Revs Roster 2018 - III

Mancienne has received his visa: https://www.thebentmusket.com/2018/...expected-to-train-with-revolution-on-thursday

Report suggests he stil may not play this week

 

I can sum him not at least being in the 18 and Machado not playing at least 60 minutes in 3 letters... WTF

 

After Antonio Delamea sounds off, New England Revolution stand together
https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2018...-sounds-new-england-revolution-stand-together

I put this in the roster thread, as I found the author's angle to include Diego's quote at the end very interesting. It is almost like the players (Or only Diego himself) were maybe counting on the Revs to bring in a stud during the window?? He does not seem to imply any help coming from Mancienne and Machado. Again, I just feel no real stud, no real leader.

“After last game, we came into the locker room and said nobody is going to walk into these doors and help us out,” Fagundez said. “We have to make sure we’re all sticking together. It’s the only way.”​

 

Perhaps Brad and Mikey are two peas in a pod, after all..... There is no waking from the Slumber of the Revs, eh?.....

 

I'll actually defend Friedel on this one. He's quite right.

Only, awkwardly enough, his comments apply to his bosses with equal force.

 

So Brad, in other words, coaching in MLS is harder than you thought it would be? Your experience in Europe didn't prepare you for this job as much as you thought it would?

 

Maybe what he's saying is coaching marginal players is harder than coaching a good team in Europe.

It all comes back to Burns being the ball and chain on this team. No coach can produce a top team if he is not given the talent to do it. We do not have the talent and Burns doesnt ever sign any. He doesnt even hold them if we manage to get some. A constant stream of mediocre players, cast offs and projects. Im tired of it

 

The Friedel quote from above "I think you have to first instill that losing isn't acceptable" made me think of some of the things Pepe Moreno said on his way out the door. I could not find his quotes from back then, but I remember thinking that although they might be sour grapes I believed that they provided an outsiders view behind the curtain regarding how important wins and losses were to the players.

I also read the two quotes below and see a coach struggling to find out how to motivate professionals. I think BF is probably surprised that motivating these guys is a challenge.

"over here we have to devise some other plans to make sure there are some repercussions for losing"

"you have to try to find other ways to get that winning mentality"

I think we will see even more turnover this off season. I think BF will try to bring in players who he considers properly motivated professionals even if they are not that much better at the game in an effort to make a culture change.

 

- what's infuriating about it???
- he's not making any excuses. He's just describing a reality of MLS and a comparison to the European Leagues he's played in. He never said anything about the Revs having any more of a problem with it than anyone else.

Man, the guy speaks frankly in an interview and actually says some interesting (and true) things and people read all kinds of other things into it.

Fact: there are fewer incentives for players to perform than in the European leagues. Over "there", players get absolutely roasted by the media and the public for subpar performances. That just doesn't happen here.

 

I'm really shocked that people are turning on Friedel already. Okay, so he hasn't been able to completely transform a team that was on a downhill slide for several years in his first season. Maybe that expectation, though tempting, was a little unrealistic?

 

Again, you're reading into it by 1) suggesting that maybe he didn't know it, and 2) suggesting that there's any implication that this is unique to his situation.

So, you haven't heard any another coach make those comments? So what? Maybe he was just being more frank about the challenges he's faced.

What's the point of complaining about how things are over there? Maybe the interviewer asked him about the differences, challenges, etc.?

 

Well, yeah, things are different... I lived in another country for more than 3 years and once someone asked me which is better. The thing is, some things are better here and some things are better there. It's not better or worse, it's just different.

For the same reason it may be easier to recruit guys with the "American lifestyle," meaning no one will kidnap your family or throw rocks at your car or stalk your house and hassle you wherever you go if you lose 4 games in a row, there is less pressure. For one thing, the media does not hold anyone accountable. Even if it was the level of scrutiny of other major sports, it would be a different story.

In the early years of MLS, players were paid less, but there were significant bonuses for team wins. A minimum salaried player (who might not get a lot of minutes) would still get about 50% more in bonuses on a good team. They'd also get bonuses for starts, etc. so there was a financial incentive, even if you're on a crappy team, to work hard and get the start if you're a marginal player. Now I'm glad they don't make $24,000 a year any more, but still, a $60,000 rookie could still use and extra 10-15 grand!

