They would have to eat a good chunk of his contract. Similar to what RM did when they loaned Bale to Spurs.
Depends on if he starts getting more minutes with Citeh. Matt Turner is nipping at his heels on the USMNT partially due to getting consistent minutes.
Change my Mind -- Bakes left to help the Crew to MLS Cup. If McBride didn't jump ship to the Fire, there is no way Chad would have out jumped him in the ECF. Bakes was playing 4D chess for the city of Columbus all along.
And in fact wasn't it supposedly his wife who insisted on them living in Chicago so their kids could grow up around (her) family? Maybe that was a cop out on his part - blame the hot blond rather than admit his own role - but it's the story everyone got. Which of course kinda makes him seem like some kind of p*ssy; "Hey Brian, does she carry your balls around with her or does she leave them locked up at home?" but bottom line we really didn't need him, as subsequent events showed. It was his loss; how many rings you got, Bake? But I have always liked that picture; Marshall, who skipped town for Seattle, McHead, who didn't want to come back and Buschie, who Sigi basically told to get lost. One is in the Ring, one probably will be someday (although as noted we're getting sort of backed up in that regard) and one was a fan favorite for a while.
All indications are that his wife did, indeed, prefer Chicago. I have never agreed with all the McBride hate for the Chicago decision. He gave us all he had from 1996-2003, then left for Fulham. Where he was very successful. When his play started to decline, he came back to MLS, and chose Chicago. The guy was always classy towards us in the media, and in person. Plus, we won 3 SS and 1 MLS Cup during his time with Fulham/Chicago. 3 of which were during his time with Chicago. Why are we mad, again? I guess I think we should show more class. Some, I guess, can only show 3/5ths of class.
If Turner is really "nipping" at Zach's heels, Berhalter needs to be fired. Steffen is the #1. Period.
And if what you're selling is a bottle of warm horse piss, then it realty doesn't matter where you are or how much you charge. No one is paying for it. If you think putting that bottle in an airport or a swanky restaurant is going to make it worth more, go ahead and try. I don't mean to belittle the man and I'm on record here saying multiple times that he has value and the team should try and keep him. I stand by that. But it appears that what he's talking about - reading between the lines - is that the team isn't offering him what he feels he's worth. Fair enough. Happens in sport every day. What you do is have your agent make some calls. If he can find a team that will pay you more than Bez is offering, good for you. thanks for everything. What you dont do is cry about it. This is a business and you chose it knowing full well how it works.
It hardly adds gravitas to Afful's point when Fanendo Adi is the player who publicly backs him. The player who was signed for $2M by FCC; then waived him - and picked up 90% of his salary for the Crew last year - just to get him off the salary budget and to clear a roster slot; went through most of 2021 without a team; and according to the MLSPA, is being paid just over $80K by Minnesota this season.
And again, it would seem awfully like Adi is butt hurt and feels the Crew done him wrong, which is ridiculous. As you allude, the guy was a complete bust and it wasn't anyone's fault but his own. Porter put him out there and he stunk. Since 2018 he has been with 3 different teams, made 33 appearances and scored a grand total of twice. That's an average of 0.66 goals PER SEASON, and he apparently thinks he's got a bone to pick. I love Harry. Adi can suck a bag of dicks.
Crew 2 comin' at you. Continuing to lead in a new chapter of American pro soccer.Introducing: 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐮𝐬 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐰 𝟐.— The Crew (@ColumbusCrew) December 6, 2021 "Columbus Crew today announced the launch of Columbus Crew 2, a developmental second team which is set to participate in Major League Soccer’s recently announced MLS NEXT Pro. As part of the pathway to the Crew’s First Team, Crew 2 will join the new league as part of the inaugural 2022 season and will play its regular-season matches at Historic Crew Stadium. Ticketing information for Crew 2 matches will be announced at a later time."
When you mail something in, you usually have to go to the trouble of putting on a stamp. This design lacks even that simple effort.
The could have made the number a #1 as it is a piss-poor design. But, they went with the generic #2, because its shitty. I guess both get the same point across.
Good riddance to Afful. It will free up a roster spot for someone with some upside. Harry was awful last year with no reason to suspect improvement in 2022. Maybe Charlotte will sign him but I'd bet not.
Both Meram and Finley are available as free agents. The Crew never should have let them go in the first place. Now they're both older bench players and if you're going to have some grizzled old vets as backups you could do a lot worse. Smart, classy, high character guys, leaders who can still give you 20 minutes and won't break the bank.