Official - 2022 roster moves and signings thread.

Discussion in 'LA Galaxy' started by ragbone, Nov 7, 2021.

  1. ragbone

    ragbone Member+

    Sep 2, 2005
    Santo Tomas, Batangas, Philippines.
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Well, what a monumental late season collapse. Very few players with the heart to do it.

    There's always next year... AGAIN.
     
    Geneva, Skevin, hav77 and 5 others repped this.
  2. 2in10

    2in10 Member+

    LA Galaxy, Internazionale
    United States
    Jun 19, 2016
    Sparks, NV
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    When the injuries mounted mid-season it killed any momentum and quite possibly those injured players were brought back too soon, especially considering the mileage some of them have on their bodies.

    Time for the FO to embrace the leagues new path and go on an out with the old and in with the young spree. Literally, especially in midfield.
     
    Geneva, El Futbolisimo and hav77 repped this.
  3. LEM-LAG

    LEM-LAG Member+

    May 28, 2011
    Club:
    Olympique Lyonnais
    I know it's very easy to say this after the season, but when I saw all the players we signed from the French Ligue 2, I was a little bit confused. I understand the economic situation argument but Ligue 2 is not that good, and MLS is way better. Not sure our FO realized it.

    Cabral was the most frustrating player to watch but he gets a pass from me, he's too young. Raveloson is decent but he's not a DM. Whether he'll be played as a box-to-box or even as a CB will be interesting next year.

    Grandsir can make great things but is too inconsistent, and Coulibaly has the same issue as Ciani and Skjelvik had : he's not better than our cheap and domestic players like DePuy, Steres or Romney.
     
    Geneva, MPNumber9, hav77 and 3 others repped this.
  4. cleschke

    cleschke Member+

    Aug 16, 2004
    Fullerton, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I’m going to go out on a limb and say that was probably Dos Santos’ last game with the Galaxy, which will give us a DP spot to play with. We need to further revamp the defense. We need a much younger stud central midfielder to play the Sasha/Vasquez role and depth at forward. Alvarez is not going to cut it. I don’t know what the deal with Jovelich is. Perhaps 18 goals in the Austrian Bundesliga has us all thinking he’s better than he really is and Vanney sees it? Outside of the top 1 or 2 teams, quality there is pretty poor. I’m willing to give a pass to Cabral this year. There’s obvious raw talent there and he’s young enough for it to be refined. Next year is make or break for him. He’s on a multi year contract in any event and outside of us buying him out, I don’t see us being able to move it this off-season.
     
    Geneva, 2in10, Skevin and 4 others repped this.
  5. mbar

    mbar Member+

    Apr 30, 1999
    Los Angeles, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I’m willing to give almost all the new signings another season and to be with us from the start. Even if I have my doubts (Cabral, grandsir, bond, Sega).

    I think Fischer, JDS, Niko, Vasquez need to be upgraded. That’s one DP spot and misc. parts. Need to hit grand slam on DP.

    Our hope for next year is that our team will be much better as it settles in.
     
    Geneva, MPNumber9, hav77 and 2 others repped this.
  6. LEM-LAG

    LEM-LAG Member+

    May 28, 2011
    Club:
    Olympique Lyonnais
    Well, I'll try to be realistic and say who I would keep and who should go :

    1) Bond : he's probably not as good as he looked at the beginning of the season. Some good reflexes but his tendancy to spill the ball is worrisome. Definitely the best keeper we've had since Penedo, but a top 7-8 GK in MLS? No. Keep him, he could improve.

    2) Araujo : our best defender, and our best player. Hang on to him as long as we can, we're so lucky to have him.

    3) Williams : overall a decent season, he's been sometimes impressive. Possibly our best CB since 2016 Van Damme (though 2019 Polenta deserves a shot). That's not that great but we have other priorities and he won't go.

    4) Coulibaly : probably a two-year contract, he should be a bench player and I'm not sure his Galaxy career won't last long. Depth next year and find a starter next to Williams.

    5) Steres : Dan has always been good depth to have, but it might be the end of his Galaxy career. Vanney seems to not value him a lot (DePuy is now ahead of him), he will soon turn 31 (which is still a decent age for a CB TBH), and more importantly, he's making 375k. It will free up some cap space to have him off the books. I don't know when his contract ends but it's possibly next month, and he's expendable.

