The US U-23 roster has been released. RSL players included: Brooks Lennon (forward!) Sebastian Saucedo Justen Glad Aaron Herrera The team will train in Herriman.
We are losing because we suck. We should change the US Soccer crest to the letters ISAS which stands for I Suck At Soccer.
So LAFC splash big cash last year on a DP. The dude turns out to be a bust. Instead of sitting on him and wasting the money, they find a way to transfer him back and free themselves of the contract. This, for those wondering, is what a good GM does when they make a mistake.
If you got extra points for your ability to create apathy this GM would be winning awards for that kind of success quite frequently. I’m very curious to see what the next transfer window brings. My guess is more of the same. Apathy, almost, and it’s not my fault, it’s the rules fault.
me too. Waibel was on a podcast with Dunny and, contrary to what he said in the preseason town hall, said there won't be much done to the roster to add to the first team in terms of impact players. Thats... wow. That means either (a) he is playing coy on the precontract he went to Europe to sign before the season started or (b) said precontract didn't happen despite the "all we have to do is put pen to paper" scenario. I can't wait to hear how DLH/Petke/Damir's Dog is responsible for that not happening
It’s not a simple story: 1) an entire year lost while Gulati & Co sat on their hats without a coach. 2) the Lost Generation. The youth system went almost a generation of poor player development. Look at our U-23 roster. Lennon as a roster forward? Really? That’s the best we can do? I’m not even going to talk about Glad. 3) Pulisic is the only scoring threat on the Senior team. Will Trapp does not have what it takes to play at the international level, yet he’s who we have. That’s an example of the talent shortcomings. The caveat is that Berhalter is saying winning is secondary in these friendlies and he’s just trying to find the right guys. I actually like that and hope that explains some of it.
Eh, winning secondary makes sense a year before the Gold Cup. Your tune up games? Those should be about putting the final pieces together and putting in good performances. I'd have taken a 2-1 loss to Venezuela if we played well. But to get just absolutely ran through at 3-0 was eye-opening. Not to mention the Jamaica fiasco.
Yea, they looked the a really bad Columbus Crew team or something. Watched a bit of the game between the nap induced coma their play caused and all I could think was RSL should sell Sava right now because he looked like a couple million bucks playing against the "defense".
I know it's not the sexiest of opinions, but I honestly see Savarino as the player with the highest ceiling on our roster. People get frustrated with his individual play sometimes but the kid is insanely good when he's on. He's the same age as all of the academy products that feature in our lineup (if not younger) but plays like a player much older.
Savarino, if he keeps his growth on this trajectory, will be the player we can get the biggest transfer fee from. Anyone know when his contract is up? The second to last year should be all about shopping him
For me, it's about splitting the contracts into groups and seeing where the majority lies, as well as the amount of cash in each category. It would be one thing to have the majority of your signings as "good", in a sense of performing above their pay, but it undoes that if the ones you miss on end up costing the club more, either by cap or actual dollars from DLH. So, here is my breakdown: Category 1: Steals for RSL/CW - Corey Baird ($70,008) Category 2: Better for RSL/CW - Julian Vazquez ($66,250) - Sebastian Sauecedo ($123,000) - David Ochoa ($70,250) - Aaron Herrera ($86,000) - Nick Besler ($85,000) Category 3: Fair on both sides - Nedum Onuhoa ($504,000) - Donny Toia ($131,254) - Tate Schmitt ($70,250) - Jefferson Savarino ($498,696) - Luis Arriaga ($56,250) - Andrew Putna ($70,875) - Justin Portillo ($70,250) - Erik Holt ($70,250) - Brooks Lennon ($242,587) - Damir Kreilach ($1,082,102) Category 4: Player is a bit overpaid - Albert Rusnak ($2,001,667) - Pablo Ruiz ($221,004) - Nick Rimando ($322,500) - Luke Mulholland ($155,000) - Everton Luiz ($1,100,000) - Sam Johnson ($718,750) - Alex Horwath ($100,863) - Adam Henley ($167,833) - Justen Glad ($345,000) - Tony Beltran ($207,000) - Kyle Beckerman ($325,000) Category 5: Player is way overpaid - Marcelo Silva ($776,629) - Joao Plata ($856,254) - Jordan Allen ($238,000) Interesting thing to note: Yura ($2,273,750) is listed as a "MLS player" while Pool boy isn't listed. Hmmm To sum up: Category 1: $70,008 Category 2: $430,500 Category 3: $2,796,514 Category 4: $5,664,617 Category 5: $1,870,883
I'm happy that for once we're not responsible for the single worst contract in the league. Thanks Galaxy!
