Which breed should I get to keep the team here? Apparently you have not seen Jack's PowerPoint. Neither have I.
And that is just what a FO loves to hear. People who want to be trampled upon. If everyone goes because they're afraid of losing the team, then what incentive does the team have to put a winner on the field?
When you make winning the MLS Cup a goal, you don't just play like it on the field; the FO has to make it a point to sign players that will correspond with the goal. This helps better establish to the players already on the team what exactly the club is trying to accomplish. We never had the cap room to create a contender, so we set a goal that's more realistic yet shows progress and upward direction. Make the playoffs, let the dead money clear off, and rely on the young players. All that nonsense about this being a rebuilding year three years into our existence is moot. Face facts: Nowak FUBAR'ed this roster, the FO let him, and thus we got sent back to square one. RSL went into last offseason trading away some of their veterans (Will Johnson, Espindola, and Olave) for allocation money and released a bunch of guys like Justin Braun and Paulo Jr. You think they did to help them compete for a MLS Cup? Of course not. They're restructuring their cap to help them add more talent in the future. This is a rebuilding season for them, except they have a lot more talent already on hand (Gil, Saborio, Rimando) than we do.
My God these boards are depressing. We just beat the only team in MLS that hasn't lost at home....and on Bigsoccer its a bitchfest about the "style" of the win. We have a young team who are punching above their weight and making a real nice play-off push. Actually there is alot to like about this team. We have some nice young pieces that will only improve over time. Enjoy the ride!
To be honest, Vancouver's entire roster is better than ours and deeper than ours.* And the Union have already proven we are not the same team up a man. So, with those two facts, are we really surprised that it took 80+ minutes to score and win that game, on the road I would like to add. Negativity Positivity whatever way you want to spin this, It was not poor coaching or playing, they are just a better team IN MY OPINION. *Facts to back up my assumption. GKs... Knighton has improved a lot since leaving the Union and could start a few places, Joe Cannon could easily start their too, and is a good mentor to Knighton and they still brought in a good keeper from Denmark. 3 good keepers. DEF... A real serviceable LB that is probably on of the average LBs in the league, which is all you need at that position. YP Lee one of the best Defenders in the league. and they were still missing Demerit. MID... Midfield isnt deep but Reo-C is a stud and a staple in that midfield. Name one player on the Union midfield that doesn't lose possession ever attack. Ill wait. FWD... Do I really need to post anything about the FWDs other than that? Overall, move on and get ready for a night of fun vs Stoke. See some young guys and an EPL team.
Is Vancouver better? Possibly but it isn't night and day. The Union are not far behind them, and neither is an elite level team yet. You post their strikers but I do like ours. Jack, Casey, Wheeler, Hop, and you can add Seba to the list as well. Knighton has improved since his time here but who has more upside him or Zac? Zac did set the record for most shutouts in MLS before 22 and added to it against Van. Brad bounced around through several teams as he matured and is now playing better. Zac still has time to mature and could become a top level MLS keeper, or he could be close to his peak now. Harvey is better than our current LB. Lee could be a stud and I think their d is better all around then ours. I don't know enough about the ages of Van's players to know if they are like us with a core of young players. They could rise towards elite level with the talent they have. They may or may not beat us there. Van did look better for large portions of the game but the Union aren't the only ones to play underwhelming up there. Van has a reason they were undefeated at home. One is distance for everyone except Seatle and Portland and second is the turf and third is they are a good team. The Union looked unsure of themselves on the field and regardless of being up or down a man being unsure of the field hurts. Did the layover in Toronto alter their preparations for the game? Did they have jet lag? I know the Union were most likely lucky to get three points but weren't they already unlucky before the game even started?
I hear you and understand that. When did Man-U become Man-U and not just one of the 100 or so professional teams in England? Did it take 10, 20, or more years? I don't know but I want this team to become a classic, no matter who the owners are. It makes me wonder about sports team owners. Do they really pay attention to the fans or are they just trying to satisfy their own ego? Who knows. I am sure there are many types of owners. Oh well. Looking forward to the next Union match.
That's all fine and good, but Portaland and Vancouver have been around since the mid 1970s. I thought the teams identity was supposed to be around those 7 ideals for the club that are pasted on the outside of PPL Park. If that's now not the case, rip those down and put some ads up so we can sign some proper DP talent.
This is why I thought Hack was a good choice. His career has been developing younger players. The big question is will he grow and develop as a manager?
Personally, I think Hack is a good-very good assistant coach, especially when used in this role. Unfortunately, we haven't seen much growth as a coach. Subs and timid football are still problems. I feel as though I am still complaining about many of the same things I was when the season started.