great, but that you're not gonna do much better unless you break the bank or go foreign, neither of which I'm particularly inclined to do. For example, Ousted who was our 1st choice way back when was actually poorer than Bingham this season. Hamid costs a lot more and while game-to-game he's better than Bingham, he's solidifying a reputation for being mentally weak and I do not trust him in big games, so its hard to consider him an upgrade. (Bingham is actually VERY good in big matches, IMO. He denied a 1v1 goal on Rossi in the late moments to prevent the 5-3 from getting into humiliation territory).
Yeah, I know GBS and DtK are high on him, too as are most of the fans. I'll actually be a little surprised if it happens, it seems Romain gets linked to Montreal every off-season but he loves LA and I think he'd take a sub-DP salary to stay here.
How soon before we are rumored with a former Boca or Argentine goalkeeper? I think we have had every other position.
Fair points, but I don't think Bingham is the problem. He has been progressively getting better each year for us as our defense has gotten better. Bingham's save percentage of 72% is actually more impressive imo than Hamid's at 75% because of how many shots Bingham has faced. Every match Bingham has been pelted with shots.