What? Oh I have to disagree with you there bro, unlike the Flounders ATL FC play some quality football they don't talk smack and they don't have a prick loud mouth kunt like Dempsey. Their manager is respectful of the league their fans aren't arrogant and they will not rent their stadium forever. They are going to share a stadium with an NFL team sure, but it is thanks to ATL FC that Mercedes Benz stadium will actually feel like a proper football pitch not the dirty birds. They are the only east team that I actually worry about because of how good they seem to play Martino's high pressing style of football. The only thing we've yet to see is their depth with the surely plentiful international duty call ups.
Well, this just happened...http://www.rslsoapbox.com/2017/3/20/14990312/rsl-fired-jeff-cassar-what-just-happened Edit: Sorry Dr. Phil, didn't see that you had already posted this news in the Gs/RSL gameday thread.
schweinsteiger to MLS http://www.chicagotribune.com/sport...hweinsteiger-chicago-fire-20170321-story.html
Juninho-Schweinsteiger as a midfield pairing. A bit slow, but it could work. Both are very well rounded players.
I wonder if the Fire will play Schweinsteiger out wide right and have Juni and Dax as the central mids.
Assuming Schweinsteiger is at least 90% of what he used to be I would absolutely love that pairing. Not only well rounded, both players are technically gifted and high energy competitors who will leave it all on the field to get a win. Good on Chicago. I like to see the bar raised for that team - helps the league.
Apparently Donovan is being "considered" for the RSL job. Pretty funny considering only a couple months ago they were offering him a DP deal as a player.
I think the midfield trio of Jun Dax and Schweinsteiger could work. He still has a lot more legs and a lot more to give the Gerrard. He didn't get a fair shake at Man U and was frozen out. Dax and Jun doing the heavy lifting allowing Schweinsteiger to do his thing is formidable. It does lack a true play maker but it will be able to control the ball and press.
Yep. I'm not sure what Mourinho's issue was but I'm not comfortable with how he handled this. However, both Van Gaal and Guardiola had mentioned that he hadn't kept himself in great shape. Given what other DPs have said about the toll taken by the travel and various different playing environments, I'm a little uncertain about this move. In a midfield trio with Juni and McCarty however, they might be able to cater to his strengths and get the best out of him. I wish the guy luck. I also see this as a grand "STFU" to those declaring that Hauptman is a disinterested owner, indicative of the perils of the "closed league system".
The fans of that franchise desperately needed something to be hopeful about. As to Hauptman, I guess the question is whether he decided that the best way to get value out of a sale was to spruce up the club before putting it on the market - like dressing a house for realtors.
Having lived in Chicago for a bit, I do have a soft spot for the Fire as I went to a bunch of games at Soldier Field. Also, I do believe that the league is better when the original big market teams do well. so I'm glad their fans have something to look forward tooas well.
Not sure it belongs here, but apparently LAG will be playing ManU at Stub Hub this summer. Zip-a-de-doo-dah.
Wow I am so jealous of this move. Good job Chicago. The last time they had a DP of this magnitude Freddie Ljungberg was still playing. That midfield should super creative and be a complete beast at possession. Let's see if Chicago screws it up. Maybe they will finally turn a corner.
Unlike many of you, I think this sucks for Chicago. It has the same kind of stink as the Galaxy signing of Gerrard, a great player well past his prime. Bastian has not appeared in a single league match for Man U this year. In 2014/16, he was limited to 18 league appearances with 1 goal and 1 assist in all competitions. In 2014/15, in his last year at Bayern, he was somewhat more successful but he also had a team of superstars to cover for him.
Does he have his coaching credentials though? I'm honestly not sure how that works, but I always hear talk of players working towards their badges(?). Also LD seems all-in on San Diego in general and a San Diego MLS expansion team specifically.
I've never heard that he does have the badges, and he certainly doesn't have the coaching experience.
He's 32 isn't he? Well past his prime might be pushing it a little. Can't argue about his lack of playing time though and there have been rumors of him being slightly out of shape.
Well its Chicago's money, but I think there is plenty of reason to believe he is more like Gerrard then Beckham. Frankly, I don't think Jose at MUFC gives a crap about his age, he is concerned about production and he played poorly in 2015-16 for the same club. The gang at ESPN-FC panned the hiring as well, because they said (paraphrasing) with Dax and Juninho they didn't need help in the middle and should have focused on either the front or the back. IMO, after watching Chicago get torched by Atlanta, they could have used a JVD type a lot more than anything else.
Ya he is only 32 and just is definitely not done yet. The out of shape rumors never stuck. The guy is a true professional. Shame Mourihno never gave him a chance
32 was not too old for Beckham, or for Keane. I have no idea how he will adapt to MLS but writing him off only because of age is too simplistic. The more interesting question is how he fits into a McCarty - Juni midfield. I'm no expert but it does give me an additional reason to watch fire games.