Ok, this move was a little different than first reported. Colorado sends Burch to Minnesota in exchange for Gatt, Saeid, and an international slot. Jeff Carlisle is also reporting that Minnesota will be picking up some of Gatt's salary. Colorado then waives Sam Cronin who Minnesota claims immediately off waivers. The latter move is due to the new CBA rules which state that a player who got above the agreed upon salary bump for a player claimed in the re-entry draft can't be traded in the following year, to avoid getting around the re-entry draft rules. Now I'm assuming that the Burch trade was done with the full knowledge of the Cronin move by both sides and the Rapids might have gotten more from Minnesota than they would have without Cronin becoming available.
...and that's the issue. This isn't going overboard. It has been embarrassing to watch this team for much of these four games. How Colorado couldn't beat this team is beyond me. If you saw light somewhere that would be one thing...but it is hard to see a lot. Cronin is a step. They need to use their DP slots. If the plan was wait for the stadium and then invest, they grossly erred, and invested way to little. Bite the bullet and get some help.
The top four offensive subs for Columbus are: Niko Hansen (rookie), Adam Jahn, Dilly Duka, & Hector Jimenez. We don't have anyone who can fill the shoes of any of the front four guys. Not even close. EDIT: for Loons fans thinking Tchani was a chance for a DM, dont. He's an 8 not a 6.
Cronin was very underrated by a lot of Quakes fans IMO. But if you're Cronin, and have a 2016 kinda season? The stars are aligned and you are in the very right place. Hope it works out though, for him and the Loons.
The key for the Crew is to be less predictable, right? Maybe secondary, start weaning off Higuain. Maybe third, have depth and keep everybody on their toes. Seems like Manneh and Jahn can make the Crew less predictable. Can Meram slot in for Higuain, or could Manneh's addition faciltate an alternative formation for your back-up? As for depth, this list of attackers is really good by MLS standard.
He was rated right where he should have been... Mr. Backpass. Looks like the Loons may need someone who can do that well, so it's most likely an upgrade.
You're right. I think it's like this: MN needs more MLS veterans - to right the ship and just get them through year one. They are leaking goals like The Edmund Fitzgerald...and that didn't end well. Sam Cronin is a solid, experienced body they can put on the field to give them some calm and protection. It seems like a good fit. Having a competent MLS CM who also passes forward or scores goals is a luxury at the moment. BTW - Manny Lagos won two championships with SJ. Hopefully he learned something about how to put together a winning MLS roster while he was with us. I believe he is their Technical Director although I haven't been paying close attention so I'm sure someone will correct me if that's not the case.
I personally liked Sam Cronin when he was with the Quakes. He didn't get many assists or goals nor was he a great dribbler of the ball but he held his position well. He wasn't flashy by any means but he was a solid player who no one ever noticed but was important in his role. I'm surprised that Colorado let him go as I thought he had a great year last season and he started and played each game this season. Interesting move but I hope he helps Minnesota out as they need a lot of help.
Those were "mistakes" that hundreds of random f*ckers on the internet like me and you knew were mistakes, despite a lack of inside information or soccer management expertise. If we knew, they should have known. MLS is a grown-up now - it's time for us to stop excusing obvious idiocy.
I mean, it feels good to say "Leadership will be revealed by how they respond..." But seriously, what the f*ck? Did the leadership clock just magically start several games into the season? Was MUFC under the sorcery of an evil vizier up until right now? No. Atlanta and Minnesota had the same timeframe and the same opportunities. One had leadership and the other didn't. That sh*t has already been revealed.