    6) Raveloson : decent season, saved by his many goals. We need to sort out where his best spot is. Replacing Jona as a box-to-box? Or as a CB? He's not a DM, that's for sure.

    7) Vazquez : I understand what Vanney tried with him (a few years back he would have been a typical Bruce veteran), it worked for a few months but father time caught him. Please Greg, be fair to him and let him retire. It will free up 400k in cap space + a precious international spot.

    8) Jona : obviously he won't come back as a DP, but I don't want him to come back at all. To paraphrase a post I read here a few weeks ago (don't remember from who, sorry), "he's just retiring in front of us". Thank you for everything Jona, you probably were our second best player in 2018-2019 behind Zlatan, but the last two years have not been good.

    9) Cabral : going from Valenciennes to LA was too big, he needs another year.

    11) Grandsir : three-year contract, decent player to have in a rotation but I don't expect more. I'm not sure his Galaxy career will be longer than his current contract.

    12) Lopez : as I said in the G2 thread, keep him, but he could be gone.

    14) Chicharito : he will turn 34 next year and with his history of injuries, I'm worried. But we have no choice, it's the last year of his contract.

    15) Hämäläinen : not good enough even as depth, goodbye.

    16) Kljestan : I'm torn on Sacha who again had a solid season, but man, he's 36... I'm confident he will make the best choice for him and the club.

    17) Lletget : it could be a very interesting offseason for Lletget. As I said in an other thread, I don't have any high expectations for Lletget anymore. He's 29 so it could be his last chance to go elsewhere, and there were rumors from Europe a few weeks ago... He should be perfect trade bait in MLS. Keep him in the rotation or sell him, both solutions could be good for the Galaxy.

    18) Vom Steeg : good season in USL, decent option as #3.

    19) Villafana : another interesting question. Obviously he won't go, but it's risky to count on him after his injuries. In a perfect world he would be fine depth, but he has the salary of a starter (450k), so we could have some cap issues.

    20) DePuy : good season for a depth player, but I'm not enthusiastic to have him as a starter for the whole year.

    21) Pipo Gonzalez : his contract ends next month, goodbye.

    24) Acosta : the club doesn't seem to count on him and he didn't look good for G2, he must be gone.

    25) Dunbar : not a good season but he's young.

    26) Alvarez : he's making progress year after year, I like what Vanney did with him. I still have my concerns but he should get playing time next year.

    27) Harvey : see what I said in the G2 thread. International spot issue, he's not worth it. Otherwise, keeping him is a good option, but some European clubs could be interested (like it was the case last year), a transfer fee could be nice.

    28) Koreniuk : a player I like but one-dimensional and with the ACL injury he suffered a few weeks ago, he should be gone.

    29) Zubak : trash, should never had signed with the first team.

    33) Klinsmann : probably not as good as his Minnesota performance suggested, decent backup.

    37) Aguirre : should get first team playing time next year.

    43) Saldana : way better than I expected, keep him.

    44) Neal : bright future and TBH, he's so mature I would give him a solid chance with the team this offseason.

    48) Williams : not good enough, go and have a good career in USL.

    56) Pérez : too young, continue to develop with G2 like Dunbar.

    74) Ferkranus : same.

    91) Fisher : same as Hämäläinen.

    99) Joveljic : even if he's maybe not that good, by far the most underused player this season. Give him time and let him put a few games together!
     
    Geneva, 2in10, El Futbolisimo and 6 others repped this.
  7. LEM-LAG

    LEM-LAG Member+

    May 28, 2011
    Club:
    Olympique Lyonnais
    And my shopping list :

    - keep Araujo at every cost.
    - a DP number 10. Reynoso, Lodeiro, Zelarayan, Almiron... Whoever fits in this mold. A player who can create and make the final pass, something we have missed the whole season (it's not a hazard our leader in assists is... Araujo!).
    - a DM, a true one who's dedicated at recovering the ball.
    - a new CB next to Williams would be nice.
    - depth at fullback, it hurt us a lot. Araujo looked tired at the end of the season and Villafana's injury may have been prevented. MLS journeymen could be enough but we ****** up with Fisher, Acosta and Hämäläinen.
    - sign Aguirre and Judd from G2, there are ready for depth roles in MLS.

    With the many players we signed last year, we don't have as much work this offseason. I'm speaking of 3-4 starters when we almost entirely changed our starting XI a year ago.

