News: Revs 2020 Season

If Bruce wants to keep his narrow diamond:
Buksa Bou
Lee
Tommy Teal
Polster
Butter Kessler Farrell Bye

You have Rowe sho can play anywhere is the middle, Manneh who gives you another technical player... maybe we see the team actually play through the middle for a change? Or actually rotate players without having issues with quality

 

It used to happen all the time in the days of MLS 1.0.

Brian Dunseth for Jay Heaps. Leo Alvarez for Ariel Graziani happened about two weeks after Graziani was signed. Wolde Harris for Chris Brown. Edwin Gorter for Mario Gori. Dan Calichman for Mauricio Wright. Beppe Galderisi for Chiquinho Conde. Picked up Eric Wynalda for the stretch run one year.

 

I liked Nguyen in his earlier years with the Revs, but he became less effective, then was traded, and traded again, and traded again, and now he's 34. I see him as a 30-minute player at best, and I can't see him making a dramatic difference to the fortunes of this team.

And yes, the Revs have made a lot of moves, but aside from Polster, are any of these guys really making a big difference?

 

I would add TMac to Polster as making a difference.

 

His last season in New England, he scored 11 goals and had 15 assists.

 

His minutes and points have definitely declined since he left, but he still appeared in 48 games for LAFC over the 18/19 seasons. He clearly didn't factor into Miami's plans, and he's not a long-term solution for us, but he definitely gives Bruce more options if he's got anything left in the tank. It's a good pickup.

 

I followed Lee as much as I could since he left. IMO, they did not want him as a scorer in LAFC but as a setup guy for their big names (hows that working out now). I saw him on numerous occasions pass when he could have shot and believe that's what Brady wanted him to do. I am hopeful that Arena will not follow that lead and will give Lee a total free hand to do his thing. If he pops a few in from outside, it will force other teams to try and close him down and that will open up others. Lee will find them.

Also somebody said "then he was traded, and traded again, and traded again" Not exactly what happened. Revs - Yes the Revs traded him but not because they didnt want him, they didnt want to pay him so he refused to play for the Revs. I blame Burns and Friedel. LAFC - he was not protected during an expansion draft. Not exactly a trade as you couldnt protect everybody Miami - That was the only true trade. Lee was no in their plans and was pulling down $350K so I think it was more of a salary dump than anything.

Finally - I have always been a massive Lee fan. I predict he will make us all smile again and maybe even turn guys like Buska into a scorer as well as help everybody else's game too. Hope to see him on Sat.

 

Yes, that's correct. He must wait at least 10 days. Not gonna happen.

 

Yes - that's what I'd like to see. McNamara also works doubly-hard pressuring the ball and that may somewhat compensate for Lee's typical half-pressure.

Anyway, a high-energy, ball-pressure guy paired with a ball-control, distributor feels like a good pairing.

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Without Gil, teams are really ramping up the pressure on our defense, trying to keep us bottled in our own end and force giveaways/blunders. To counter that, you need players who can switch the ball out to space under pressure - LN is someone who can do that.

 

people give Friedel stick for Lee leaving, but it makes no sense. Lee had already demanded a trade before Brad was hired, and didnt show up to camp. A coach cant just start naming a guy to the xi who hasnt been at practice.

 

So, let's suppose that's true and he had no problem with Freidel, why then is he willing to come back now? Was it more Burns?

 

It's clear that BA likes to be able to throw different looks at opponents. LN, even if he only comes on as a super-sub, clearly gives the Revs a different look than they currently have.

 

I guess we can call him He that can be named again.

I hope he will be happier here in his return than he was when he forced his departure. I think the Revs can use all the help they can get in his role.

Welcome back Lee Nguyen!

 

It seems pretty evident (to me, at least) that Burns created a pretty hostile/contentious environment. Just the fact that he included conditions in the trade sending LN to LA discouraging them from re-negotiating his contract seemed extremely petty (and hostile), not to mention a really bad precedent in having good relations with other players going forward.

