2016 Preseason Catch-All Thread

Whew! And they even left out the Pappa-pincushion part ...

 

There's no fairy tale ending for this situation....the best case scenario right now is that we have to overpay mediocre player(s) to come here and deal with this mess. I would be happy for the Rapids to prove me wrong, but I can't see it happening.

 

This is fair, I get it: splashy, high-profile signing worthy of Sports Center; jersey sales; a face on billboards; the marketing department gleefully answering calls, etc. The fear is that it is only him. If it is Howard plus Pulido (with a good attitude) and maybe another forward in Jan/Feb, maybe this works out.

 

Not sure how Howard in July moves us up from the bottom of the Western Conference, even a record breaking streak of clean sheets* for a record breaking streak of 0 - 0 draws will not yield the points needed at that point to climb the cellar steps.

* (as if w/ current personnel in front of him)

 

If Howard is the leader / inspiration that the defense needs, maybe we should just hire him to be the "defensive coordinator"

I'm a huge Howard fan and a long-time Everton fan and I value and respect everything he has done for the Nats and for the Blues. At the same time, signing him would not be part of a positive strategy for the rebuilding of the Rapids, rather a short-term seemingly desperate move because we have allocation money burning a hole in our pocket and need to have some "name" coming into the new season.

Tim has helped create soccer moments that I won't forget - standing in O'Brien's bar in Boulder in 2010 watching him huck the ball to Donovan to start the attack that won the Algeria match is one of those examples. But I don't want him here because of what he's done in the past.

 

I think folks over-estimate the soccer aspect and under-estimate the Colorado factor. Denver is a great city. Soccer is essentially a 4hr a day job which leaves plenty of time with family in a wonderful city with a wonderful climate.

 

I agree with you about Colorado as a great place to live, but great players almost always have a tremendous desire to win. And it would be hard for any player to think the Rapids will compete for a title any time soon.

 

Oh ye of little faith:

 

Clearly you know where my focus was, it was Conor O'Neill's, not O'Brien's......

 

I think you have a point, to an extent, but I think we as fans have a strong tendency to overestimate what winning means to professional athletes. First and foremost these guys are trying to carve out a decent living so their top priorities are always how can I advance my career and maximize the return in the limited time I am likely to be a professional athlete. I really think we all (eg, Fans) put way more emphasis on how winning plays into the decision algorithm than the athletes themselves do. They are trying to do a job and earn money doing it.

Think of it this way, if Soccer Bob is offered a contract with Club A and Club B and both contracts and situations are relatively equal (guaranteed money, length of contract, potential incentives, playing opportunity, etc.) but Club A is clearly set up for a championship run while Club B is, well, the Rapids....then yes, I agree that the professional athlete is likely to pick Club A. But I can promise you that very few athletes will pick Club A if Club B is offering more money and a better "situation" for the individual athlete and their career.

I think winning to a professional athlete is kind of like what our employer's success is to us as "regular, every day employees" - we all want the company we work for to succeed so we can continue to make money, have job security, move up, etc......but, in the end, if our company is the "Best in the World" at what they do or just "Good Enough To Keep My Job" we don't really care much. Working for the best in the world just isn't the highest priority when it comes to paying the bills and keeping food on the table.

 

And just like we thought, Pulido rejected loan deal to Rapids per story and posts. RFO just doesn't get that it's one thing to treat their fans this way the players talk and remember what organizations are good. The only way to fix this now is to blow up the whole RFO and even KSE must see that clearly now. Problem is how many more players will it cost us while they wait for their contracts to run out.

 

He can live here when he's retired which will be a much longer time than his career. Not a factor. Pro athletes play for money and championships.

 

Guess where I will be April 9th>>> http://switchbacksfc.com/switchbacks-fc-announce-schedule-for-2016-usl-season/

 

I agree with you that athletes usually select the team that offers the most money. But given that (and we all admit the Rapids are not known as big spenders), next is winning. For example, the Rockies always have to overpay for free agents. The Nuggets never get anyone to sign. However, the Broncos often get free agent discounts (or at least win the salary equivalents) because they are a first-class, winning organization.

 

I'd love to see the data and analysis behind this.

 

Now there's a Bravo-tier signing the club might actually get done. Can't wait.

 

fyp

 

I doesn't count without throwing away the draft first.

 

That's him: http://us.soccerway.com/players/mekeil-williams/96922/
Multiple caps for T&T; experience in Danish, Polish, T&T and Guatemalan leagues ... interesting

 

Slightly amused in that 1) you always seem to have seen a guy play regardless of league he is in 2) it's always seems to be a "glowing endorsement" whereas real life with Rapids their performance is usually the "meh" to opposite of your view.

 

Nick LaBrocca is officially with Chicago.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2016/01/27/chicago-fire-sign-free-agent-midfielder-nick-labrocca