    Keep an eye on international spots too. Our internationals are Cabral, Grandsir, Raveloson, Coulibaly, Chicharito, Joveljic, Jona and Vazquez. That's 8/8, we're full. Harvey was loaned to G2 mid-season and didn't count anymore, but he will next year unless he gets a green card. That's why Jona and Vazquez need to be gone, two spots won't be much for the next players.
     
    Geneva, 2in10, El Futbolisimo and 8 others repped this.
  8. mbar

    mbar Member+

    Apr 30, 1999
    Los Angeles, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    LEM-LAG

    Great analysis. As always.

    I *think* we are immune to the expansion draft this year because we lost someone (Corona) to Austin last year. I recall at the time that they said if you lost a player you couldn't next season. So that's nice not to worry about.

    I totally agree with the DP aim being a true #10. You add that and an above average DM (from somewhere) and I think we're a better team immediately.
     
    Geneva, 2in10, TrickHog and 1 other person repped this.
  9. Beep Boop Robot

    Mar 11, 2015
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Not sure we’re holding onto Araujo. He’ll make the job to Europe either in the winter or summer transfer window. A back up and a replacement is definitely needed. The only way we keep him is if he’s only willing to go to a certain tier of team in a limited number of leagues. If he’s holding out for a team in Spain/England/Italy/Germany that consistently is in either the Europa or Champions league, MAYBE we’ll have him for another season.

    You have to imagine with a full off season and the hope that all of the new signings from this season get better. Julian will be hands down the best RB next season and he’ll get the move he wants. My guess is he’ll get it in the summer of 2022.
     
    Geneva and El Futbolisimo repped this.
  10. skydog

    skydog Member+

    Aug 1, 1999
    Durham, NC
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    #10 skydog, Nov 8, 2021
    Last edited: Nov 8, 2021
    I'm going to build off LEM-LAGs nice summary. My opinions in red.

    1) Bond : he's probably not as good as he looked at the beginning of the season. Some good reflexes but his tendancy to spill the ball is worrisome. Definitely the best keeper we've had since Penedo, but a top 7-8 GK in MLS? No. Keep him, he could improve. Agree, has some weaknesses (spilling balls to dangerous areas, occasional struggles to keep focused for 90 minutes) but has a lot of strengths as well. Has has size, athleticism, and great reaction time. He plays with some passion - see his screaming at Araujo in this game. His distribution is mixed.* Overall like you said, our best keeper since Penedo. Bottom line - he wasn't our problem this year and made several game saving reaction saves. Keep.

    2) Araujo : our best defender, and our best player. Hang on to him as long as we can, we're so lucky to have him. Obviously keep.

    3) Williams : overall a decent season, he's been sometimes impressive. Possibly our best CB since 2016 Van Damme (though 2019 Polenta deserves a shot). That's not that great but we have other priorities and he won't go.
    He had a rough patch in the middle of the season but on the whole he's been a very good CB. He is very strong and athletic and brings a hard-ass approach to the cb position. That is a great trait as long as he can keep it under control. The Williams/DePuy pairing actually worked well - the defensive breakdowns in this game for example weren't their fault. Definitely keep.

    4) Coulibaly : probably a two-year contract, he should be a bench player and I'm not sure his Galaxy career won't last long. Depth next year and find a starter next to Williams. If we keep him he needs to be converted into a defensive midfielder (or any kind of midfielder). Has top notch athleticism and good dribbling skills for his size but is a fish out of water at cb position. He weaknesses in decision making, field awareness and agility all make him a liability as last defender. Keep or drop, either is fine. If we keep him then move him up the field, play him as a 2nd DM or attacking DM, Raveloson type position.

    5) Steres : Dan has always been good depth to have, but it might be the end of his Galaxy career. Vanney seems to not value him a lot (DePuy is now ahead of him), he will soon turn 31 (which is still a decent age for a CB TBH), and more importantly, he's making 375k. It will free up some cap space to have him off the books. I don't know when his contract ends but it's possibly next month, and he's expendable. Steres seemed pretty solid and reliable (with a few exceptions) when he played. Decent depth cb but he and DePuy are redundant. I like Steres and by now he is a long timer for us. But unless he is willing to take a pay cut (he shouldn't) I would sadly drop.

    6) Raveloson : decent season, saved by his many goals. We need to sort out where his best spot is. Replacing Jona as a box-to-box? Or as a CB? He's not a DM, that's for sure. Based on his long history of not being a goal scorer I knew his 5 goal start was a fluke. After that brief outburst he has hurt us more than helped us due to poor decision making. His mistakes have led to many soul killing counterattack goals. Drop.

