Official: 2018 Rumor and Roster Moves Thread

Discussion in 'LA Galaxy' started by TrickHog, Sep 21, 2017.

  1. Benny Dargle

    Benny Dargle Member+

    Jul 23, 2008
    LA
    Signing a player without a transfer fee is huge now. That is where you can eat up your TAM pretty quickly.
     
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  2. mbar

    mbar Member+

    Apr 30, 1999
    Los Angeles, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That's a lot of money that should buy lots of good players throughout the league.

    Very exciting. And a bit of a get out of jail card for our many roster challenges at the moment.
     
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  3. Skevin

    Skevin Member+

    Aug 9, 2009
    Colorado
    Club:
    Aston Villa FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Czechia
    Damn I didn't see that part. Romain is so close to that which is unfortunate. We'd be able to get a whole new DP.
     
  4. skydog

    skydog Member+

    Aug 1, 1999
    Durham, NC
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    What irony - this is a very rare instance where the players in a league are against large salary cap increases while the owners are for it. As I pointed out at the last CBA the players didn't push for significant cap increases because they knew such an outcome could threaten their continued employment. The unfortunate result was MLS growth stagnated (interest wise, not club count wise). Seems owners have fully realized that they need to up salaries to improve the product on the field. This hopefully will in turn boost viewership/interest and the all important future TV contracts.

    Will be a slow process but we had to do something. I think with the larger # of clubs homegrown American talent was getting spread thin and play on the field was suffering. This increased TAM won't make the American players better but it will put more talent around them.
     
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  5. MPNumber9

    MPNumber9 Member+

    Oct 10, 2010
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Why wouldn't we count his assists, tho? Gio's not really an out-and-out striker. His G and A numbers in 11 games is pretty good.

    I mean, I think we probably agree that Gio is not a great use of a DP spot: I believe he can achieve at this level, but the issue is that a team has to be set-up to optimize his very narrow skill set.
     
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  6. Benny Dargle

    Benny Dargle Member+

    Jul 23, 2008
    LA
    With the new TAM, something like 7-8 players can be $500k and above players. That's pretty massive if you pick the right players. The journeymen MLS vets are going to be the losers in all of this.
     
  7. GalaxyKoa

    GalaxyKoa Member+

    Jul 18, 2007
    North County
    Club:
    Los Angeles
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    More specifically, American players are going to be losers in all this.
     
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  8. rtdavide

    rtdavide Member+

    Apr 20, 2005
    Whittier, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    But that should make the American talent pool better. That's one of the arguments for American players going to Europe- surrounded by more competition will force them to perform at a higher level.
    So if surrounding them with more talent works there, it will work here too. Some that might have gotten opportunities that don't now, will simply have to keep up. If they can't, then they're going to have to move on.
     
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  9. 73Bruin

    73Bruin Member+

    Jul 12, 2008
    Torrance, California
    This of course assumes that the bean counter in chief, Dan Beckerman approves this spending for the Galaxy. With all of the talk about the Galaxy not making a profit (doubtlessly7 due to the wonders of creative accounting), I don't know if its certain he approves the budget increase.

    IIRC, in the COG podcast one of the people mentioned that certain club executives were worried about this with the implication their owner wasn't going to pony up any/most of the discretionary TAM funds. At first I was thinking this was directed at Bob Kraft and a number of other owners; now I am not sure. On the other hand, this means Atlanta and the New York clubs will get a talent infusion as well.
     
  10. hav77

    hav77 Member+

    May 31, 2010
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Unless you're a USMNTer who seem to get a premium.
     
  11. GalaxyKoa

    GalaxyKoa Member+

    Jul 18, 2007
    North County
    Club:
    Los Angeles
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That's if you buy into the "competition for spots in Europe is tougher than in MLS" line of thinking or the "competition for your spot is the only way to maximize your potential", both of which personally I specious.

    In spite of all that though, I find the "if the American players aren't good enough, they shouldn't be in the league" thing to be shortsighted. My assertion and believe is that MLS should be at exactly the level that gets a ton of American players on the field (for me, 3/4 foreigners per team). Anything higher than that and we're not optimizing our talent base. I don't care that it will make the quality of play in MLS worse in the short term, I think it casts a much wider net in terms of giving young players minutes who might break out. Long term, it will do far more for the development of the American player.

    Allow me some hyperbole, but what happens if MLS got rid of roster rules and threw enough money at all the good foreign players that all MLS teams were filled with the world's best players. Overnight MLS would become the best league in the world, stadiums across the country would be packed to see the superstars. No American player makes any rosters, and rightfully so, they're not good enough. MLS thrives and the Euro worshipers finally have a local league they won't turn their noses up at.

