I agree that you don’t need an MVP caliber #10, not only because hey - let’s see if we can move up a tier or two first, but also because I don’t think it’s necessary in order to win an MLS Cup. I also think Monteiro is good enough, and Doyle admits he’s very good. And besides I think he makes up for not having elite quality attacking skills with his work rate and defense. He’s no “luxury player”. He brings his lunch box. When you find a player like that, you keep him. Left winger made might be a place to invest if we’re gonna keep Espinoza. And if he’s truly markedly better than Benji. Benji has 4g, 2a on not even half season full minutes 900-something). Could have Benji behind him and Cade behind Espinoza. And then I think we need another #9 for depth and to spell Jebo. I think Doyle also seems unaware that Judson has been out much of the season with injury; he knocked him pretty hard for fallen form. I think he’s been fine when in there but hasn’t had enough minutes to hit his stride. So once again “pundits” like Doyle manage to learn enough about all teams to write stuff like this but hardcore fans of the team know their team better and his assessments should be taken with a grain of salt.
I won’t bother posting the Claude Raines gif, but I doubt anyone is surprised. Curious the article didn’t mention the biggest albatross we must contend with - our cheapass, absentee owner… Also - making the playoffs is an absurdly low standard, and one the Quakes have consistently failed to meet in the vast majority of seasons since 2008. The 800 pound gorilla in the room, as always, is wearing a piscine disguise…
https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/com.../?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3 Matt Doyle has said that he has free reign to write about tactics & overall roster building strategies, but there are boundaries he can't cross. I'm pretty sure one of those boundaries is critiquing ownership's overall investments (or lack of). So he can say our players don't match the quality of similar players in other clubs but I doubt he can allude to any reasons why that might be.
Honest question, is the reason you just want to make the playoffs because you believe any team who makes the playoffs has a decent shot at winning the cup, or do you really not care about winning the cup?
Making the playoffs may be "an absurdly low standard" but it would sure be nice if we could make it more often than not, and then have our hat in the ring to try to win a championship. We'd all like to win MLS Cup every year, but sometimes the perfect is the enemy of the good. Wringing hands that we're not an MLS SuperClub while Fish is owner is a waste of time. So let's see if we can at least become smart enough in the meantime to be in the mix more often than not. That's where I'm at.
Generally agreed with Nathan, Beason, Benji, Marie as looking good but not starting caliber for any MLS team. Although I thought Nathan was starting quality, but over the season, he is pissing me off more and more with his poor decision making and leading the defense. I would add Remedi and Yuell this year to the non-starter list. May be Yuell could recover with another good team as a role player. The only reason Beason is not on the bench immediately is not to impact the team spirit by benching him immediately.
Who else would they play there? Agren is the only other CB until Rodrigues is ready, then I hope Rogrigues gets some starts. I like Agren BTW but not sure that Beas(t) -> Agren would gain us much yet. And I doubt "team spirit" is going to be damaged by benching Beas(t). Players go in and out of the starting lineup throughout the season. "Team spirit" can't possibly be that fragile.
The word "just" is to emphasize my expectations are based on past performances and spending habits since 2008, obviously I care and would like to see us win the cup.
I'm watching the MLS highlights, thinking, being sad. I decided that if we had Insigne and Bernardeschi, I would buy a ten year season ticket right now.
I read that neither Bale or Chiellini made the bench for LAFC and they still scored 5 goals. That’s pretty incredible that they have such depth. Our starters can’t even come close to matching their reserves.
People complain about Fisher's A's trading away their good players. Thing is, every year the A's are gifted one of the top players in their age group via the draft and the tightly controlled international market, so at least they have some of the best in the world when they are 25-27 years old no matter how incompetent and skinflint they are.
Draft picks in MLS though, don’t do much. I’m all for utilizing college players and I believe in many instances they are still better than the youth team products, but unlike the NFL, NBA , MLB or even the NHL, MLS draft picks won’t turn a team around. At least not in the immediate future. Looking at the #4 pick in 2015, Fatai Alashe for example , he was already out of the league as soon as he turned 27. We need anywhere from 8-10 good players with maybe a mix of MLS veteran and some dynamic foreign signings.
Yep, this is exactly my point. In soccer, the draft will not gift you great players. You need to identify and sign them.
As I recall , Opara was often injured in 3 seasons with the Quakes. He did become defender of the year twice but sadly it was with 2 other clubs.
A sellout crowd of 14,673 for second division Louisville in their three sided stadium... when was the last time the Quakes drew that many for a non-Stanford regular season game? Unbelievable. Soccer won’t work in this town, right? So proud of this moment. pic.twitter.com/we0pg3Nf3F— Brad Estes (@brad_estes) August 14, 2022
Easy to do once. To do it after 25 years in the league, product staleness in the market, local media indifference, absentee ownership, and a relocation, is another thing. It’s not always rainbows and lollipops.
Louisville averaged above 10k both last year and this. The fans show up too, not like our inflated attendance figures. It sounds like a great atmosphere at their games. This is their 8th season; it's not just the shiny new thing in town.
They do pretty well, but seems they are getting a bit of new stadium / post-pandemic(ish) bump. LouCity has never led the USL in attendance, and the club ranked 4th in 2019 while playing at Slugger Field. The larger Lynn Family Stadium opened in 2020, but was limited in its capacity due to the pandemic. This year, though, attendance has been mostly unrestricted at the venue, which holds up to 15,304.
In league where you are measured and judged by making the playoffs and where 7 out of 14 teams in each conference (or half of the league) qualifies for the tournament, it shouldn't be this difficult to make the postseason. Making the playoffs is still not a huge achievement but not making it 11 out of 15 seasons is very pathetic and sad.
Are we even playing the same sport Reports that Cristian Tello (31, formerly of Barcelona and most recently with Real Betis) is going to LAFC, presumably to replace Brian Rodriguez.Yet another insane signing from LAFC. https://t.co/293mrGf49M— MLS Buzz (@MLS_Buzz) August 19, 2022
Would be amusing to see them amass all this talent and then have a bad or unlucky game and lose to someone like RSL in the playoffs. Kind of like 2018.