Something about playoff time that we always lose key players to suspension or injury. Happy we made it further than I expected this year. My most annoying aspects of last night was losing but most of all having to listen to Taylor Twellman suck off everything and everybody on Seattle. That guy is incapable of calling a Dynamo game. He'd be biased with a high school team over the Dynamo. Get over it dude. You Lost!! Acting like a bitter little whiny bitch isnt gonna get you your world cup spot back or any of those other games you lost against Houston.
Bruin is not better than Cubo, LOL. Put Cubo with Toronto or Seattle and he scores 20. You do know that he scored 14 for our limited team.
I don't think that required calculus skills, looking at previous years it was Manotas then Bruin then Torres. I think Torres is a figment of the scheme and what Bruin did relative to him should cement what we do on his options. More pointedly, I'm not sure any forward we have save Elis is really worth keeping if we want to progress and not be a scrappy over-achiever team that can't hold up the ball and misses way too many shots. But I would not be surprised if Jordan retains him on goals alone. Even if he has a pretty clear pattern of performing when meaningless and doing nothing money on the table.
They were on the same team before and the stats are what they are. As with his time at CUSA strip out the PKs and free kicks and tell me what's left. So what you have is a melded ok midfield kick taker and ok forward garbage man who doesn't stand out in any way.
I agree sign Elis, one thing often overlooked is the value of him marauding down a line. Though I think Quioto needs to go because then they can't just park their fastest defender on Elis. Don't we have a Torres option? I felt like both our mids and our backs were overrun last night, your shopping list acknowledges the latter, but I'm not sold if we ditch Alex and retire Clark and come back with Martinez and Cabezas that's necessarily a good thing. I'd say give Martinez time because he's probably contracted anyway, but I wouldn't pay to keep Cabezas, which is probably what that involves. I saw a team passing on us at will. Where is the 6 destruction? Keep shopping.
Good to see many saw what I saw. I thought we were overmatched and there by over-achievement and trying to fight uphill and it's a fair result. But the tactics and personnel were mindboggling. Some scoring opportunities went wanting for lack of numbers forward. Elimination game and you don't have enough frontline types and the formation tilted enough to have anyone in the box? Was like we were trying to avoid embarrassment and play controlled soccer and ended up playing with 10 and losing 3-0 anyway. In which case roll the dice anyway. Like I said in preseason, this was a "win now" unit, and it did ok. Going forward there continues to be the competitive payroll issue, and secondarily the way Jordan designed this thing it basically has to be rebuilt again this offseason, and that to me risks him blowing another scouting effort, and we will keep going through the cycle quickly. The one virtue of the attacking half is save Sanchez most are young and it's a performance or dollars and cents decision. But keeper, backline, some of the mids.......dessicated. I think this could be better with a younger, more mobile set of mids and backs. But you go that direction and you have to be willing to take these sorts of "Martinez" and "Cabezas" risks as opposed to punching the "Beasley" or "Leonardo" safe buttons. The players will not be as obviously laden with CV items, he will have to scout them well. But then it becomes a 5-10 year project and not a cheap, slap it together veterans to try to get people to buy tickets sort of effort.
Sign Elis, Quioto, and Manotas to deals. That is our future up front with Martinez sitting behind them. Get AJ healthy and back on the field then find better options for defenders. Get Deric a counselor, a good lawyer and a new piece of pussy because we need him in between the sticks.
Reality check on all roster decisions should be, you literally made it to the conference final and just saw what the two-time defending conference champion did to your team. It might have been a fluke to get there this year but with that information a wise GM can then pretty pointedly assess who is or is not ready to play should we return to that level of competition in upcoming seasons, and specifically who is prepared to hold their own against Seattle. To me it's kind of like the repeated LA matchups we had from 09-13 or so, you know the road to a final goes through a certain city right now, you have to approach this with eyes open about whether each player could compete. We didn't lose in the first round to blah blah team after nonetheless playing well, you can't just sign people in the abstract. We made the conference championship and a whole chunk of people looked over their head. If the goal is playing at that level or winning that game you can't just pretend it didn't happen and go back to an abstracted rebuilding project where maybe x is improved next season, etc. A specific example of this from the LA years was Ching in decay. We blew years of playoff chances basing our plans on Ching being part of the production, and then would play LA and get shut out or score once. A smart organization plays close attention to how their team handles their playoff rivals, even closer than how they handle the regular season. Because as a now-playoff team, it shouldn't just be he's a solid starter who can make the playoffs, it should be, does this guy get us competitive with Seattle next year. The longer the list of returning players you offer today, the more I think you didn't get the point of the last two games in terms of whether those names are ready for it.