    7) Vazquez : I understand what Vanney tried with him (a few years back he would have been a typical Bruce veteran), it worked for a few months but father time caught him. Please Greg, be fair to him and let him retire. It will free up 400k in cap space + a precious international spot. He was our #1 chance creator and it wasn't close. But he's also obviously a liability defensively. He would be a great late sub if he would agree to a significant salary cut. But if we need his international spot he has to go.

    8) Jona : obviously he won't come back as a DP, but I don't want him to come back at all. To paraphrase a post I read here a few weeks ago (don't remember from who, sorry), "he's just retiring in front of us". Thank you for everything Jona, you probably were our second best player in 2018-2019 behind Zlatan, but the last two years have not been good. Love you, thanks for the memories.

    9) Cabral : going from Valenciennes to LA was too big, he needs another year.
    The praise he often gets on this board is unearned. He is loved for 'potential' but what matters is production.

    Offensively he was a net negative. Goals+assists/90min were abysmal and he killed off maybe a hundred (3 or 4 per game) promising attacks with bad turnovers (mishit passes, dribbling into trouble and getting stripped, very weak finishing attempts). Finding open space in the box isn't a positive if you end up sending a slow roller straight to the keeper.

    Defensively he isn't a great tackler or ball winner but he brought an elite level work rate. His ground coverage allowed him to repeatedly get in position to cut off opponent passing lanes. He slowed opponents down more than stopping them.

    He will improve but he is never going to be a great player. (Great players have much, much better technical skills than Cabral, even at his age.) His speed is overrated - he is fast but not outstandingly so.
    Due to MLS U-22 rules he is has little hit on salary cap. And we have signed him to 5 year deal. Vanney needs/has to keep him, but needs to use him correctly -- as a depth player, not a starter.

    11) Grandsir : three-year contract, decent player to have in a rotation but I don't expect more. I'm not sure his Galaxy career will be longer than his current contract. Grandsir is excellent technically, great in keeping possession, has a very good work rate and is excellent at moving the ball up on the wings. On the negative side he falls apart in the final third and is a liability on defense. If he is surrounded by goal scorers and will improve his defensive efforts he could be a great asset to the team. Keep.

    12) Lopez : as I said in the G2 thread, keep him, but he could be gone. No opinion.

    14) Chicharito : he will turn 34 next year and with his history of injuries, I'm worried. But we have no choice, it's the last year of his contract. No brainer - we can't afford to let go a guy who scores 17 goals in in 20 starts. Yes, we all wish he stayed healthy more. But bottom line, a player who scores 17g in 20 games is worth more than a player who scores 17 goals in 34 games. Keep and give him a strike partner.

    15) Hämäläinen : not good enough even as depth, goodbye. Young, cheap depth. Keep.

    16) Kljestan : I'm torn on Sacha who again had a solid season, but man, he's 36... I'm confident he will make the best choice for him and the club. Keep if he will take a 200k salary. He is still a great spot sub and a veteran leader in the clubhouse.

    17) Lletget : it could be a very interesting offseason for Lletget. As I said in an other thread, I don't have any high expectations for Lletget anymore. He's 29 so it could be his last chance to go elsewhere, and there were rumors from Europe a few weeks ago... He should be perfect trade bait in MLS. Keep him in the rotation or sell him, both solutions could be good for the Galaxy. Really love you man - you brought us so many great memories. Thank you! Wishing you the best of luck in the rest of your life.

    18) Vom Steeg : good season in USL, decent option as #3. No opinion.

    19) Villafana : another interesting question. Obviously he won't go, but it's risky to count on him after his injuries. In a perfect world he would be fine depth, but he has the salary of a starter (450k), so we could have some cap issues. He played well when healthy but declining with age. At 450k we could get an equally good but younger left back. Keep if willing to play for 250k.

    20) DePuy : good season for a depth player, but I'm not enthusiastic to have him as a starter for the whole year. Starter or sub he is a bargain. Keep.

    21) Pipo Gonzalez : his contract ends next month, goodbye.
    24) Acosta : the club doesn't seem to count on him and he didn't look good for G2, he must be gone.
    25) Dunbar : not a good season but he's young.
    Pipo, Acosta, Dunbar bye-bye.

