Already some moves being made for next year Confirmed Dax's option was picked up so he'll definitely be here next year Richards won't be returning Miller won't be returning Rumored Lawrence was signed to a 3 year deal Miazga still has plenty of interest abroad, but even if sold he would prefer to be loaned back to NYRB next year
Picking up Dax's option was smart. That said, we need help in CM. Great news if Lawrence is resigned. That is a solid deal for both sides. Selfishly, I would like to see Miazga stay with RB as a DP or something like that. I would love to see a little more youth and pace, particularly from midfield forward. Not sure Klejstan is the answer as a CAM for us. He is better sitting deeper, IMHO.
Picking up Dax's option was necessary, you don't cut loose a Best XI player who's just 28. Even if he isn't in their plans, this maintains the leverage necessary to deal him elsewhere. If the team were to pick up a CAM, one solution would be to deal Dax and move Kljestan further back, or promote Sean Davis. This team also needs viable forward options. Late in the season it was BWP and nobody. Sure, Veron and Grella could probably fill in for a stretch, but neither really fits the team's tactics at the position. If they could sweet talk Allen into signing an HG deal, that would go a long way to filling the void. A healthy Abang would also help. I don't think the team is done cutting players loose, but I wouldn't be surprised to see more trades, especially one's that involve hoarding cash. They'll want to keep the salary cap lean, but some growth is to be expected after certain players, like Miazga and maybe Grella get well deserved raises. That also means promoting more players from within the club structure. Would a guy like Sanchez, who is a more classic wide player be brought into the first team in the off-season? There's going to be some pressure to find a slot for Veron, too. Sam had a great season, but he's already 31 and if you put Veron in as a starter, with Sanchez as back-up, then that leaves Sam as the odd man out. There are lots of tough choices ahead for management and I don't envy their position. The team does look to be in good shape overall, so most choices are about how to get more out of existing players. Of course, if a special attacking midfielder falls into their lap... They want to be in position to take advantage of any opportunities.
Abang would be a help, sure. To a point. I wonder what the odds are of luring Allen to that HG contract @Woodrow mentioned.
I've been hearing rumors Allen would test the waters in the draft, but he fills a need for forward depth, so the club might be motivated to try and lure him back to the fold.
They need to get a young CB that fits their style in the off season. Perri is 32, Zubar is 30, and Miazga could leave at any moment. They need an All Star caliber young CB. That's the priority. Wingers need to be figured out after that. We'll need someone in the pipeline for Sam. Also don't think it's likely Grella has another season like this, but he is more than welcome to prove me wrong. Is Veron our cover there? I'm not so sure. His defending wasn't great and so he seems more fitted for the CAM role. Lots of decisions for them to make. Give me a super talented young CB first and then grab some really talented youngsters to fight to unseat the current starters.
100% CB first, maybe even first and second. Perrinelle will probably miss the start of the season recovering. I wouldn't mind using the annual "get out of contract free" card on Zubar, they should be able to find someone better with a starter's salary. Veron, Grella, and Sam splitting time on the wings should keep everyone healthy. Wonder if they're going to keep SWP on for cheap, he's not a bad option off the bench either. With those four we should be covered on the wings. My guess is Marsh would do anything humanly possible to keep this central midfield together, but it would be great to see Davis rotate in more regularly.
Lots of injuries, didn't play that great when he was healthy, and didn't seem to fit the style that Marsch wants out of his CB's. Perri might be completely toast at his age so this is the area where Curtis makes his money this off season. If we don't add a great CB prospect to this roster I'm officially calling the off season a complete failure. I'd still like to see a young true winger added here through whatever means. Sam is getting up there, it might not be where Veron lines up long term, and I have doubts about Grella performing at this high a level season after season. Might be impossible due to the cap in which case thank god we have a prospect like him hanging around. However, if we are able to keep all three there are still going to be a lot of games next year and IMO Marsch could improve his rotation so I think Davis gets decent time in 2016 regardless. Try to bring back as many of the regulars without breaking the bank, get a "can't miss" CB in his prime or younger and then plan for the future by loading up in areas where we have guys over 30 years old. IMO that's the off season plan.
To me Veron seems like that true winger. He's only 25 years old and has incredibly speed, I wouldn't be surprised to see him take one of the two starting spots next year. I've got the same concerns about his defensive effort as you do, he seems to press forward alright but gets lazy tracking back, but Sam had similar issues coming into the team and was able to step up his defensive game. I've seen a whole bunch of people suggest moving him into the CAM spot but I don't see it. I think a lot of that is just a kneejerk reaction to Kljestan finishing an otherwise stellar season on a sour note, but Veron doesn't look to have the skillset for that area of the field. He's a guy you want in open space to utilize his speed, not tight spaces. I wonder if Obekop is ever going to make the jump. He's been with the team for years and did very well for the USL team this past season.