    But it doesn't help any American players. It might fill MLS's coffers and perhaps USSF's via SUM but the state of soccer in this country would be absolutely worse. Now that's obviously hyperbole, but minutes for Americans is already on a sharp downward trajectory in MLS. More money is getting more players green cards faster, some as quickly as 6 months, and a year being relatively common. Foreign slots are becoming more and more irrelevant. A quick fact, USMNT eligible outfield players played less minutes in 2017 than they did in 2016. That's with the addition of 30 roster spots to MLS via expansion and 40 via the addition of two more homegrown roster spots for all teams. The amount of total minutes played my USMNT eligible players has been dropping year on year for a long while now (I only have minutes going back to 2013 currently but I'll get to every year eventually). It's even worse if you look at defenders vs midfielders vs forward, where there are only a handful of starting strikers in the US. We have far less options in terms of national team players receiving MLS minutes than we ever have. To me, that's a huge deal. I absolutely see a correlation between USMNT failures (though I do place a majority of the blame on JK and Bruce) and the lack of American minutes in MLS.

    The trend will continue and it will be to the detriment of the USMNT. MLS currently has no obligation to develop the American player and while the HG stuff and money going into academies is fantastic, the fruits of those labors will continue to be pushed behind the high priced foreigners if it continues like this. A large part of why our academy guys have been cut this year is they haven't been given consistent minutes. Well, probably most of them wouldn't make it anyway but this isn't a youth friendly league, unless you're purchased for a large sum of money. Largely, the Galaxy has built around American players and I've always been super happy with that but if it ever gets to the point where it's not, I'm just done. I don't want an XI full of foreign guys, no matter how good they are.

    But to bring it back around, MLS, to me, should never get to a point where American players are being cut in large numbers because now we can bring in better foreign players to replace them. That's a detriment to developing of the American players. "But the ones that can actually make the cut will be better off for it!!!", eh, maybe some will. Maybe some will get stuck behind the $1m guy that RSL can now bring in and no matter how hard they fight for that roster spot, they won't be getting past that guy because he's just plain better. But let's say that you do have a handful that keep their spots and are better off for having cut the rest of the Americans. So you've got like 2/3 American starters per team in MLS, mostly at goalkeeper and defender. In terms of the USMNT, I'd still take 7-8 American starters per team in a slightly worse MLS. I'd rather have MLS be a base for a lot of American talent and the top players go off in play in better leagues than have a league where the top American players play with a bunch of foreigners in the US and the lower level American players have to play in worse leagues. This is coming from a guy who absolutely hates the idea of becoming a selling league and the idea that there is any obligation for any American to go abroad.

    I absolutely hate the "all young American players should go to Europe as soon as possible" thing. However, if I'm a young American striker with an offer for MLS vs equivalent or better Euro team, who am I looking at as a player whose success I can emulate? Wondo? He would have been cut long ago if he came into the league in today's MLS. There just aren't great "developed in MLS" success stories anymore. Maybe Jordan Morris? It's not a "MLS teams can't develop foreign talent" thing. It's just that you're not going to get a shot to overtake that star DP striker. For goalkeepers, you probably are better off staying in MLS.

    Unfortunately, I believe we've already passed the tipping point and all this extra money will accelerate the bleeding of American minutes. There needs to be a tightening of foreign restrictions in MLS (and indeed for the lower divisions as well). I know we have legal issues of citizen vs green card but there are absolutely ways around it. I don't believe MLS is serving this country's development well and I do believe USSF has to keep MLS in check in terms of developing USMNT eligible players.
     
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  12. 73Bruin

    73Bruin Member+

    Jul 12, 2008
    Torrance, California
    #737 73Bruin, Dec 8, 2017
    Last edited: Dec 8, 2017
    I originally started writing this before your excellent post immediately above. I had assumed that the number of non-US players.would be pretty similar. One point, while I can also see the salary mix changing to the disadvantage of US players, I can also see MLS becoming more attractive to US players who are now overseas. This is especially true for players in 2nd divisions and some young players who are in the top leagues but riding the pine (e.g. Bobby Wood).
     
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  13. MuchoTakeItEasy

    MuchoTakeItEasy Member+

    LAFC
    United States
    May 16, 2015
    Land of the Free
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Combined with the the fact that TAM can be used for HGs and the recent changes to the GAM-cap from transfers, I feel like this new influx will push out more mediocre INTL and American veterans (at the very least creating more turnover). I think that getting securing roster spots for YNT players close to the gameday 18 will be good for the American program. We'll see what happens. At the very least it seems like MLS teams will be more incentivized to move young players along to Europe if there's interest, which shouldn't hurt either.
     
