Just Paul himself talking about it. https://en.as.com/en/2022/01/15/soccer/1642287279_253959.html https://www.90min.com/posts/club-america-in-advanced-talks-to-sign-dc-united-paul-arriola DC United winger Paul Arriola confirms interest from Club America. [@TUDNUSA] pic.twitter.com/KlFNP3JVr1— The Eagle Eye Podcast (@EagleEyePodcast) January 14, 2022 “There is interest from Club América to sign me and I can’t really talk about it. But it is real,” Thx, Jay!
IMO, If we're playing our game, possession is kind of irrelevant. A big part of this style is forcing the other team to make mistakes early in the build out and then be lightning fast and direct in possession - to catch the team out before they can get behind the ball. That doesn't lead to a lot of time in possession. Our midfield consists of two players whose job is primarily disruptive. They're not deep-lying playmakers or 10s. On the ball, they're 8s. That doesn't make them not good. They're good at what they were intended to do. Our playmakers are our wingbacks. The strategy is literally to throw all our players into the offense. Najar was in the opponent's box all the time last season. In the run of play. As a RCB. Sure we're covering for him, but that's still not something you can do without increasing the risk of a dangerous counterattack. We're wagering the risk is worth it. I don't think our defenders are significantly slower than any other team's defenders, they're just CBs being put in dangerous positions where they can be, and are on occasion, caught out. It all comes back to Losadaball, man - like it or love it.
We can relax now. The calvary is soon to arrive. Quiet all winter, D.C. United working on deal to add center-back depth: Hayden Sargis, 19, from second-flight Sacramento Republic. 33 appearances, 30 starts over 2020-21. #dcu #mls #usl— Steven Goff (@SoccerInsider) January 17, 2022
I am more ok with this team's defensive frailties. We've got a keeper who is one of the best in the league and can drop world class saves left and right when he's in form. Loaning our DP and not acquiring the resources (money, because we don't seem to have much) needed to acquire similar talent is just boneheaded.
I agree, mostly. They still need to be able to see out leads and pick up all the points. They need to be able to possess the ball at these times. I think they were poor in that regard last season, and it was costly, points wise. Another thing, no team, zero, can press hard all game long, 90 minutes, never mind do that for an entire season. They need to integrate more timing/strategy with the press (I think they're good at it but not all the way there), but just as importantly be able to play a possession style if it suits them.
The team missed the playoffs, was never competitive against competent teams and got shit on in defense. There were times we overperformed but mostly were average or worse. The players were noticeably mediocre and the squad has gotten worse. I know a lot of people here are doing their best to find a bright side to what is clear incompetence from our front office but there isn’t any. What is going to happen if the current state of affairs persists is we underwhelm in 2022, Losadaball will help us barely make or barely miss the playoffs (and have no chance at later rounds past round 1) just like bennyball did. Posters will try to make the case that things are at least better because we’re not bunkering down as much. Honestly they already are doing that. One thing that could occur is Losada starts shopping for other jobs if he doesn’t feel supported and we end up grabbing some has been mls player coach to fill the gap. I’m honestly surprised by people defending jokers who wouldn’t make mls cup contender rosters as a bench player just because they are our jokers. It’s clear losada gets the vulnerabilities of mls rosters and has a good plan. Can it be executed with such a weak roster?
I don't know that we do much scouting, but Losada and Frutos have connections in SA and Europe and yet just about everything I read in this preseason is players possibly on their way out (Arriola; Kamara) rather than players possibly on their way in.
I have been trying not to get irritated with Kasper this window. Hoping that signings will come. But we are now less than six weeks from our first match. New blood needs time to settle in. I honestly thought it would be different this off-season with Lucy and Hernan but Kasper and his bosses just won't change will they? Right now this side is heading for disaster unless they pull something amazing out of their ass.
Another #DCU coaching departure. Multiple sources tell me Oka Nikolov, who joined the club last year from the Philadelphia Union, has left the club. Was a target for multiple other clubs during his time in DC.Now, he’s joined Steve Cherundolo’s staff at #LAFC, sources tell me.— Pablo Iglesias Maurer (@MLSist) January 17, 2022
Guess we used our whole nut with Lucy and Hernan. Can we start cold calling potential new owners? ******** this is depressing
Just to add to your early evening misery, Pablo also reports the club continuing to lowball Najar -- he still would be the lowest paid defender on the team. This isn't incompetence, this is "Major League". Right now, the owner of the Arizona Coyotes would be an improvement over the current administration.
That isn't close to what Pablo said. He said that Najar and the club are negotiating. It's bad enough around here as it is without worrying about stuff that hasn't happened
Some people may think DC United has been on a diversity hire binge instead of a soccer franchise hiring binge. How long do we have to give it to say the hires haven’t been successful? Thx, Jay!