Any pbp will be greatly appreciated, and duly repped. United may be horrible, but they're still my team.
Make the dollar great again On the plus side LA was equally flaccid A draw at home beats a 4-1 ass kicking in Cardiff any day (sob)
I had a totally different reaction. I thought it was the most exciting 0-0 draw I've ever seen. Nobody was loafing; Acosta actually played some defense; the refereeing was very good; Hamid was as good as he gets; and the Robinson-Opare tandem in central defense was strong. On the flip side, LA had more dangerous shots on goal and they dominated us in the air. We still need a strong finisher and a boss midfielder, but I thought our B or B+ team looked pretty decent. BTW, Ariel Lassiter was waiting to come on when the match ended. It would have been nice to see two DCU kids on the pitch together.
Great tailgate. Less horrifying than midweek. My son's a great drummer... for a 7 year old. Feel bad for Hamid and Acosta. Good to see Robinson out there. That's all I got.
They try hard -- they're just not very good. One could analyze this game to death, but most of the players DCU had on the pitch tonight won't be here next year -- Ortiz, Neagle, LeToux, Sam, Nyarko, Jeffrey and probably Opare. Hamid is a beast, Acosta can be a difference maker if there was someone else to play off of. My son and I sat in the Mezz wondering how Ortiz can be considered a professional forward. We thought he had to go at halftime, but then I looked at the bench and realize Chad Ashton is the "brains" behind the substitutions. Oh well, we've all been here before.
I agree that was a pretty fun game for a niller. Poor Ian Harkes will never score. That was such a glorious chance right at the end. I worry about Acosta. He needs some time with a sports psychologist. He's mighty, but his little shoulders are not wide enough to carry the entire team. His shot has no power. So taking long range shots is never going to be very fruitful (the goal at Atlanta was just very well placed). His obvious frustration with his teammates isn't going to wear well. Sam seems to be such a shell of his former self that I can't figure out what happened to him. He seemed to need a sub around 60 minutes that just never came. His reluctance to shoot is perplexing. I thought the defense looked pretty good. Maybe Olsen is paying attention to everyone begging for Robinson to get a chance. Harkes and Jeffrey worked very hard. Overall there's a lot of effort, but just not enough quality.
There's some quality hidden in this team, but it's hidden. Ortiz is not it. He has looked awful since he arrived. Why can't we find quality players from Central America? It's close enough to actually go and see what we're getting. Perplexing...
Meh ... at this point I don't have much hope for this roster. I'm looking at it as more of an audition for who's not getting booted out of town between this summer's transfer window and next offseason. From that perspective there are some positives. This team seems to have a lot of cheaper and younger players who can start in this league. Especially in defense and defensive midfield. The way this league is structured, you can't tie so much salary in those positions. We have players like Odoi Atsem, Opare, Robinson, Korb and Harkes who need to be promoted to save money. This could free us of the salaries of Boswell, Franklin, Sarvas and obviously Rolfe. Maybe even Neagle and/or Nyarko. Concentrate more of the salary into another two attacking game changers ... preferably DPs. I'm thinking a striker and a winger.
Speaking of wasted cap space, why the **** did we re sign Franklin again? We have like 4 capable right backs. Way to mismatch your assets Kasper. I mean at this point I'm comfortable with either Korb, Odoi Atsem or De Leon starting there. You could argue that even 3 is too much depth for one position. You could realistically drop Franklin and De Leon and still feel strong at the right back position. That opens up nearly $400K. For that money you can recruit a decent international player (if you knew how to identify players internationally)
I'd honestly forgotten that he was on the team. Did he get injured? That was a fun game. DC had their chances and they simply went begging. Ortiz is just awful.
Korb wasn't in the equation, but the idea is on point, a drum I started banging 6 weeks ago. Why are United paying so much for so little? It's too late now, barring a trade, but learn already. Spend money on the Acosta's of the game, not a past it Sarvas, Boswell, and Franklin. I mean duh. The open secret is the young players are outperforming the old guys anyway. There is no good reason not to run with it and ditch the rest by hook or by crook.
Based on this one game sample, Robinson isn't behind Birnbaum anymore, as far as performance. Fortunately, he'll play Open Cup, but unfortunately he'll rot on the bench otherwise. I don't have a problem keeping Birnbaum, but I do if it means paying him three times as much as Robinson. It's foolishness.
You clearly haven't watched this team for the last few years. This is who we are. We're the grizzled old guy in the bar with razor blades in his boots. You can get a playoff spot in MLS with a bunch of wily veterans and decent coaching. And then it's a 4-game non-losing streak to MLS Cup. So you want to dump the US National Teamer for the guy who had a decent first game of the season?
Within the context of my post, yes. If Birnbaum needs Boswell to hold his hand (an if, not a certainty, granted) in order to produce, who needs that? Birnbaum looks lost and behind the play.
I don't know ... Birnbaum is not where I'd start to blow up this team. There are about 10 other players on this roster that are bigger liabilities. Personally I'd go with Birnbaum and Opare as my 1st choice center back pairing for the rest of this season and going into next season. With De Leon and Kemp on the flanks. For better or worse. They're all 26 which is the age where you are just starting your prime years. Let them grow together. Sometimes you just have to have faith and be patient. One of the biggest problems DC has had recently is that too many of our assets are on the wrong side of 30 and in decline. Knowing this, it would be stupid to dump the few assets we have who are just entering their prime years.
Birnbaum is guaranteed 500k a year through 2019. Robinson makes 70k. Let that sink in. I get why they did it, he was a hot commodity they didn't want to lose to Europe for nothing. The question is, do they need him to win? I don't think they do, and if they can spend that money on an impact player that regularly contributes to wins, well... For such a cash strapped team, something has to give.
What is an asset? Is it a guy with Injury and concussion issues who really struggles with strong forwards? Taking salary away, I question it, adding salary to it and I'd be trying to move him like crazy.
Personally the only way I'd offload Birnbaum is a sale abroad. You could maybe get a $1 million fee. That kills two birds with one stone. Opens up cap space and gives you some allocation money. Otherwise I just don't see it, and I'll tell you why. You trade him within the league, and you can bet that he goes on the be an all star. DC's biggest problem is identifying starting caliber players. Even with his big salary and weaknesses, Birnbaum is still a legitimate starter in this league. Sure, we might have to overpay him a bit. But at least he's at the right age where you can still mold him and expect him to improve. We have so many upcoming holes on the team due to aging that I just feel uncomfortable losing anyone entering their prime. As for Robinson, I see him as the logical replacement for Boswell. In this league you need a 3 center back rotation anyways to succeed. Let's dump Boswell before we worry about Birnbaum.
You're playing it safe, and you would most likely keep your GM job longer than I would. He's still the best defender on the team, so it's a hard sell, I understand. But I'm really into reallocating the money to win a chip. Bold? Stupid? Depends on the result. Of course the best case scenario is selling him overseas. Not only the money, but it would mean he's played well and often beforehand.