    26) Alvarez : he's making progress year after year, I like what Vanney did with him. I still have my concerns but he should get playing time next year. He is still a very mixed bag. Keep.

    27) Harvey : see what I said in the G2 thread. International spot issue, he's not worth it. Otherwise, keeping him is a good option, but some European clubs could be interested (like it was the case last year), a transfer fee could be nice.
    28) Koreniuk : a player I like but one-dimensional and with the ACL injury he suffered a few weeks ago, he should be gone.
    29) Zubak : trash, should never had signed with the first team.
    I would keep Harvey if he wasn't an international, but he is. So goodbye Harvey, Koreniuk and Zubak.

    33) Klinsmann : probably not as good as his Minnesota performance suggested, decent backup. Agree Minn game flattered him. Keep.

    37) Aguirre : should get first team playing time next year. No opinion.

    43) Saldana : way better than I expected, keep him. Ok.

    44) Neal : bright future and TBH, he's so mature I would give him a solid chance with the team this offseason.
    48) Williams : not good enough, go and have a good career in USL.
    56) Pérez : too young, continue to develop with G2 like Dunbar.
    74) Ferkranus : same.
    No opinion on Neal, Williams, Perez and Ferkransus. Defer to LEM-LAG.

    91) Fisher : same as Hämäläinen. He's 29 and still not good enough for this level. Gone.

    99) Joveljic : even if he's maybe not that good, by far the most underused player this season. Give him time and let him put a few games together!
    I don't know what we are paying him and I can't imagine he would want to stay. But he looked to me to be a 0.4 goal/90min player who will also get some assists, seems to have a great attitude. We need both scoring and attitude. Keep and play him, for gods sake.


    * Bond uses the targeted "kick pass" more often than any other keeper I've seen. He is very accurate with these, but I'm not sure they are that useful. Long throws get there quickly, kick passes not so much. They often backfire, especially when he uses them to hit a midfielder who has no cover. When the player is stripped our defense is immediately put back under pressure.
     
    Geneva, 2in10, El Futbolisimo and 2 others repped this.
  11. mbar

    mbar Member+

    Apr 30, 1999
    Los Angeles, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Just a few thoughts,

    SEGA - I really thought we'd see Sega as a back up right back. He had that in his resume and I think in one game we saw him get in there and I don't recall it being a disaster. I was pretty surprised that when araujo was suspended we saw fischer and not Sega at right back. I'd like to see him there. His qualities would seem to help him there and it seems like maybe he'd be beaten over his back shoulder less often as an outside back.

    NIKO- I believe that in the last salary release, Niko Hammakagfhls was being paid $612.5k.
    So not cheap. Probably just decided it was ok cause they knew we needed left back cover (they were right) and he was the best we could find with an American passport. Clearly not a $600k MLS player. He has to go.
     
    skydog, Geneva, 2in10 and 2 others repped this.
  12. skydog

    skydog Member+

    Aug 1, 1999
    Durham, NC
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    A
    Agree on both points. I could see how Sega would possibly be an effective right back. And I had no idea Niko was being paid that much. From watching him play I assumed he was a cheap backup. 600k is insane. Ship him out as fast as possible.
     
  13. Baysider

    Baysider Member+

    Jul 16, 2004
    Santa Monica
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    What's frustrating for me is that I still have no understanding of what kind of team we are going for. Do we play with two center forwards or one? Vanney seems to like a possession 4-3-3 but Chich is around for one more year and that's not the way to maximize his talent. Raveloson and Coulibaly haven't locked down a position and seem less that ideal in the position we thought they were for. I like Grandsir's effort but he's not a wide forward.

    This was a rebuilding year and we didn't really rebuild any of the positions. Which makes next year a rebuilding year too and we'll be losing ground if Araujo leaves. Last year I said I was OK if we didn't make the playoffs as long as we made progress. I feel the same way about the upcoming year.

    Since this is a rebuilding year, the question for me is who on this team is keeper for 2023?
    ------------------------------????????---------------------------
    Cabral(?)---------------------------------------------Grandsir(?)
    ----------------------Lletget----------????????--------------------
    ---------------------------------????????--------------------------------
    ???????----------Williams---------DePuy--------?????????
    ---------------------------------Bond--------------------------------------

    So many holes to fill and I'm not terribly excited about these players either.
     
    Geneva, 2in10, El Futbolisimo and 2 others repped this.
  14. JPAR

    JPAR Member

    Aug 21, 2013
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    I think you hit the nail on the head. Who does this team want to be? What formation do we want to play? Early in the season I thought we knew, but when Chich went out, it seemed to become mix and match.