To follow up here, I want to start by saying it would be completely unfair to think a GM will never sign a player that gets paid more than their worth. That's just not possible. The key is limiting those instances and, just as important, maximizing opportunities to "make up for it", if you will, on the other end of the spectrum. It's also not fair of me to lump the salary numbers like I do for each category and leave it like that. By no means am I saying that RSL is overpaying $7.5MM. What would be a more fair evalutation would be to take these salaries outside category 3, on both sides, and see what the +/- is for the team. As an example, yes, Joaoa Plata is overpaid at his current salary, but he has value on the team and is likely worth somewhere in the range of $400K. Heck, I'll even bump it to $500K to be nice and to compensate for the few week run he has every year where people think he's a top end talent. The problem here is there is no way to say what that value should be. In this business, as any, prices are going to be different based on team needs and perceptions of the player. Still, there has to be a somewhat agreed upon value of a player. At least a range. I'm going to go through each and do a +/-. If you disagree, please let me know where and by how much.
Before I do this, just something that HAS to be pointed out: Pity Martinez salar is $900K. The dude won south american footballer of the year, and we're paying 3 players more than him (4 if you include Yura) and Joao is within $50K. Wow, just wow
So 16 players take up $3,297,022 of the salary between groups 1-3 with 6-7 somewhat regular starters. And 14 players take up 7,535,500 with 6-7 somewhat regular starters from groups 4-5. That doesn’t include Yura which would make it 15 in groups 4-5. That looks like the make up of a pretty average or below average team and a sub par GM.
Yura, if listed on the roster here, would be the most extreme of number 5's. All he is doing is sucking money from the club. There is no "well his market value is this" type of evaluation. If he were listed, the +/- equation would start at a red $2.2MM
This is my assessed market value for the players I put in categories 1, 2, 4, and 5: I tried to be generous where I could and more critical in other areas, always to the GM's favor. Categories 1 & 2 Player - Salary - Market Value - Difference Baird - $70K - $350K - $280K Bofo - $123K - $300K - $177K Herrera - $86K - $250K - $164K Ochoa - $70K - $150K - $80K Besler - $85K - $150K - $65K Vazquez - $66K - $100K - $34K SUM: +$800K Categories 4 & 5 Player - Salary - Market Value - Difference Horwath- $100K - $75K - ($25K) Mulholland - $155K - $125K - ($30K) Glad - $345K - $300K - ($45K) Beltran - $207K - $150K - ($57K) Henley - $168K - $100K - ($68K) Ruiz - $221K - $125K - ($96K) Rimando - $322K - $200K - ($123K) KB - $325K - $200K - ($125K) Allen - $238K - $100K - ($138K) Johnson - $719K - $500K - ($219K) Luiz - $800K - $1.1MM - ($300K) Rusnak - $2MM - 1.7MM - ($300K) Plata - $856K - $500K - ($356K) Silva - $777K - $300K - ($477K) SUM: ($2.3MM) So, this "deepest roster ever" is overpaid, by my estimation, $1.5MM. You know, the value of a true difference maker. Or a really good outside back and actually good CB depth. When you feel like this team is missing something, it's because they are. That money that should be allocated to a real player out there, if not two or three, is getting paid to other guys either not performing at the level they should, or not even making the XI and sometimes not even the 18.
Someone on Reddit posted the total numbers for each team. RSL is at about $10.8 million total, which ranks us 12th... but that doesn't include Yura and Ortuno. If you add in another $2.5 million (which assumes we're only paying Ortuno like 300K) that takes us to $13.3 million which ranks us 5th. You can bump us down to 6th because if you take transfer fees into account Atlanta would probably pass us (though what's their net spend after selling Almiron?) but still, we'd have the third highest salary in the Western Conference after the two LA teams. Bottom line, with the level of money spent on this roster we shouldn't be struggling to make the playoffs.