Evaluated in terms of how'd they handle Seattle: I thought Elis gave them fits. I think you could try to coach out of him the card propensity. Manotas to me was marginal and honestly looked out of his depth like Bruin had before him. He'd get the ball in the spot and flub it. So Elis I'd buy, and Manotas, I'd be curious on his contract. If we're committed, I think he's a rotation guy, not a starter. If he's out of contract, the question is, can you get someone athletic who could do better in the same spots. Other than that, when push came to shove we were only using two of the specialist forwards at a time. I feel like Torres not even starting should mean no option, he's way too expensive to be bench. Quioto in comparison is probably under contract, but he disappeared early in the season as a dominant force, and like Torres I'm like, is there an exit strategy? Elis scares people. Quioto to me doesn't. I did feel like Sanchez played well in the attack, but if that effort is properly considered, he's a jillion years old and was here to take us this year as far as he could. What I get from how he stood out, is actually how little the mainline midfield could do. The new kids weren't giving Seattle grief, it was the 37-year-old afterthought we added in spring training (and arguably added because we were looking for a spark we felt was already missing). I wouldn't care if Martinez and Cabezas got angry and did stupid stuff if they also produced. That's the heat of the playoffs. But what I saw was impotent frustration, I'm going to kick or shove someone because I can't accomplish anything else. Is that what you want to build around? No Clark, no Alexander, no Alex, we shouldn't perpetuate the non-playoff teams, age, and in Alex's case I got the sense he was being phased out. The defense is a teardown on age and performance grounds. You might keep Machado and might consider him as a RB for a change. But I felt like the backline was a running issue all season, too old, and when the bench was called upon it was exposed. Willis saved a PK but shipped 5 goals in 2 games, which is in line with general expectations from him. Deric has had recurring health and legal issues for years, much as I like the kid. That position should be razed to the ground and rebuilt. I felt like we slapped together enough for a run but are in a similar spot to 2015 when we missed the playoffs but liked two frustrating vets, signed the vets and built around them and then found out the returned team was crap. This team over-achieved and next year unless improved teams have learned to sit back. I'd like to see a more technical and mobile midfield, and Elis paired with another similar wing forward who can run like hell also. I am going to be curious whether they pump some payroll into this.
The Bruin comment is pure comedy. Some of ya'll need to step back from the stat sheet and watch a few games. His one positive is that he gives you everything. Whether or not what he gives you is good or not is a different story. Im happy he found a role in Seattle and is happy. I'm also ecstatic I don't have to watch him in a Dynamo jersey anymore.
Cubo was really good his first year in the league. He’s back up to ok this season. He still isn’t as good as he was that first year.
Cubo scored some goals but I stand behind my idea of how the forwards rank. A complete rank would be something like: Elis Manotas Bruin Quioto (present form) Torres Wenger I ain't saying I want Bruin back, but I am saying reality check about whether to build around some of the ones we do have. If you pull out PKs, 2017 becomes Manotas 10, Elis/Torres 9, Quioto 7. If you pulled out free kicks from that, both Torres and Quioto drop some more. That gets you to run of play goals and puts some stank behind the argument that Elis and Manotas are what actually works run of play. Don't let the kick-taking confuse you because Torres and Quioto noticeably quit taking kicks as much as the year progressed. And the holes dried up too hmmmm. If you go back to last year, playing on this team and without many other players of talent to set them up, it was Manotas/Wenger 6, Bruin 4, Torres 0. I stand behind that as relative quality that year. I have no desire to go back to Bruin but after a series where he scored a few times and the new guys didn't, sorry, that's a reality check on the value of some of them. It's not their fault per se we got our tails kicked, but I see it as a reality check when I look at the postseason stats for 5 games and it's: G- 1 each for Remick, Elis, Manotas. A- 1 each for Anibaba, Alexander, Sanchez, and Martinez. I'm not saying that list is franchise all-time greats but I notice the names who did or didn't produce a thing in 5 games of postseason play. Torres costs a good chunk of a million and last put a stat on the board in August. I prefer Quioto but even he hasn't done a thing since the regular season finale.
whats wrong with set piece goals? do i care if the goal comes while thr ball is dead or moving? no, i do not. just put the damn thing in the back of the net.
I understand that Seattle is on the left coast and environmentally friendly, but they really need to reconsider that 1/4 ply TP. MORE HERE
Yet another reason to root for Toronto in the final, loser Sounder fans http://deadspin.com/seattle-sounders-fans-are-hopping-mad-at-beer-1820945875
I already explained the issue, that chances are when midfield is rebuilt that guy is taking the kicks and not some forward. If you then don't make distinctions you have confused a guy with less than 9 goals doing his real job with a 14 goal stud. As it was Sanchez and Alex and others were taking kicks deep in the season, and Torres was often off the bench as a second half sub. So he's a bench player with our highest salary, single digit goals "as a forward," and one of his offerings (kick taker) is really what a 10 should do. It's a mirage and I just hope we aren't/weren't dumb enough to pick up the option because the numbers looked superficially compelling. Like I spelled out in my bit, he was probably our 3rd or 4th most effective forward from the run of play.