    Have to build around Chich if he is here next year. He is the superstar DP that scores goals. So who de we go after as a new DP?
     
  15. TrickHog

    TrickHog Moderator
    Staff Member

    Oct 14, 2002
    Los Angeles, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I know this sounds simple, but I think we need to sign an in-his-prime DP and then start adding pieces that best complement him and our younger players, and definitely not our aging players whose days are numbered....
     
    2in10, El Futbolisimo, JPAR and 4 others repped this.
  16. hav77

    hav77 Member+

    May 31, 2010
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    For me, pressing needs are stud 1) DMID, 2) CAM, 3) LB, and 4) backup RB and maybe F.
     
    2in10 and TrickHog repped this.
  17. TrickHog

    TrickHog Moderator
    Staff Member

    Oct 14, 2002
    Los Angeles, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    We need a midfield that doesn't get completely run over 10 times per game on the counter....
     
    hav77, 2in10, ProudNatRN and 4 others repped this.
  18. LEM-LAG

    LEM-LAG Member+

    May 28, 2011
    Club:
    Olympique Lyonnais
    First news by Baxter : https://www.latimes.com/sports/soccer/newsletter/2021-09-11/galaxy-lafc-aftermath

    - Jona is out of contract and probably won't be back.
    - Kljestan is out of contract. Vazquez and Zubak have options in theirs.
    - DTK's future will be known by the weekend.
    - Pipo Gonzalez is still under contract for next year! I think his mid-season loan saved some cap space, although we still paid a part of his salary. Only solution for next year : another loan or get out from his contract one way or the other. His situation is exactly the same as it was for Skjelvik : risky four-year long and high paid contracts, two years of mediocrity, and try to save the club with loans...
     
    Geneva, skydog, 2in10 and 7 others repped this.
  19. mbar

    mbar Member+

    Apr 30, 1999
    Los Angeles, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    [​IMG]
     
    hav77, skydog, 2in10 and 4 others repped this.
  20. skydog

    skydog Member+

    Aug 1, 1999
    Durham, NC
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    We need a coach who teaches (and then demands) the proper positioning and the rudimentary tactics needed to stop or slow down counterattacks -- so our midfield doesn't get completely run over 10 times per game on the counter.
     
    hav77, 2in10, ProudNatRN and 3 others repped this.
  21. Vapor32

    Vapor32 Member

    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Mexico
    Aug 21, 2021
    Building off LEM-LAG's summary as well.

    1) Bond : he's probably not as good as he looked at the beginning of the season. Some good reflexes but his tendancy to spill the ball is worrisome. Definitely the best keeper we've had since Penedo, but a top 7-8 GK in MLS? No. Keep him, he could improve.

    Bond is the most overrated player on this team. Gives up so many rebounds, reflexes aren't as good as a Frei or Melia or Turner. Distribution is decent. People just like him so much because he's not Bingham and because he's handsome and British. We can do better here.

    2) Araujo : our best defender, and our best player. Hang on to him as long as we can, we're so lucky to have him.

    For his sake, he needs to go. This is as good as he's gonna get here and he needs to go to Europe to improve further. Love the kid so much though.

    3) Williams : overall a decent season, he's been sometimes impressive. Possibly our best CB since 2016 Van Damme (though 2019 Polenta deserves a shot). That's not that great but we have other priorities and he won't go.

    Williams was decent. At the beginning of the season he was incredible. Paulson's smear campaign got to him I think. I hope he can get back to that form.

    4) Coulibaly : probably a two-year contract, he should be a bench player and I'm not sure his Galaxy career won't last long. Depth next year and find a starter next to Williams.

    Didn't look good at all at CB. I don't think converting him to DM would be a bad idea tho- he's athletic, quick and aggressive.

    5) Steres : Dan has always been good depth to have, but it might be the end of his Galaxy career. Vanney seems to not value him a lot (DePuy is now ahead of him), he will soon turn 31 (which is still a decent age for a CB TBH), and more importantly, he's making 375k. It will free up some cap space to have him off the books. I don't know when his contract ends but it's possibly next month, and he's expendable.

    Steres is done. Let him go to be a starter somewhere else, especially at that salary.