Great stuff 15, as always. One of the things that makes this so interesting is that there aren't really that many players that have much trade value or I would think are even that interesting to other teams in MLS or elsewhere. They already get the good ones from the academy. Amirite? Maybe most MLS teams are like this or just the crappy ones. I am about "this close" (my index finger is almost touching my thumb and I can almost feel it, really) to jumping on the just blow this whole MF'er up. I'll be waiting to see what the next transfer window brings which will probably be a whole lot of nothing. Or a bunch of almost this and almost that which is a whole lot worse than nothing. Isn't one of the off season almost's out there scoring a ton of goals? Thanks rules and crap. Here are some of my unqualified opinions on the "deepest" team in MLS. Have some trade value, makes the team better No trade value what so ever Jury is out, could be a contender one day No idea or just plain not going anywhere anytime soon. Category 1: Steals for RSL/CW - Corey Baird ($70,008) This one is obvious but I don't think that anyone is busting down the door trying to get this guy. I think that RSL will do what they do best and that is not develop players to their highest potential. Category 2: Better for RSL/CW - Julian Vazquez ($66,250) Needs more than 7 minutes - Sebastian Sauecedo ($123,000) slow but someone might be interested, he can kick the ball with his right foot hard - David Ochoa ($70,250) no idea - Aaron Herrera ($86,000) low salary might make attractive to other teams - Nick Besler ($85,000) this guy is a sleeper. Could develop. Maybe. RSL played better when he was in but that could be said for their play with anyone that is playing in place of Kyle at the moment. Category 3: Fair on both sides - Nedum Onuhoa ($504,000) age. - Donny Toia ($131,254) play. Have to wait for the burn marks to wear off after last night's USOC match. I heard they had to get the fire extinguisher at half time. - Tate Schmitt ($70,250) maybe, maybe not - Jefferson Savarino ($498,696) Ding, Ding, winner, winner, chicken dinner. This guy is the most valuable player on the team right now. - Luis Arriaga ($56,250) who? - Andrew Putna ($70,875) solid at times when he plays. Looks great in warm ups - Justin Portillo ($70,250) young. never plays. Why would you play the young guys anyway? - Erik Holt ($70,250) perhaps there is a player there - Brooks Lennon ($242,587) RSL making sure he has no idea where he is playing and what his true role on the team could actually be. - Damir Kreilach ($1,082,102) disappointing so far this season. Probably used in ways that don't highlight his abilities. But what else is new at RSL lately? Category 4: Player is a bit overpaid - Albert Rusnak ($2,001,667) Next to Sava and even with the price tag the highest value on the team - Pablo Ruiz ($221,004) He's young so let's not play him. - Nick Rimando ($322,500) Mailing it in and has to be pissed with what's in front of him this season. He's been like laundry half the time, absolutely hung out to dry and you can tell he knows its over. Hopefully it doesn't get worse and tarnish his legacy. - Luke Mulholland ($155,000) cashing checks as the fan favorite. Injuries seem to be ending his career early? - Everton Luiz ($1,100,000) could he return to the more promising form that he was playing at before injury? Maybe? - Sam Johnson ($718,750) I like this guy but I wonder if anyone on the team does. Has a nose for the ball and the goal. In the right system or on the right team he could be pretty darn dangerous. - Alex Horwath ($100,863) goalie? - Adam Henley ($167,833) gone already right? - Justen Glad ($345,000) not improving at all but a team might think they can do what RSL is incapable of doing, improving a player. - Tony Beltran ($207,000) sad, one bullshit play ended his career. And it wasn't even called a red. - Kyle Beckerman ($325,000) sadder. Only a few people can't see that it's over for Kyle but sadly their all in the Front Office or Coaching the team. Love the guy but he has been reduced to a fouling, sliding, grabbing, and yelling machine. Category 5: Player is way overpaid - Marcelo Silva ($776,629) own goals R us - Joao Plata ($856,254) should be in Category 6 probably. I heard a team in Mexico wants him though. Deals almost done. Again. Or not. Probably not. - Jordan Allen ($238,000) poor kid. At least when it comes to his playing career so far. I will add a category. Category 6: Laughing all the way to the bank -Yura ($2,273,750) Not happy at all with the direction of the team on the field. I give the FO an A+ for efforts off the field and investing in the infrastructure around and in the stadium but the on field part of the team has sucked the life out of me. It's like the plan is to just write this season off and see what they can do next season. If that is the case they are ahead of schedule. Waibel out.
Small quibble: Portillo isn't young, just new to the first division (he's 26 and played in the USL/PDL for six seasons).