Well, here it is. Wait 'til next season! Comment away on our club's chances, moves, hires, fires, gossip, whatever!
Somewhere in the MLS site is the list of important dates for the off season regarding contract deadlines, etc. Will find that and share here, eventually. But the big thing to know is that any new acquisitions will most assuredly come in January, when the international window opens and after the World Cup. Popular consensus says Josef is gone, though how that happens is up in the air. He can't just leave since he's under contract, and Atlanta is disinclined to let him walk away for nothing. (Though, letting him walk might be a good PR move if he leaves MLS. Sort of a thank you gift for his service.) Even if he stays, though, it's clear the team needs both another striker option and a long-term solution at the position. I've no qualms about that being priority #1. Signing Purata is my 1a, then, partly due to need and partly due to the simplicity of the situation. He wants to stay, we don't know Miles' status for next season, and until Miles becomes Miles again Purata is the best central defender Atlanta has. Plus, this deal can get done right away, or the team can at least get certainty about his availability. If they can't sign him, we all know to move on as soon as possible. Will ponder more after looking into contract terms, etc.
I can't imagine anyone in MLS wanting his contract. Be a shame if he started producing goals again after leaving here... What are the chances Miles doesn't recover completely? I've always thought those injuries were treatable with modern medicine. I can remember when a torn ACL was enough to cast doubt on a career, tho.
The MLS article asking "3 Big Questions" for Atlanta's off season had some damning numbers about Josef's overall mobility. More expressly, the lack thereof. Put simply, he's an elite goal scorer but likely a liability in every other aspect of on-field productivity. He simply doesn't cover as much ground, or cover it as quickly, as before the injury. I hate to say this, but I don't see Josef ever replicating his '18- '19 form. If somehow Atlanta got every other position right and the team spent 75' a match in the attacking third, Josef would be deadly. Anything less than that and he'd need to score on every other touch in order to compensate for his lack of defensive help over the course of 90'. Says I, anyway. Achilles injuries tend to be more favorable recovery options than knee tears, but they tend to take longer, IMO. The good news is that he and Guzan got hurt early in the season, but they've likely gone months without any serious physical activity on their legs, let alone actual soccer. My guess, based purely on seeing other sports stars over the years, I suspect Miles is doing drills in the spring and with the side at/near the start of the season, but probably won't be up to starting-fitness for weeks after. And that doesn't even factor match sharpness, chemistry, etc. My personal hope is that he can be back to the Miles we love by May or June. I'd happily wait it out if it means he can be that calibre of player he was, cause I'd love to see him paired with Purata.
If Josef leaves I think he will swapped or traded for some funny money within MLS or he will be sold at a cheap price to a Liga MX team. Probably even sold to Tigres at a discount for Purata. They'll need to get rid of his contract so they can go after another striker. I personally would like for him to stay in MLS (Nashville, RSL?). He still raises the quality of the league even if he doesn't produce as before.
Josef told to pack his bags. More likely will be a buy out which means he will still be employed by MLS and might stay within the league. I see a lot of passed of "fans" saying they won't support ATL because Josef is leaving. I guess those fans are fans of Josef and not Atlanta.
I hate seeing that from fans. It's one thing to like or love a player, another to dislike coaches or owners, but still another thing to support a player over a club. I mean, let's be real, folks: How many people even knew who Josef was before 2017? Did you buy tickets to support Atlanta United or to see Josef? Look, I love the guy and he's been (as far as I know) nothing but class in representing the club away from the pitch. (He even "liked" a drawing of him done by my daughter, which was cool.). But Atlanta United is in the business of winning first, entertaining second, and being loyal to players somewhere after that, and I won't disagree with that model, and the truth is that 2023 Josef is in all likelihood gonna remain on par with 2022 Josef. This just in, 2022 Josef is subpar compared to 2019 Josef and arguably not DP worthy. He simply doesn't cover near as much ground as he used to, let as much as the team needs. His potency in front of the net is great, but that doesn't mean much if the rest of the side is scrambling to compensate for his other shortcomings. (He's basically like fat Cecil Fielder, the designated hitter who was great for the occasional home run but a veritable liability if he got on base.) I would much rather he regain form and retire in Atlanta, but barring that I'm an Atlanta fan first, and if United can upgrade at the position then they're obligated to do so. As a team that didn't even make the playoffs, I think it's safe to say they can upgrade at the position. I wish Josef nothing but the best, and I would hope someday in the future when he retires he can be celebrated for his contributions to the team, but if he's unable/ unwilling to fit into a role that benefits the club then it's best to move on. That's sports.
Does this mean we are no longer building a statute of Josef in front of MBS? Josef is class and great with the fans, but once he got injured the MLS financial rules made it impossible to AU give him a graceful exit. That said, both the FO and the manager did not handle this well, so I don't fault some fans for being upset.
Supposedly they are trying to get Cisneros back. Hopefully not IMO. And it seems Garces will be the back up GK to Guzan. They'll need a 3rd GK. DeJohn and Washington gone too.
Who the hell is Garces? I never even heard his name last season.. We seem verrrrry confident that Brad will be okay.
Are these guys we have on roster? I ask because we went out and grabbed Gudino and then didn't use him much.
Atlanta offered Miled an extention. If I'm Miles, and I do want to move overseas, I don't take it. I have one year left on my contract, I can prove I'm healthy, and then choose my landing spot. Especially if Miles had starred in the World Cup, this injury could have cost Atlanta a decent amount of money.
Agreed on his best option. Wish we were free enough to spend for talent in a game where talent matters. Not everybody can develop like the Dutch. It's pointless to try.
??? It isnot rocket science to develop a player. The only thing we differ from the rest of the world is the integrated pyramid from the amateurs at the bottom to the pro teams at the top. And the consistent use of 4-3-3 during development.
Second time you've posted here, I think- glad to have you as a fan! Truth is, not many have done it as well. It probably DOES take rocket science (or the more morally valuable humanities coursework) to get it right as many times as y'all have.
Atlanta hasn't exactly done gangbusters in terms of developing homegrowns. Whether it's poor job in choosing kids with potential, or a poor job in development (or both), I can't really tell. Probably both. The young players we've purchased (Barco, Ibarra, etc.) don't exactly develop while they're here either, Miggy being the exception. Almada will probably move on to bigger things, but I'm not sure he's actually improving, he's just that good already.
It is a bit of a different environment. The Dutch clubs are culling kids at 8 years old. In the States we are having our ranks culled at 8 years by other "more glamorous" sports. That is changing, but it is like watching a glacier move.
I haven't been following our youth program, but who are the clubs doing the best job developing the yoots? I'd like to look at what they are doing.
The main misunderstanding with successful development by the Dutch is the fact it isnot about development at all. We're no magicians, we can't put in what's not there at all. The development pyramid in fact is an extremely efficient and effective scouting system. Hardly anyone with talent gets missed, so per capita we seem to have excellent development results, but it's more about we don't miss as many as other countries do, especially in comparison to the USA. One of our headstarts is the fact the structure and low cost of playing football in the Netherlands kids are cultured with our principles from a young age and spotted very soon if above average talented. We simply teach them how to use their tools, we can't put the tools in them. Something the USA shouldnot have a problem with to replicate. It's the process of spotting/finding those talents early as possible to have the best results is the stumbling block I think.