    6) Raveloson : decent season, saved by his many goals. We need to sort out where his best spot is. Replacing Jona as a box-to-box? Or as a CB? He's not a DM, that's for sure.

    Rayan is NOT a DM. He doesn't have the positional discipline to be a DM. He should replace Jona in the B2B role.

    7) Vazquez : I understand what Vanney tried with him (a few years back he would have been a typical Bruce veteran), it worked for a few months but father time caught him. Please Greg, be fair to him and let him retire. It will free up 400k in cap space + a precious international spot.

    Loved VV this year, much respect for him. But he's done too. Hell of a passer and we'll miss that, but it's time. Too much money for an aging player.

    8) Jona : obviously he won't come back as a DP, but I don't want him to come back at all. To paraphrase a post I read here a few weeks ago (don't remember from who, sorry), "he's just retiring in front of us". Thank you for everything Jona, you probably were our second best player in 2018-2019 behind Zlatan, but the last two years have not been good.

    Jona is done. I love him. I really do. But we can't carry passengers anymore, let alone waste a DP spot. He's gone.

    9) Cabral : going from Valenciennes to LA was too big, he needs another year.

    Good things about Cabral:

    His ability to find space is fantastic. He makes fantastic runs. He also presses pretty well. Saw multiple times this season he won the ball back multiple times. I see why Vanney is high on him- he has the instincts of a goal scorer.

    HOWEVER

    He does not have the killer instinct of a goal scorer and he is so soft physically. I sincerely hope he works on both of those things because if he does, he can turn this team around. But if he doesn't, then it's another disappointment.


    11) Grandsir : three-year contract, decent player to have in a rotation but I don't expect more. I'm not sure his Galaxy career will be longer than his current contract.

    Grandsir is on 938k. We are getting ripped off hard. Like the guy, like the hustle but for that money you better be a starter putting up numbers.

    12) Lopez : as I said in the G2 thread, keep him, but he could be gone.

    He's not gonna get past Klinsy.

    14) Chicharito : he will turn 34 next year and with his history of injuries, I'm worried. But we have no choice, it's the last year of his contract.

    Chicharito has always through his career that hasn't been a consistent starter. He plays much better with a player next to him, something that took Vanney 7 months to figure out. He can hit 15-20 again if he is load managed correctly. The body can give up, but the instincts never leave.

    15) Hämäläinen : not good enough even as depth, goodbye.

    One of the worst deals DTK has ever done. Pitiful.

    16) Kljestan : I'm torn on Sacha who again had a solid season, but man, he's 36... I'm confident he will make the best choice for him and the club.

    Love Sacha. He actually gives a shit as opposed to some of the disappointments who just wanna be on instagram. But he's only getting older. I can see him being a last 20 minutes guy, but for Vanney to start him is a big failure on him and DTK. He's making way too much money.

    17) Lletget : it could be a very interesting offseason for Lletget. As I said in an other thread, I don't have any high expectations for Lletget anymore. He's 29 so it could be his last chance to go elsewhere, and there were rumors from Europe a few weeks ago... He should be perfect trade bait in MLS. Keep him in the rotation or sell him, both solutions could be good for the Galaxy.

    If you have the chance to sell him or get a MLS Best XI defender for him, do it. But i'm not actively hating on him. When you play him in that shadow striker role... he produces. Let him sit behind the forward and sneak into the box. Let him play simple and play passes to the wingers. He can score goals. But he isn't your CAM. He isn't your winger. He isn't your center mid.

    18) Vom Steeg : good season in USL, decent option as #3.

    Leave him in G2 or let him go.

    19) Villafana : another interesting question. Obviously he won't go, but it's risky to count on him after his injuries. In a perfect world he would be fine depth, but he has the salary of a starter (450k), so we could have some cap issues.

    Man, this guy really tricked you all into thinking he was still a decent player, didn't he? He's slow, barely wins 1v1s, and isn't a good crosser. Get rid of him.

    20) DePuy : good season for a depth player, but I'm not enthusiastic to have him as a starter for the whole year.

    Depuy is solid and gives us that bruiser who bashes the ******** out of opposing forwards for DIRT CHEAP. Almost feel bad for the guy. I keep him as a borderline starter.

    21) Pipo Gonzalez : his contract ends next month, goodbye.

    Unfortunately, his contract does NOT end next month. We still have him for another year LMFAO.

    24) Acosta : the club doesn't seem to count on him and he didn't look good for G2, he must be gone.