Juve, he can spin it however you want. We made it far past what you thought we were going to do. I said in the beginning of the season that making the playoffs was the goal, anything after that was bonus time! We got out played in the Conf. Final, plain and simple, that team at that point in time was better. We can question coaching decisions till we are blew in the face, but the fact of the matter is you or I couldn't have done better. He changed this team from wildly boring team to an attacking threat that will need more work this off season in (wait for it)...... ONE ********ING SEASON! It could be a fluke we got that far or.... or we earned it (not trying to bite off the astros slogan). I think we earned it, with some luck at times. In this league you need a little luck to make a run. Our defense has been suspect for the last couple of years, but or offense we great in the early years, really good about 5 years ago and pathetic after. This year we were really scary at home and mediocre away. Torres is not the final answer up front, him leaving won't hurt my feelings. Elis and Quito leaving would, Quito needs to get a healthy. I've never doubted Manotas as the future, just wasn't expecting it to be sooner like he has come along now, which is a good thing. People doubted Martinez, but he was solid in the final part of the season. Hopefully will get better next season. It hurts losing how and when we did, but being hyper critical about everything is ridiculous. We weren't in the conversation at the beginning of the season or right before playoff time, but we ground out a very positive end to the season.
You are one funny guy. If you can't see the difference between Bruin and Cubo I don't know what to tell you. The fact is that the two teams in the MLS Cup has the highest salary, which means they have the best players. We overachieved for our budget and it would be hard to win another MLS Cup with the current owners.
Both guys play the 9 role and bluntly Bruin is better at it. Torres is better at high pressure chasing defenders but you saw how deep into the season that level of effort lasted. As the season progressed it became Elis' team, with speed driving the offense from the wings instead of defense from the top (as the season progressed how many of those steals did Torres continue to get, and how often was he really trying....), and Elis was even getting the dead ball headers you expect for the 9 to get. Apples to apples: 2017 PO Bruin: 2 goals, Torres, 0 goals 2017 RS Bruin 11 goals, Torres 14 goals (but taking kicks, which means it's really <9) 2016 RS Bruin 4 goals, Torres 0 goals 2015 RS Bruin 11 goals, Torres 0 goals So, darned skippy, Bruin over Torres. But I am not selling pro-Bruin, really, I am selling move on and get us another forward. When the forward who was supposed to make you forget the slop-fest isn't really better, move on. Find the one who does. Over those 3 years plus a playoffs, it's like 28-14 in favor of Bruin. And I can't get over the fact our most expensive player and forward didn't have a playoff goal or assist. My blunt opinion he's a technical Eddie Johnson who runs very hot and cold and depends on those around him to produce. He magically looks better with three other forwards with 10 goals. But do I ignore how those were his first league goals in 3 years on the team? The blinkered affection for Torres just on goals scored reminds me of how Bruin was lauded right up until his production dropped and those same failings were seen as more telling.
In terms of the mids, I am underwhelmed. I anticipate Martinez gets retained because he is a recent signing and was ok. I assume he is not in an option nor will we cut a player in year 2 who played ok, no matter his salary. But I think the concept was he would playmake and in reality him and Cabezas as the season progressed were more in the realm of hard men. The team prospered more because we played 11 man defense than because they were busy setting up Elis. But this team lives off of feeding the forwards on the counter. So who will play make? That Sanchez stood out in the playoffs arguably says something about the mids. Where are the dead balls and assists from the mids? Alex went cold as the season progressed and it's a contract year. I think he was relegated to sub because they knew what the plan was after this season. Ditto Boniek and Clark. But that Sanchez stood out should also reflect on the others, Alexander, Martinez. If the concept is that the mids are going to be more in the manner of legbreakers and the forwards are going to set each other up, I felt like we in key games got too clunky to get the forwards the ball, and more pointedly some good attacking teams racked up some possession and goals at our expense which makes me question if Martinez/Cabezas is the future in cleaning up other offenses. Seattle could pass on us at will and they took turns getting ejected. Now, I wouldn't be surprised if that is the planned future foundation, I just think it's naïve if we have aspirations. You need a d-mid capable of stopping a Portland, Seattle, Toronto.
You are spot on when it comes to your opinion on the Mids.... Alex was looking like one of the best mid fielders in the league at one point. Late in to the season, he looks average at best, playoffs he wasn't half the player. I think the coach realized Elis was the vocal point of the attack with Manotas's speed that could match Elis's aggressiveness on the ball toward goal. Torres couldn't provide that, Martinez saw the field faster at time than Torres, so he fit in with what we saw working on attacks, so did Sanchez. Torres always seemed a little slow out of the gate to move. I'm going to argue Will Bruin anymore... he doesn't play for us. Hope he wins a title against Toronto.
It was a hellava a run! Need to send of Rico in good order somehow next seaon! As always, DALE DYNAMO!!!
What's odd is on this official roster chart Columbus has a roster breakdown and we have a deadline but no list. https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/11/24/contract-deadline-day-2017-stay-date-all-moves-around-mls