The other thing is that in order to really benefit from a guy who is past his prime but has skills that are prized in MLS, you have to have the right pieces around them. You change your system to feature them. When you're getting a Lampard, a Pirlo, and Gerrard, or Beckham, what you are doing is buying close ball control, wicked shots, and stellar passing. Those are the things that are tough to get, especially the great first touch and one-touch passing. So you protect their legs, you don't make them play out of a role that they fit into, you don't kill their legs trying to make them box to box. This is why they are risky players on expansion teams. If you try to make them play like Yaya Toure in his prime, you're going to have problems. I think this is a bit of a problem right now, because as much as players mouth that MLS is getting better, that they watch the league, etc., it's not really true---they hear New York and assume it's a great place to land. Welllllll.....expansion teams without a good team spine to make it easier for a DP aren't exactly the most fun to play for. But they have money! I am not sure it is so much a blatant money grab as it is just not knowing the league. Because if I were a potential aging European DP, I'd look at LA, their history, the DP's they have made the most of, and say "OK, THAT is the kind of team I need to land on." The other team that has all the pieces to make things really easy for a DP is SKC. Lots of good parts. But you have to be flexible. You have to bend your team a bit. At this point in the league's history, they are still marquee talents that are worth changing your system a bit for.
Based on past behavior I assume part of that is Fat Frank really isn’t committed to the cause. I get the vibe he really does think MLS is a retirement league.
yes, but i would argue mls has become much much better. I don't smack myself in the head nearly as often as i used to. that said, i agree with you. nycfc can still turn it around tho, they are an expansion team after all and you don't just create a title contender over night. i also think we don't give Bruce nearly as much credit as he deserves for pulling world class stars and making them not only gel with each other but with guys WAY below their skill level. So far there hasn't been a single manager in MLS that has shown they can do this too. lastly, i hope Ronaldo reads your post and realizes going to lafc would be a mistake and he comes here instead
I want him back in some capacity he has and always will be a Galaxy man, no matter who he buys. I truly believe that LA is the only other club he has loved outside of United. Real was never close to his heart like we are
My conversion to "footy" started in the mid 90s. I was dating a gal whose family was from Liverpool, and she used to fill me in on all the cities and teams. When I asked her about Leeds, she said "They're the Oakland Raider fans of England."
Me too. Agreed. I know his people wanted him to retire with a championship in a 4th country for the PR, but I would like to have seen him retire in Galaxy colors – and in some ways I think he would have too. Winning a title with PSG must have felt a bit hollow after the blood, sweat and tears it took to win in LA.
That's my thing, he's played 4 games...2 against our biggest rivals at home, one at altitude, and one in probably the hottest place he's ever played a run of the mill league game. He's got a goal and 2 assists, and we've got 9 points with 11 for and 7 against. If he's not running enough for some people, and that's the result, sign me up.
Did you guys get any grief for the "F--- seattle!" chants? Do you ever? It did seem people were hesitant to shout along and it died off pretty quickly... unfortunately. It also sounded at times like the ACB had some kinda speaker system...? The STH event was very ho-hum. I was questioning braving the line in the sun too but, I went to the loo and when I walked out the line was almost gone and people were going in multiple entrances. I'm not sure how long it took to start but, the heat in the sun made it seem too long. 25 or so people left. Is that the way most of those things go? Twas my first. As for the game, was great to pull out the win but, we were pretty sloppy at times. Hopefully in short order our attack should be as lethal as ever but, it better be because the D is gonna make or break us. I'm in favor of a Rogers---AJ---Omar---Gargan back line. AJ is always pointing to put guys in place and CB is where he can do that more effectively. When it was him and Omar back there consistently, I believe it was Duni and Franklin on the outside. Omar was our only really tall guy in the back and it worked fine. I wish I had asked Bruce at the STH Event why he's got such a boner for Leo.
It's often boring because every time Omar is having a bad game there's a lot of talk about why are we giving him a DP contract. But when he's solid (he's been all season long), he doesn't get praise for this. It's been two years since we offered him a DP contract and now we can take stock : though it might not be the greatest move ever it doesn't look like a big error. Good defenders are not easy to find and nobody knows if we woud have won the 2014 MLS Cup without him.
Exactly. Omar played worse than Leo and we still won. Not going to complain about that. He will bounce back. Nothing to see here. Move along.