    He's at a good age and wasn't even considered when LB was a disaster this year. He's gone.

    25) Dunbar : not a good season but he's young.

    Love this kid, but he regressed. Hopefully comes back stronger next season.

    26) Alvarez : he's making progress year after year, I like what Vanney did with him. I still have my concerns but he should get playing time next year.

    If he could just be consistent he could be our 10. Excellent passer, excellent on set pieces. He just cannot be consistently good, which is very disappointing. Hopefully he can improve on this.

    27) Harvey : see what I said in the G2 thread. International spot issue, he's not worth it. Otherwise, keeping him is a good option, but some European clubs could be interested (like it was the case last year), a transfer fee could be nice.

    Harvey was solid last year, but that intl slot can't be wasted. I don't see him staying.

    28) Koreniuk : a player I like but one-dimensional and with the ACL injury he suffered a few weeks ago, he should be gone.

    I like Kai too. I hope he recovers and gets back to form that brought him to the first team.

    29) Zubak : trash, should never had signed with the first team.

    I'll always thank him for the goal he scored against Plastic FC to get us the first win at their place. But he's done too.

    33) Klinsmann : probably not as good as his Minnesota performance suggested, decent backup.

    I think he's a little underrated actually. I don't think Bond was impressive and that's why Klinsy got the occasional game. He should get a better shot next year.

    37) Aguirre : should get first team playing time next year.

    I like this kid. Very tidy and hopefully improves.

    43) Saldana : way better than I expected, keep him.

    How has this kid convinced so many of you that he's anything better than a high school level player? Horrible. Only passes sideways. Can't play a through ball. Can't score. Can't tackle. Can't win the ball. Loses the ball so easily. He's a bad player. Obviously I hope he improves but he is literally a JV level player.

    44) Neal : bright future and TBH, he's so mature I would give him a solid chance with the team this offseason.

    I like Jalen a lot. I hope he can get some starts for the first team next year.

    48) Williams : not good enough, go and have a good career in USL.

    Williams is too old and didn't make the most of his opportunity when he was given the chance. I think he leaves.

    56) Pérez : too young, continue to develop with G2 like Dunbar.

    Same.

    74) Ferkranus : same.

    Same.

    91) Fisher : same as Hämäläinen.

    Bye.

    99) Joveljic : even if he's maybe not that good, by far the most underused player this season. Give him time and let him put a few games together!

    I do not understand how a player who scored 18 goals in the Austrian league last year cannot get on the field. I just don't get it and if I could slap the ******** out of Vanney for not using him I could. This kid is gold. Right foot, left foot, headers, he can score. I feel so bad for him. If I'm him I'm asking my agent for a loan back to Europe. Really hope he gets the time he deserves next year.
     
    ProudNatRN, natfaninla, JPAR and 3 others repped this.
  22. Lazy Assed Assassin

    Jul 21, 2015
    From the Baxter article

    > The future is also uncertain for general manager Dennis te Kloese, who has seemingly grown tired of what has long has been a dysfunctional front office. The Galaxy have reportedly activated its option on Te Kloese, who has been listening to offers from other teams just the same. He is expected to make a decision by the weekend.

    I’m not saying DtK was great and I’m not saying anything that hasn’t been said a lot, but the only constant in the past 5 years has been Klein. It’s time for him to go.
     
    Geneva, 2in10, 73Bruin and 8 others repped this.
  23. mbar

    mbar Member+

    Apr 30, 1999
    Los Angeles, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    When the tame American soccer press goes ahead and puts "dysfunctional front office" in print without even having to explain itself you know there is a lot of truth to it.
     
    FlapJack, 2in10, ragbone and 7 others repped this.
  24. 100fyers

    100fyers Member+

    Aug 30, 2010
    SoCal
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Seeing all those salary numbers really tells us why the league or the standard is still lacking. I mean 600k and that's considered too much? Maybe if we were Malmo FC type club, the wages just don't support the product. Quality players require quality compensation, and sadly alot of "MLS" players would not cut the mustard as professional footballers in that cut throat environment. I don't see a silver lining at this point sadly :(.
     
  25. El Futbolisimo

    El Futbolisimo Member+

    Sep 28, 1999
    Nah, too much common sense in that. This FO will never go for that. Think of something more convoluted, more impractical and with little chance of success, something with lots of blind long-term exorbitant contracts. Then come back. ;)
     
    2in10, skydog and TrickHog repped this.

Share This Page