Post-match: Once again into the lair of E.V.I.L. MLS Matchday 4 Crew @ PCNJ Sunday March 20th 2:00pm

So what are you saying? Apparently we can’t buy DP strikers, and everyone below that sucks. Who exactly should we sign to get better? I have no idea what you’re trying to say other than MLS isn’t the best league in the world, which is obvious.

 

That it's just a lot harder at that position compared with other positions, especially when you have a limited number of DPs. And my comment was referring to "really good strikers". I'll stand by that.

 

I found the highlight reel.

 

Wondo vrs Germany anyone

 

I want a refund.


@chr1st, you know what it is like to have kids who watch the games with you. Well I let Markus read with me as I scrolled through the in-game posts (the game had some downtime). He saw some of the posts (no not @DrunkandDisorderly 's no-no post) bemoaning Zardes.

"Man, those fans are roasting Gyasi. Do fans do that?"

"Yeah. Fans can roast players. Fans can roast coaches. Remember that video of pink slips your father loving/laughingly reminds us of every once in a while?"

"Oh yeah. That is cool everyone is talking about Crew." (again I think he is already a fan of Mr. @Kyle Crew - Markus saw your "Berry sucks" post, and he was like: "Yeah, Berry does suck."

I was reminded through my oldest's eyes that having a place like this still around to discuss the team, games, etc. is pretty cool. Especially when they have the sense of humor and creativity of the one and the only, @chr1st.

 

Nashville signed the damn near MVP last year Hany Mukhtar for $3 million from Brondby.

New England signed reigning MVP Carles Gil from Deportivo la Coruna for $1.65 million.

New England also sign Adam Buksa from Pogon Szczecin for $4.62 million.

Kansas City promoted Daniel Salloi from their academy.

Kansas City signed Johnny Russel from Derby for $308,000.

New England signed Gustavo Bou from Tijuana for $7 million.

NYCFC signed Taty Castellanos from Torque for $468,000.

Columbus originally signed Ola Kamara from Austria Vienna for (estimate) $1 million or less.

RSL signed Damir Krielach from Union Berlin for (estimate) $1 million or less.

LA signed Chicharito from Sevilla for $9.4 million.

—————————-

This is a list (out or order) of last years top 10 goalscorers. Other than Chicharito, Bou, and Buksa all of them cost $3 million or less.

If we can pay $1.65 for Matan and $2 million for Yeboah, we can get a DP striker. We don’t need Vela or Giovinco or Zlatan, we just need a top 10 goalscorer. FFS we originally signed Ola, stop saying we can’t find these guys.

 

That list of top 10 goal scorers really shines a light on the 2 "big signings" Bez has made that you also mentioned. Yipes. The first can't start and the other has been starting but hasn't exactly set the world on fire. Not saying that both won't or can't come good, but they don't look anywhere near MLS best IX candidates.

 

Crewster point standings updated for the weekend games:

EAST

Philadelphia 4
Chicago 2
Columbus 2
NYRB 1
Orlando 1
DC 0
Cincinnati 0
Atlanta -2
NYC -2
New England -2
Toronto -2
Montreal -2
Charlotte -3
Miami -5

WEST

Nashville 4
Salt Lake 4
Minnesota 2
LAFC 1
Colorado 1
LA Galaxy 0
Kansas City 0
Portland -1
Austin -2
Vancouver -2
Dallas -2
Seattle -2
Houston -4
San Jose -5

 

If so....pretty concerning considering we have yet to face a team in the top 11 of last year's Supporters' Shield standings (Vancouver was 12th).

Maybe, our schedule and results flatter our actual play.

 

Or that we had a man advantage for big chunk of those first two games?

Also, while SJ and TFC may have looked competent against us, they’re not good teams. Those two, plus Vancouver have a total between them of five points this season. San Jose’s sole point was their come from behind draw against us.

 

The first two are midfielders. Heck, our leading scorer currently is a midfielder. Let's not move the posts. Some of the young ones? They won't be here in a year or two. Some of the others are the wrong side of 32.

I suspect if you look at the other teams in the league, you will also find a fair percentage of "misses". We've had both. And that's the league we are in. Heck, even the big boys have a fair number of misses--they just bring in so many players that it doesn't matter.

 

So don’t bother with anything. Got it.

Mukhtar is playing as a striker now btw, withdrawn striker. That is why he is good now, he sucked as a 10.

 

No, that's black and white thinking. I'm just noting that getting good DP strikers is tough. Tougher than other positions--especially with DP limits. We already have our limit, correct? Zelarayan, Zardes, and Nagbe. So, you'd have to get rid of one or buy them down to get a new one. Perhaps that's why we have the Zardes rumors. Non DP? You'd have to buy them down or get a young DP. Almost by definition, a U22 player is not going to be a player you can automatically count on for a top striker performance. If they were, they'd be somewhere else. Can you get one? Sure--but at that age it's just as easy to miss. I'm thinking of Gladbach getting Luuk De Jong. Solid player--now. But he failed at Gladbach and at Newcastle before succeeding. Not that I wouldn't like the team to go after a couple more young players. But that won't automatically be a home run. A player you can buy down? Yep--but they are unlikely as well to be a top salary player as there's only so much you can buy down. Cap and the DP rules limit us. Are they findable? Yes. Easily? No, especially when you already have your three DPs.

 

Again, not true about U22’s not potentially being good immediately. I have no idea why you’re being so conservative / negative / pessimistic about the ability of the FO to do its damn job when just in recent years we’ve gotten guys like LZ, Artur, Mensah, Moreira, etc.

 

Until they are good, it's "potentially". That's kinda the definition of the word. Not negative, just realistic. And again, I've not said impossible. You are correct about the players you noted. But ... not one is a striker, which is the position I was referring to.

We've had some misses too, which is to be expected. Sosa, Mokhtar, Cadden, Woormgor, Nemeth (as a striker example). But the point folks seem to have been trying to make is that "if we just spent like the Browns". But the rules don't allow you to do that, past a certain point, and you have to decide which positions are most important to spend your DP money on, and the number of DP players is not unlimited. Striker is the toughest position to get value for money, IMHO.

 

Kei and Ola were decent signings from overseas, both for $1 million or less.

 

Sure were--but we've had a lot of misses too (and both Kamara's were a while ago). Nature of the game.

Wish we had a cap space tracker like CapFriendly does for the NHL. It would be easier to figure out what actually might be possible. I'm not ruling out a pickup in the summer window, BTW. That's often an easier time to get players as that's the end of the contract year in much of Europe.

And no, I'm not suggesting that we go to a Fall-Spring European schedule to make transfers easier. The last two home games told us why.

 

Since elite strikers dont grow on trees...can we just eat any potential loss of profit on Gyasi, keep him til his contracts up, and buy him down in the meanwhile and get an elite, several million dollar winger to get us double digit goals and win MLS cup one more time with this roster?