More money, maybe even more than he would get on the open market. He didn't play with RBNY U-23s the past couple of seasons, presumably with the intention of emancipating himself. After Dan Metzger successfully broke his HG affiliation last year (albeit ending up back at NY anyway), I assume that if Allen wants to go, he'll go. It's not like he's all-world, but he fills a specific need. I'm assuming he's going to be first round pick, so giving him a high-5, low-6 figure salary would not be ridiculous and he's got leverage. OTOH, the Red Bulls could put their foot down, but I'm guessing this matter will be handled amicably, one way or another.
Miazga is under contract for at least through 2016 with a club option for 2017. Source One more killer season with us and the team is in a position to get a nice transfer fee when he leaves.
672067972576485376 is not a valid tweet id 672068555152744448 is not a valid tweet id I figured there'd be some movement on the bottom of the roster to make room for the next batch of homegrowns/draft picks, I wonder if guys like Wallace, Stolz, Sanchez, and Obekop end up on the USL team next year.
Based on what I saw, Stolz was nowhere near ready for MLS, neither was Sanchez or Obekop. Wallace was petty superfluous, especially with both Lade and Adams on the roster. I'd expect Perinelle to return (it's pretty harsh to cut him loose while still injured), but I can't for the life of me figure why they'd want Reynish with Meara and Castano in the fold.
Agreed on Stolz, he never looked impressive with the USL team. Reynish might still just be here as the third string but who knows. Meara is made of glass, they may not want to invest in a play who has been injured for so much of his short pro career. Castano I wouldn't mind if they moved on from, the kid was a DISASTER most of the times that I watched the USL team. Guaranteed at least one instance per game of him making a bonehead decision that often cost the team.
Goalkeepers usually hit their stride so much later than other players. He's only 20 and just got his first full time pro season over with. I'd rather he be aggressive and make boneheaded mistakes now so that he can learn from them. The flip side is a young keeper who plays it safe, looks okay, but then never makes the leap because he hasn't learned his own ceiling. I'd give him at least one more full season in the USL to see if he improves over last season. My guess is that he will.
If it happens every now and again I'd say sure, just some growing pains that can be coached out of him. But we're talking about these crazy plays literally almost every single game. I hope he signs with the USL team this year instead of the first team.
I agree that CB is by far the most pressing need entering the offseason. Perrinelle fit the tactical setup this year perfectly and I'd like to see us find a younger, similar player to slot in opposite Miazga. I'm fine with Zubar as the veteran backup and I'm actually OK with Ouimette as a depth option since he can slide over to LB in a pinch. I think Perrinelle ends up signing at a much lower number and returns. I agree with @goindownsouth that we could still use a creative presence in midfield. I truly like all three of our starting mids (and Sean Davis) but they are rather redundant. If we could find someone who combines the industriousness and workrate of Sacha with a more refined skill-set when operating in the final third then that would be a no brainer for me. I understand that a languid Riqulme/Valderrama type will never fit our current tactics, but Kljestan leaves so much to be desired in his attacking role. I think he is more of a deep-lying player and could give us far more from that position. I would love to see a more dynamic player deployed as the most advanced center mid. Two guys I've noticed recently who fit my description are Leroy Fer of QPR and Christian Gentner of Stuttgart. Those guys are tough, athletic mids who would fit into our high press very easily but who also offer far more attacking skill.
Isn't he still under contract? I'm with Koko on this one. This year will have been both a learning experience and a humbling one after he had tried to go play for Colombia and didn't. He'll either learn from his mistakes or he won't but he's playing in the USL with no one really behind him that's coming up through the ranks. If you want a replacement for Castano, I'd start with seeing who's in the Academy that can be promoted. But anyone you sign will still be a few years away from being ready. I will say the pattern developing is drafted college players and foreign acquisitions who don't work out are the first to go. So far, all the HG's have survived.
I do find it slightly amusing that folks are slagging on Kljestan's playmaking ability when he registered 14 assists this year, good for fourth in the league, as well as piling on 8 goals. Sure, there may be players better suited to play A-mid, but tearing down Sacha seems rather pointless since he pretty much did what was asked of him.
Agree 100%. In the beginning of the year he looked lost with the pace and physicality of the league and new position. He got better game by game and after all-star break was fantastic. Yeah, he missed easy goals at times but overall was excellent. Great competitor and apparent leader as well.
I like Kljestan, as I overtly stated in my comments. I really do not care for statistics like assists when they are not contextualized. Kljestan gets a bunch of assists because our system creates turnovers in dangerous parts of the field. I'm basing my opinion of his playmaking on the eye test. His decision making and his creativity in the final third leave something to be desired. I think that better teams will not give the ball away as easily in dangerous spots and it's in those games where Kljestan's lack of ideas are most apparent. All in all he's a very solid player. I just think he would make more sense further back in the midfield. With that said he's not our biggest problem and I will be fine with the same starting midfield next year if that's what Ali and Jesse decide is best for the team. I do think that Veron will be our starting LM from day 1 in 2016, however, and that could add some more spice to our attack.