What's ironic is that he seemed to create an environment bound to cause Friedel to fail (undermining his relations with his players), while also alienating a key member of Friedel's roster. It seemed like Friedel was intent on getting Nguyen to play for him, while Nguyen was intent on getting out of town, because of dealings with Burns.

It speaks volumes the number of players/ex-players who have come back in such a short amount of time. Next thing you know, we'll be re-signing Larentowicz and Parkhurst!

 

Thanks. Memory let me down on that one.

As to MacNamara, I like the acquisition, and I think he's a decent player, but again, he's bounced around and hasn't been a starter in recent years, which I think speaks to the fact that he's not really a game-changer. His acquisition, and Nguyen's (and Manneh's), while defensible, don't really scream "ambition." They scream "settling."

 

You lost your best player on the team for the season. There was no one on the roster who could conduct the offense like Gil, you tried several and it didn't work. So you go to the market and start picking up players who are available. You are not going to find a Kevin De Bruyne or a Jadon Sancho available, so you have to settle for Tommy Mac and Lee Nguyen. I like both players, I think they fit your needs, which is to fill Gil's shoes for the rest of this season. Next year one of them will be the backup for Gil.

 

All valid - but at the same time, despite having two other DPs still on the field each game, this team is struggling. A lot. Against weak teams.

(What does that say about the Starting X other than Gil.)

I continue to hold out hope that Bruce is still forming this team into something it is not yet - but, at the same time, I'm beginning to harbor reservations as to how far he will be allowed to go to create an "ambitious" team.

Right now, it is a valid question re: the overall collective capability of the first XI of this team (even with Gil, the team's record hasn't been great) -- as well as a secondary, but also very legit question of top-to-bottom depth.

i.e., there's a legit question as to whether the TOP of the roster can hold its own in lean times, knowing that at any given time during the season there's a good chance that one or two or starting 11 will be injured/unavailable.

And if there is a question about Top X players, then that means there is still a LOT of work for Bruce to do (i.e., it's not tinkering with players in depth slots 15-22).; and will he be able to effect enough changes up and down the roster in the next year to align with an "ambitious" goal?

 

On Lee.... apparently he's driving from Florida to New England and a quote from Arena;

So much for the expert opinions

 

I don't disagree with you. My point is that the additions are not top-quartile players, and if they've improved the squad, it's only because the squad was weak to begin with. In other words, they've improved the team only to a certain level, and that level is not a level high enough to win anything.

 

Left unsaid, so I have to ask: would you prefer the team stand pat on player personnel unless there is a level of improvement at "a level high enough to win anything"?

Is doing nothing better than acquiring Nguyen? Is there an MLS team that made a more savvy addition that the Revs missed out on?

For me, a worthwhile move.

This is MLS, and despite all other criticism (mostly earned) Bruce knows MLS.

 

I agree with both of you.

I think these moves did improve the quality of the team, and that should be appauded.

Both moves also speak to the overall low quality of player occupying spaces on the roster. Part of that is MLS, but part of that is endemic to the Revs under Burns. It can be both things. The fact that Tommy and Lee were bench players (good ones) for MLS teams but are likely to be key contributors in NE does not reflect well on the revs roster (especially Diego/Scotty, but also Penilla).

But the fact that, unlike personnel moves under Burns, these moves are not bottom of the roster depth. Instead they exert pressure on the top of the roster to secure their spot in the xi/20, and hopefully will ultimately produce a better produce on the field

 

Some of the ones.... Diego, Scotty... may be on thin ice down the road.

I totally disagree with you on Lee though. I totally expect him to be the TOP player on this team in short order and will be THE key contributor. He was in a bad situation in both LAFC and Miami. Both had other stars they wanted to showcase and didnt look at Lee as an offensive threat. In fact, he's a talented scorer and if Arena gives him the freedom.... he will be again. I think he will make everybody around him a better player and maybe even wake Buska out of his coma.