There must be a Marc Burch with whom I am not familiar. The one that I recall is a 32 year old who would now be on his sixth team. A guy who was drafted by LA and then traded to Columbus for a 2nd round supplemental pick. Then, less than a year later, he was traded to DC for a THIRD round supplemental pick and converted from striker to left back because they were out of left footed guys. After a couple years his contract ran out and DC didn't make him an offer so he went into the 2011 re-entry draft where Seattle picked him up in the last round His career highlight in Seattle was having Garner suspend him for four game for directing a homophobic slur at Will Johnson. After completing his re-eduvation camp term, Seattle declined to sign him and he went back into the re-entry draft for.the THIRD TIME (might be a record) where he was selected by Colorado. So this journeyman, who only has a job because he's left footed, who has twice been traded for buckets of warm piss and kicked to the curb by 3 other teams, is now worth a huge package of actual players and picks? Burch is garbage. That's not just the usual fan commentary. Ten years of solid evidence, as offered by the entire league (and note: if you last until the second round of the re-entry draft it means that EVERY TEAM IN MLS COULD HAVE HAD YOU FOR NOTHING AND SAID NO THANKS) demonstrates that this is a throw away player of virtually no value. Anyone who believes Marc Freakin Burch is the answer to their defensive problems is drunk, delusional or just plain stupid. And anyone who traded players and picks and money for him is an incompetent idiot.
Nice to see him carving out a career until he is 33 years of age. I've seen players with much better resumes out of the game at a much younger age. Some were injured but not everyone was as many were done and couldn't play anymore.. Playing the game professionally at that age is quite an accomplishment for a no good journeyman.
You're right - I should've taken that into account. Honestly, though, still feel like they had enough time to do far better than this.
I'm sure what was traded for Burch was really traded for Burch and Cronin. Colorado and Minnesota both had to know the plan to waive Cronin so Minnesota could claim him when they made the Burch-Gatt/Saeid deal.
It doesn't matter anyway because there is no promotion or relegation. All they have to do is get a few players and play competitively and build a team to think about mid season or even next year. Atlanta so far seems to be holding their own but the days of expansion teams coming in and winning like Chicago in 1998 or Seattle did in 2009 , are pretty much over.
for all the folks fretting MUFC: Chill. The MLS version is a handful of games into their existence and the league wasn't counting on them to be a national phenomena. Remember, we're all in this for the long game.
No one is fretting over the short term.The posters with issues here are long term, day one MLS, old NASL types. We get the long haul....we preach the long haul. We have been in the s**t. This is simply incompetence from a marketing, communication, promotion, etc... all the way down to the product on the field if you have been following. It does not breed confidence long term. That is the issue. JK had no chance of succeeding long term. Absolutely none. Many here who have real world experience comprehend the basic attributes and building blocks needed to move forward. He simply didn't have the skill set. Never will. These owners are smelling a little Klinnsy...and that should be called out now. Not later...now. As Nidal said, this isn't net baby stuff. This is a grown up business....run it like one from all angles. There are dozens of successful MLS groups to glean knowledge from. This isn't 1998. I don't care how "early" it is. You don't take your customers for granted like this long term. The US Nat coach can get away with crap like that....a club/real business? Different story.
Minnesota lived through the Timberwolves sucking for like their first 11 years. I think they understand to have patience for an expansion team.
I was told they've been planning this deal for some time now. I'm not a fan of it at all. & just our luck, nana is injured with a hamstring problem.
This. Really wish Philly's owners had recognized this back in 2009-2010........ I fear Minnesota is going down that path. They need a change in Coach. Heath is a great guy and the media loves him for the sound bites he provides. As far as coaching in MLS.......It doesn't look like he has it. His teams have all had the same traits: leaking goals, and no discipline (tactically, or from players). Sure they score pretty goals, but they always give ship goals at alarming rates, and seem to blame the officials when something bad happens (at least in Orlando.....and the last game against the Revs). We all forget that moving to MLS wasn't MNU's first choice. They were happy in NASL, and then the Vikings owners talked openly of wanting a team for their new stadium, coupled with MLS' desire to be in the Minny Marketplace forced their hand. MNU's owners stumped for MLS so that their team would survive, not necessarily because they wanted to move to MLS.
One last piece of this Colorado-Minnesota trade: http://m.startribune.com/minnesota-...o-rapids-sam-cronin-and-marc-burch/417798223/
So...what did we learn last night? Keep Demidov on the bench, good things can happen. (are the Loons suddenly a playoff team? Good heavens, no. But maybe we're not historically bad, either.)