He said I was correct in asserting that goals/assists was not the way measure the value of a CM. Not whatever you’re caught up on. (Regarding your last sentence) Stats for CDMs was certainly apart of your argument, since JDS played the ipso-facto DM for the Galaxy last season.
Well, if you want to see the impact this is having, just search LA Galaxy on Twitter. Biggest signing of the window for sure.
Biggest signing of the offseason for sure... But what was our biggest weakness last year? Defense. So far we've lost our most talented defender (Polenta) and a reliable and versatile defender (Romney), and we added a player who had a good resume but couldn't start in German second division (Insua) and a reported talented player who couldn't pan out into two MLS clubs and with off-the-field issues (Acosta). We may have tried to improve not only the defenders, but also the GK and DM spots, but in the end Bingham, Feltscher, Gonzalez and Kitchen are still here. They may be decent players but where are the upgrades? I get the narratives saying "without Zlatan we will change our defensive approach" and we are still waiting for a CB, but even if this next signing is great, I fear it won't be enough to have a defense capable of winning championships.
I’ll add to your harsh but accurate comment that regarding the defense, I think if the players were the same but I thought they were building chemistry or an understanding of team defensive strategy I might be optimistic, but on that front that’s one constant from last year- GBS and Dom are the same and they sure seemed to not consistently get the best out of our defenders, or get the best defenders on the field, and never seemed to get the midfielders and whole team to buy into any sort of team defense. So I’m going to hope for better but I’m not sure I have any real reason to.
Your clarity of hindsight creates grass that is always greener and you speak in absolutes that lack the knowledge of future outcomes; a perspective shared by many, but tiresome to most. The Galaxy signed Beckham, Zlatan and Chicharito instead of Bale, Messi and Ronaldo. Go get some MLS! Unreal this is where we are.
Yes AEG would pay big for one of those guys; but its not going to happen. Not anytime soon anyway. Mostly because of those 3, only Bale would realistically be available to make the move right away. Messi and Ronaldo are pipe dreams right now; and only Cristiano has openly said he will play in the MLS at some point. He would do it for the same reason Ibra did it. A last big payday and spreading his brand. He is currently 34 and is still in the middle of a 4 year deal with Juventus. He will be 37 by the time that contract ends. Messi will likely retire at Barca
I think with Ronaldo that at the end of his contract at 37, he might *gulp* *I'm a bit afraid to say it for all the backlash I will receive* be too past his soccer prime to be a good DP pick up for the lowly retirement league MLS Galaxy. Ibra's style of play really lends itself to a less mobile version of himself being effective still, but I'm not sure that's true for Ronaldo.
So... can we get another centerback and forward before the season starts? Looking at the roster as it stands, here is what I project as our starters and backups at each position....(not everyone at necessarily their best position in the backup spots). ---------------------Chicharito ----------------------(Zubak) Pavon--------------Lletget---------------Katai (Cuello)----------(Alvarez)-------------(????) -------------Corona------------JDS -----------(Kitchen)--------(Kljestan) Insua-----Gonzalez-----Steres-------Araujo (Acosta)---(????)------(Smart?) ---(Feltscher) ----------------------Bingham --------------------(Von Steem) Man, we are thin after our first 13 or so players....
How much is "right" though? Consider that Messi and Ronaldo are on something like $500k per week. You wouldn't only have to beat that to such an extent that one of the global clubs clearing hundreds of millions in annual revenue won't match it but also enough to take them away from the top honors in the game. China's Super League managed this with a few players for a while but have now seen that it's unsustainable and hasn't helped the national team at all, so have now announced salary caps that are even more stringent that MLS's ($3.3m for foreign players and $1.5 on Chinese). You need G14 revenues or an EPL-level TV deal to make the kinds of signings you want, without creating the kind of arms race that could kill the league the same way that Cosmos's spending did to the NASL in the '80s. I'd also add that there's absolutely no shame in our league being at the stature where a Cristian Pavon would find it attractive or contrary to the attitudes of the naysayers, a place where a Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Wayne Rooney comes to extend their career. There are far fewer leagues that can get those types of players than cannot.
I think DuPuy, who has been reported to be in camp with the senior team, is a better bet for backup CB than Smart (who may be a GII player). Also, MLSsoccer.com lists Acosta as a LB who can play CB and holding mid, and DtK praised his versatility when he was signed, so I would expect he is considered a backup in more than one spot. In addition, Skjelvik and Traore are still on the roster. It's possible they keep Skjelvik as a 4th or 5th CB and third LB now that Zambrano has fallen through. It's also possible that Traore is a backup outside midfielder in addition to being a defender. I think Araujo is also likely considered a backup outside mid (along with central midfielders like Corona and Lletget).
That may not be far off if Traore actually sticks with the team. I haven't seen him in any of the pics, though, so I'm not sure if that's the case.
You are right about the thin part. It's a shame that we bring in superstars like Beckham, Ibra and Chicharito but then surround them with deeply flawed teams (even by MLS standards). When Becks first came we were fielding some of the weakest players to ever start for the Galaxy (wasn't Tudela still starting?). I remember his first game -- dozens of photographers on the field pregame and an iso-Cam on his play during the game, a dream PR scenario for MLS. Then came the game itself and it was borderline unwatchable, with many of our players having trouble completing basic skills, like trapping the ball or making a connecting pass. I remember thinking what a wasted opportunity for the league! We get millions of eyeballs on the product but then put on a show worse than the Tesla glass breaking. Then we bring in Ibra who surprising us all sets records for goals/90m but give him a defense that can't hold onto a 3-0 lead. Another waste, for both the Galaxy and the league. Keane was our bet international star who was actually surrounded by a 10 good teammates but he didn't have nearly the name recognition of the other three.
I like your visual depth chart. I think Kljestan more likely to play centrally and Alvarez on the right though: ---------------------Chicharito ----------------------(Zubak) Pavon--------------Lletget---------------Katai (Corona)--------(Kljestan)----------(Alvarez) -------------------------JDS----------------------- ---------------------(Kitchen)------------------- Insua-----Gonzalez-----Steres-------Fetscher (Acosta)---(????)------(Smart?) ---(Araujo) ----------------------Bingham --------------------(Von Steem)
Switching to only fielding 10 players will indeed help our bench depth, but might not be the best solution....
I had to get creative, right? (Did it in haste before a work meeting.) Anyway I think Kljestan is more likely central and Alvarez right, but I could see those being reversed by GBS.
Which is why the best players, in their primes, are not playing in MLS. But they would come if they were paid accordingly. My point is not that MLS is ready to outpay the PL for top stars, though I think they may be within the next 10 years on DPs only, but that the players WOULD come. Someone had said top players would just not come to MLS in their primes no matter what, and I dispute that.