  14. JPAR

    JPAR Member

    Aug 21, 2013
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    More TAM is a good thing all around, it's not like we are producing great american players now. We only need 15-20 great players for our national team. The more competition in MLS the better, I absolutely believe that young American players will only grow with quality players around them. Being the best player on a team does not improve your skills, playing alongside Robbie Keane definitely does (hello Gyasi of 2015).
    Having said that, I would not mind if MLS put a minimum amount of MLS players on the field rule in. Maybe a minimum of 6 US (or Canadian) players must be in the game at any one time. Would give us the best of both worlds.
     
  15. Geneva

    Geneva LA for Life

    Feb 5, 2003
    Southern Cal
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    You could be right, but this isn't how I remember it. I remember that the players prioritized free agency, albeit it ended up limited, over money. The owners really didn't want to give on the free agency slippery slope.
     
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  16. LEM-LAG

    LEM-LAG Member+

    May 28, 2011
    Club:
    Olympique Lyonnais


    Bring back Juni!



    939232508260085760 is not a valid tweet id


    According to a couple of peruvian Twitter users, we're after Alexi Gomez, a 24 years old Peruvian international who plays on the left side of the field (former LB recently converted to LW). Was very close to sign with Atlas a few days ago.
     
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  17. Baysider

    Baysider Member+

    Jul 16, 2004
    Santa Monica
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    In the long run, most of our top players will be playing in Europe anyway. It's true for most of the South American countries now. Mexico's sort of weird exception like us.

    I think the bigger issue is the disappointing performance of the academies to produce pro-ready players.
     
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  18. shurikt

    shurikt Member

    Aug 4, 2004
    Las Vegas, NV
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The only positive alternative scenario I can think of is if MLS becomes attractive to American athletes who bail on soccer early to play basketball and football because, "there ain't no money in it here."
     
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  19. skydog

    skydog Member+

    Aug 1, 1999
    Durham, NC
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Yes they prioritized free agency (because that benefited current long time players) and de-emphasized salary cap increase (because that threatened current players). Both were true iirc.
     
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  20. LEM-LAG

    LEM-LAG Member+

    May 28, 2011
    Club:
    Olympique Lyonnais
  21. TOAzer

    TOAzer Member+

    The Man With No Club
    May 29, 2016
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
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  22. Dr.Phil

    Dr.Phil Member+

    Jan 18, 2004
    Club:
    FC Bayern München
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Well then
     
  23. rtdavide

    rtdavide Member+

    Apr 20, 2005
    Whittier, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'm not sure the argument that 'competition is the only way to maximize your potential' is specious. Your counter is that "minutes" for American players is the best way to develop them. But no matter how you slice it, competition is prevalent at every level. Just getting from a college team or academy to the MLS level is going to mean competition and being pushed. It is how any player improves.

    One of the things you mentioned was you'd prefer MLS to be predominately American, with the few that exceed that level going to better leagues, than MLS being that better league and Americans having to play in worse leagues, presumably USL or lower. But does that really change the development of the American player? Doesn't it simply shift what league is better or worse? For example, let's say we have a world league ranking with tiers. Europe's best are T1, second best is T2, MLS would be T3, and USL T4. If MLS becomes T2 rather than T3, and subsequently, American players unable to cut it in MLS move to USL, then the level of USL moves to T3. They are still getting minutes, it just tells us they aren't ready for T2 yet. But if we maintain MLS at a T3 level with more Americans, all you've you done is kept MLS at a lower level.

    Since the competition is what causes every player everywhere to either find his ceiling or move up in potential, it seems to me that yes, competition is what maximizes potential. We're going to have to trust that the American player is capable of pushing to a higher level than he is currently playing at.

    The slow growth of MLS into a league paying more money means we aren't going to overnight, (as per your hypothetical) become the best league with all the Americans priced out. It does mean Americans will be exposed to increased talent and more competition, and that should lead to improved quality. If it doesn't, then it tells us something else is wrong- at the youth or cultural level. But an improved MLS bringing in more excitement should also transfer to kids being more excited about the sport, with all the concomitant benefits.

    I do, however, concede that at times a player like GDS, who is being paid tons, will not be subjected to the same performance standards as perhaps another player, possibly American. But that probably operates everywhere in the world. People who invest money in a star are going to give that star a different treatment. Even then, the idea of an increased level of competition will tend to diminish that rather than exacerbate the problem.
    That's my take on it.

    All said though, I really appreciated the level of thought you put into that argument.
    Well done!
     
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  24. mbar

    mbar Member+

    Apr 30, 1999
    Los Angeles, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Why/how on earth could Klein negotiate a five year extension after last year?

    What is going on?
     
  25. Skevin

    Skevin Member+

    Aug 9, 2009
    Colorado
    Club:
    Aston Villa FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Czechia
    If we are looking at wingers, then Lletget is being viewed as a CM.
     

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