Anyway, the bottom line is that Friedel, and not anyone else, is responsible for motivating the players to make sure the team selection is the best it can be, the players are mentally ready to go, and they give their best effort. I said this before, but one of the most disappointing things of the Friedel era is the tendency to give up late goals that cost them points. LA, Orlando, and even though there was still time in the Philly game, it was really disheartening to see such a stupid play cost them the game. That was the kind of stuff I thought would stop under a manager like Friedel.

 

I remember some quotes (and I even posted WTF at the time) from Farrell and Agudelo (I think?) that said how amazed they were how professional Friedel was and what he was demanding and the professional environment he was creating. These guys were not new professionals and Agudelo had been to Europe. WTF.

So it shows the lack of environment that Heaps created, and in conjunction these players had no stud players to “model” after, no one to strive towards, no one to learn from on the field. That is what young pros need - not just a coach. They probably looked around and thought, nothing being done about Heaps, no new players coming in or wanting to come in, nothing with stadium or practice facilities (at the time), no marketing, I get to play in front of families and friends and give some sound bites, get some new cleats every other week. Cush little job here, no? Especially some of the players who were not really pushed who have put up some pretty crazy stat numbers in terms of minutes played.

So, I agree with VT, Friedel is going to go get new guys who will be “new” to his system and environment and might be mentally tougher from the get-go. Heaps never found the right mentality and the players that he brought in have actually regressed in that mentality that it is hard for them to turn it around – especially over the course of a full season – hence our kaput every summer under Heaps and even into this year.

Only Jones had the pedigree and chops to come in and whip everyone into shape.

I take that to what Friedel is bemoaning. But Fridel also has to be careful. He is sounding a little Klinsmann-esque here (and he was a JK disciple) and has to be careful of the blame game. His ability as a manager is about navigating these waters and demanding the right level of player from Krafts – to help create that winning environment, that winning culture. Not constantly complaining after every loss.

Friedel seems to have the right ideas - but how he executes will determine if he is an up and coming manager, or someone who is not.

 

Except he doesn't talk about talent at all. He talks about motivational tools available to coaches in Europe (where he learned to be a coach) that aren't available to him now. It makes it sound like he was "caught off guard" by the difference, although I don't believe that is the case.

He sounds like a coach grasping at straws to come up with a solution to end this winless streak, and not finding any. It is to be expected when you hire an inexperienced coach. By contrast, expansion teams like ATL and LA2 can have instant success by hiring experienced coaches.

Yes, Nicol caught lightning in a bottle his rookie season, but it was a vastly different league back then.

 

I agree Monty, am going to call BS on the whole Pro/Rel comment. This league is what 22 years old now? It has never had Pro/Rel and probably never will. For him to come to MLS fand after 10 months decide that the team is not performing because they don't have the fear of relegation that other players around the world does is a cop out. He can't come out and say there is not enough talent here to win or that the organization lacks vision. No way he will say its his fault to he picks apart the league. I just lost some respect for him.......Always liked Keller better!!!

 

This isn't that complicated. Pro/rel is merely Friedel's poorly-chosen metaphor for the seeming lack of grit and and dedication to winning that we are exhibiting.

 

Someone should throw this tweet towards Lalas, Twellman, Dunseth and Meloa (Counterattack), the MLS guys(Doyle, etc).

See what kind of response people raise based on Brad's comments.

 

Okay, here's what he didn't say:

- this is why the team has been losing
- this is a situation unique to the Revs
- I had no idea this would be the case
- I just realized this

No one should have doubted that this was going to be a learning experience for him - it's his first-time for a bunch of things. The question is really if he has the ability to keep learning and keep improving in the job.

 

Agreed. And the fact that some of us are less than thrilled with these particular comments doesn't necessarily mean we have given up on him (I haven't), or that we don't think he is capable of improving.

 

The thing that frustrates me is why, after the failed Heaps experiment, did the Revs have to hire another inexperienced coach who needs a few years to learn on the job? They could have brought in a coach who had a proven track record of motivating players but once again they took the cheap route, with predictable results.

 

I guess 1 bright side is that half way through year 1 brad has the team playing as well as heaps did half way through year 4? Cautious optimism?

 

And it's not going to happen here until teams actually have to fight to keep their spot.