Diff between Omar and Leo is Omar makes mistakes when he plays bad but Leo makes HUGE errors that lead to goals when he plays bad on average. Leo plays very well usually but his errors are massive
Finally getting a chance to comment on this one. I think everyone was a little frustrated that we didn't walk all over SEA in this match, but that was a probably a lofty expectation to begin with, even with their injuries. Still, I'm betting some of the players let their guard down too given how we reacted in the first half. Whoever called trap game was totally right (I wasn't there in person, but the atmosphere in the stadium, even, seemed very tense). In a match where you come from behind to win 3-1 while still partially sleepwalking, it's hard to complain...but while it feels like we can score goals at will, which is what we all expect, I think we all notice our defense can be very suspect at times. More on that later, but first some kneejerks: Keane: Had a good game as usual, though I don't think he and Gio were found enough in the first half. Neither is really a target for long balls out of midfield, which seemed to cause some problems in the first half. Very nice pass on Gio's goal, though. What more can you say? It's Keane. Gio: Can we just say "GIOVANI!" for his goal announcement? Had some nice moments and took his goal well. Can't wait to see what he'll do when he gets on the ball more. Zardes: Had a nice goal and was pretty involved on both sides of the ball. Had some defensive mistakes, but his recoveries in midfield and slashing runs were the few bright spots of possession in the first half I can remember. Gyasi also has a pretty excellent through-ball and hit one of the best of the match, next to Gerrard's. Speaking of: Gerrard: I'll quote myself from another thread: No doubt, Gerrard has the pedigree. You can see the way he sees the game is just on another level from everyone on the pitch, including guys like Keane and Dos Santos. The way he's able to influence the game just with his off-the-ball movement, for instance, is impressive. However, he just doesn't provide the rabid, unrelenting coverage that Sarvas provided which is what helped us impose our style on just about anyone. There was a point in the game where a Seattle midfielder (Evans?) received a pass totally unmarked and was able to carry the ball about 20 yards before someone closed him down. Gerrard was 20 yards up-field giving the universal "my bad" gesture. Granted--no one expects Gerrard to be making insane recoveries every minute, but it's precisely the stuff the guy he replaced used to do and it helped us from being disrupted by high-pressing teams like Seattle. The fact that a weakened Seattle midfield was able to disrupt our game at home so effectively for 35 minutes worries me for the nitty-gritty playoff and CCL matches. Lletget: Not sure how we will hold onto him. The last player that had this good of a start for the Galaxy that I can remember is Robbie Keane.
I was one of those that was uncomfortable giving him a DP salary. I was 100% wrong. And now that TAM has come into play to enable us to keep him for now? Even better. Best CB in the league, even with his stinker this past weekend. Sidebar: the fact that Miazga in NY is playing near Omar (which he is in terms of stats) is amazing and he should be a national team prospect. And NY should be wondering about what kind of raise they are going to give the kid next year. He deserves one, and he should have a national team invite as well with how Brooks/Alvarado have been playing. Hell, I wouldn't mind seeing Miazga/Gonzo in January camp.
Yeah this worries me. Gio is potentially here for the long term, Keane and Gerrard have likely 2 more season left max, maybe only 1 after this. So how do we keep Lletget and Zardes (both could be DP worthy in the next year or so).
Lleget wasn't really in a position to negotiate a non-standard contact. It would seem likely he's contractually obligated to LA through the 2016 season and possibly 2018 depending on the contract. Three years is a long time in MLS land; who knows what extra Garber Bucks might be on the table. Getting Lleget a USMNT call would help immensely.
I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees this. Our midfield with Gerrard is good when we have the ball, it is looking exciting. But no offense to those posting the Sarvas vs Gerrard comparison for goals and assists. It is all about our midfield when we don't have the ball. Gerrard is still way behind Sarvas in this regard. Gerrard is no slouch filling the passing lanes and if he can get near the ball can win it, but the work that Sarvas put in closing down space was phenomenal. I miss some of those clattering fouls, but most of all those game moments where you could see Sarvas just decide to leave it all on the field and turn up his intensity like someone who was playing his last game. The good news is I think Letget and Zardes may be able to pick up some of the midfield work, but they have to keep improving as defenders. Oh and I think There's a chance Letget stays if we have him signed to a multi yea contract we give him a max raises on it (still bargain say ) with the opportunity to move centrally takeover Gerrard's spot in 2017 and then perhaps have contract grow with him. ( who knows what the Omar DP will be called in 2017)
As long as we have DP room to sign Cristiano Ronaldo in 2 years if Robbie and Gerrard retire or leave LA by then, I'd be okay with handing at least one of those guys a DP spot. This is what I would do however. The team is going to revolve around Gio so make sure he has a good DP contract. Of course sign CR7 if remotely possible. Give Omar DP contract 3. Make Zardes our TAM guy. Finally give Lleget, that Juninho level pay with regular allocation cash. Starting ASAP we need to be on constant watch for quality defensive guys that are affordable. LA 2018 Big Money Players Cristiano Ronaldo = DP1 (I have learned to never say never when it comes to signings with the league) Gio Dos Santos = DP2 Omar Gonzo = DP3 Zardes = TAM Lleget = Allocation Pay Down Juninho = Allocation Pay Down
The irony is that I think what would really be best for Gerrard is Sarvas next to him doing his "running around like an insane person closing everything down" deal.
The lack of hustle on defense from the start of the game is why I wouldn't give Gerrard MOTM. Gerrard was the closest person to Erik Friberg and didn't make any effort to close him down. Instead he gave Friberg yards of space and Friberg was able to loft a perfect ball into the box uncontested.