The reason this signing is great is because FINALLY this is the combination profile/pedigree/caliber a market the size of Philly warrants. I’m more than pleased right now.. even if he doesn’t work out, this is the type of ambition we should have and the type of player we should be targeting. It’s a “finally” type of moment. My only fear at this point is the team will point to this as evidence they are doing enough... this needs to be the start of something, not the end point... not something that just appeases us until the next year. Don’t stagnate, continue to build, continue to grow, do more of this. Next step needs to be paying a substantial transfer fee that goes beyond the 1 million paid for Bedoya... yes Marco will have a high salary, but this is still a very thrifty deal. I’ll stull be looking for spending in the future.
A little more info on how the Fabian signing came together: https://www.prosoccerusa.com/mls/ph...s-albright-set-marco-fabian-deal-into-motion/
I understand your point, but paying for someone doesn't necessarily equate to success. Yes, it shows initiative and an attempt to improve, but it's not an end-all-be-all. Sugarman is no Arthur Blank, so there's a snowball's chance in hell we'll ever see a $14M transfer fee paid ... I see a lot of folks shitting on this signing because the team didn't shell out serious cash to pry him away from Germany. I get that. But, it's also a good bit of business, a low-risk/high-reward kind of thing. And, so far, Marco is saying all the right things, making the media rounds (Inquirer front page, Sixers' game & jersey swap w/ the new guy, etc). I can't help but not be excited for the upcoming season ... staying cautiously optimistic, though.
I don't disagree.. would obviously rather have the team make smart business decisions than stupid ones, and obviously getting any player for free is much better than paying. I think it just goes back to mindset of the fanbase and the overarching narrative around this team. I'm coming from a standpoint of, most people sort of assumed they would still need to pay a transfer fee of around 1M to get Fabian... if they didn't need to pay that fee, than they should use that money to buy a different 1M dollar player... it should mean the funds are still there to go out and improve even more. now the narrative shifts to, well maybe the funds were never there in the first place and the Union just got really really lucky they could find a player like Fabian for free. It's not an indictment of the deal itself, it's more of a shot at what does or doesn't happen next... Always concern with the bigger picture.. getting a player like this for free is always a positive, but a deal like this for another team gives their fans a sense that the team still has those extra transfer funds to go out and keep buying... with the Union it's still shrouded in doubt.
I am glad they were able to make a deal but it is kinda just treading water.They basically brought in a player I feel is at about the same level as Dockal with better domestic marketing opportunities. It's not like we had some killer team already and this guy was the cherry on top. Thats basically treading water. What we don't know yet is if changing up some of the tactics we have been married too for the past few years will produce better results. I think it will but probably only marginally.
I didn't read Mike Tom Mike's comment that way, in fact he's been firmly on the side of this is a good deal. I think what we've been saying is "great job, now keep it up". If they can keep finding dudes on a free, rock on, but that means more investment in scouting to find those deals. For me, I think its a great signing. I was very meh when it looked like we were keeping him warm for Bex. But a quality guy on a free is always smart. I know everyone reads the "club options" like this team is in control of something, but if Marco wants out, he'll go. Let's not kid ourselves. His value off the field is greater than his abilities on it for me. No, not the Mexican community stuff, that's cool and all but they'll need to actually follow up on stuff like Spanish language marketing,etc. I'm more excited that he may be the locator beacon for other guys in Bundesliga. There's a ton of talent there and Bundi2. I was hopeful that Earnie would find bargain guys on teams that were relegated or who had become surplus who could walk in and be starters here. Like Medunjanin was that guy 4 years ago. We need those guys. Maybe Santos is quite the find. Kacper is the one I'm intrigued about, everyone is assuming he's a Steel guy but I think he's a straight CJ replacement. TL;DR - Fabian was good business. More is needed.
I don't see how anyone can see the Fabian signing as anything other than a great deal and one where the Union learned its lesson from the Dockal deal. Last year, we all talked about how the Dockal deal was a lose-lose. If he was a bust, the Union would waste a lot of money. If he was great, the Union would not be able to afford his transfer rights. The latter happened, and Dockal is no more. With the Fabian deal, it's a win-win. If he doesn't pan out, it's one year and gone. If he does pan out, the Union can exercise his option for next season and then for a third season. Better yet, if he experiences a resurgence, the Union have two years to transfer him and cash in. Best case scenario (from the Front Office standpoint) is that he is as good as Dockal and they transfer Fabian after this season or next season for a fee of $3M+. Based on the recent comments of Tanner and Curtin, the inside track to Opening Day's Starting XI seems to be the following: Picault-Santos Fabian Jones-Bedoya Medunjanin Wagner-Trusty-McKenzie-Mbaizo Blake Note that this is a back 4 aged 21 and under. Burke and Sapong will compete with Santos. Accam will compete with Fafa. Creavalle will push Jones. At outside back, Real, Fabinho and Gaddis will compete with Wagner and Mbaizo. Collin and Elliott will compete for bench CB. Even though they call it a 4-4-2, I think it's going to look a lot like a 3-5-2 when they have the ball. On offense, Medunjanin will drop between the centerbacks like he did last season and the outside backs will push up past the two central midfielders.
I Wagner definitely over Real in the depth chart? Oustide of who pair with Santos up top that is my biggest question.
Real (and Fontana) will be with the US U-20 World Cup team from early May through some point in June so it is unclear whether they would to start Real and then lose him less than two months in. Also, I'm not convinced that Real is the "winger who can cover the entire left side of the field" like Tanner wants. The hope may be for Real to have a strong World Cup and then to sell him without featuring him (and potentially exposing his flaws) in MLS in March and April.
I'm excited for this season just because there are so many question marks. Even if they are bad, it will be so much more exciting than the bland predictable Union team of the last couple seasons. Will Santos be good? Will Marco stay healthy? Will the Union actually try to develop a young center midfielder? How will a new formation look/play? (????) Who the ******** is starting on the outside backs? Are we not ever planning wingers?
Re: Fabian...a good rule of thumb is you get what you pay for. Unless you are Al Davis. Not to say only big dollar deals produce results but the stories of low investment high return should not convince someone to make that their strategy. (see: Kramden, Ralph) Let’s be optimistic this works but teams rarely let value leave without compensation. They have a fan base and board to respond to so the idea they did Philly a favor or we talked them out of a player seem like positive spin.
Sadly, I separately told two casual Union fans that the team had signed a high quality midfielder, and, without knowing anything about Fabian, each immediately asked "how long until he's injured"?
Funny you should ask...he hasn't really played since having extensive back surgery a couple years ago.
Per source, hearing that C. J. Sapong is being traded to the Chicago Fire for allocation money. "Significant amount" of GAM and TAM I'm told. #DOOP— Kristian Dyer (@KristianRDyer) February 23, 2019 Up to $450K is apparently the number