Here finally are player ratings for 2017. https://wp.me/p5ioea-2gg Sorry they're so late and you probably just want to put the season behind you. As some of you already know, there was a very good reason but I wanted to keep the tradition up.
Can't argue with any of it. Pretty accurate. And you are a better human than I for putting in that much time and effort to describe so much dreck....
Ugh... 2017. Our 2017 season was predetermined before opening day when we had threeish proven (at MLS level) defenders on the roster and no one in management seemed to give a shit. I’m thrilled with our signings (and rumored signings) to date this offseason. All are actually addressing needs (I know our needs are everything...) and I think we will put this misery behind us in 2018. Happy new year everyone!
Very well done, Barroldinho. I agree with most of your ratings* and appreciate your injecting some humor into a dark place. *Personally I would give Alessandrini his full A. What more could the guy do? And he gets extra credit for never giving up despite the mounting losses and being surrounded by nitwits.
Love your optimism! Already sent my thanks on Twitter for this gem of a season summary, but for my friends here, thanks for a great read, especially the trashing of Jermaine Jones, which I read with relish.
Jones reminds me of the alcoholic/addict relative or friend who occasionally gets their act together. We shower them with praise for cleaning up, but they always disappoint us in the long run.
Your review prompted me to review the Galaxy's official stats. I noted that 3 of the top 5 players with assists, Jones, Jose Villerreal and Rafael Garcia are no longer with the team. Meanwhile, Jona Dos Santos and a C ranking only contributed 1 goal and 1 assist. Even allowing for his late start and unfamiliarity with teammates, I don't think its unreasonable that he should have contributed more and that his grade should be lower as a result.
I think an F for Jones was harsh from a playing perspective (he was both good and awful) but deserved from a personality perspective (the guy is a first class a-hole). I game Barroldinho artistic license in this grading instance. As far as the JDS rating - he wasn't "great" but he was a defensive midfielder who didn't venture up front very often and almost never turned the ball over. Wish I could say the same for our other DM's.
I agree that Jones's personality engendered hostility among many Galaxy fans. As for Jona, I wish his play could be attributed to him playing as a 6 for the majority of his time here. However, I don't recall him playing the 6 much if at all. Jones played the 6 role for most of Jona's time with the Galaxy (and did it well). To the best of my recollection Jona mainly played ;ike a withdrawn version of Gio, spinning away from pressure and dribbling around until he could feed the ball to his preferred target - Gio. Otherwise, his game was unremarkable.
"Regardless, it basically amounted to a full-sized leather football, kicked full-pelt at virtually point blank range into my crotch. My eyes watered. My unmentionables stung. All breath was expelled from my body. A familiar yet indescribable heavy ache started to spread throughout my stomach. That experience was more pleasant than the 2017 Los Angeles Galaxy Season." LOL