Prior to this season, Bassett was a pressing attacking midfielder who didn't really create for other players and wasn't strong at defense other than pressing. So, I'm not shocked he struggled to find a home. This year, Colorado is playing him back further, and he's become a much more solid defender. He's still crashing the box and getting his goals, and still pressing well, but now that his position's primary offensive role is ball progression and not creation, he's suddenly more valuable. And what it took was really making himself much more positionally solid and Colorado getting Mihailovic to switch up his role. I think Cole simply needed to develop.
Bassett just isn't very tactical. That is all. Otherwise a good package of talent and athleticism but nothing so great that you won't find a lot of similar players.
The Sands loan worked out well IMO. Sands played a ton at Rangers and in their most important games. He was named MOTM by some outlets when they knocked out PSV, he appeared in the Europa League final etc . He just isn’t more valuable to Rangers than he is to NYCFC.
He played in 41 games for them. Played in the Europa League final in 2022 against Eintracht Frankfurt. Rangers just decided that the price-tag required to sign him wasn't in their best interest. There was a sell-on fee. They chose to use that money in another manner. What was that transfer clause? Something like $5 million? Basically they liked him as a player, but they didn't like him for $5 million.
us-eligible mls stat leaders Goals (assists) White 5 (2) Basset 5(1) McGuire 5 (1) Tillman 4 (2) Gutierrez 3 (1) Bunbury 3 Ebobisse 3 Harper 3 Mihailovic 3 (5) Luna 2(7) Bedoya 2(3) Ferreira 2(3) McGlynn 2(4) Cremaschi 2(1) Adenirin 2 (1) A. Morris 2 (3) Lynn 2 JoMo 2(1) Assists (goals) Stroud 7 (1) Mihailovic 5 (3) Luna 7 (2) Gressel 5 McGlynn 4(2) Delgado 4 (1g) Sullivan 4 (1) Lennon 4 Bedoya 3(2) Amaya 3(1) Ferreira 3(2) A. Morris 3 (2) Roldan 3(1) Kamungo 3 Wolff 3 Yedlin 3 Combined Luna 9 Stroud 8 Mihailovic 8 White 7 McGuire 6 Bassett 6 Tillman 6 McGlynn 6 Bedoya 5 Delgado 5 Gressel 5 Sullivan 5 Ferreira 5 A. Morris 5 Amaya 4 Roldan 4 Gutierrez 4 Lennon 4 Harper 3 Cremaschi 3 Baird 3 Vargas 3 Ebobisse 3 Kamungo 3 Wolff 3 Yedlin 3 Adenirin 3 Williamson 3 Miller 3 JoMo 3
A few weeks ago, we speculated Luna might not make the Olympic team. Now a few weeks later, he's back in. I've kicked out Cade Cowell on mine to make room for Luna. Stroud is a guy who needs to get more love on these boards. Our leading domestic assist-man and I'm not sure I could pick him out of a lineup.
I dunno, I looked at his wikipedia page. He's a classic "overnight success." Played 4 years at Colgate, where he excelled. But, wasn't taken until the 4th round of the draft (is there even a 4th round anymore?). Then: NYRBU-23 2018 - NYRB II, lead team w/ 11 assists 2018 NYRB II 15 g, 9 a USL First Team All-star beginning of 2020, moves to NYRB. end of 2020 picked by Austin in expansion draft 11/7/22: traded to SLCSC for ..... $100K in GAM Nothing in 2023. Now he has exploded 1/4 of the way into 2024. Will he keep it up? Is this a fluke? Has he always been this good and he's only now getting a chance? Has he improved tremendously in the past couple of years? Is this just a brief flashy blip? Time will tell.
DC has several players who imo have a chance for significant senior team careers. Hopkins, Fletcher, Ku-DiPietro, Akinmboni. They need to have patience with the kids but they are building something promising.
It's a decent season. He's not going to sustain this season's pace. But what he did last year suggests he's a solid MLS caliber player.
I think you mean in terms of quality, but in style he's not really much like Mueller. Stroud is basically Pauly Nips, but younger and a little less skilled. Pressing, very vertical wingers who lacks ball skills to create on his own but through effort, off ball movement and the right system, will generate danger and go on some runs. He even has played some midfielder like Arriola.
That was my comp exactly. ‘Unquick’ Arriola. He’s impressive in that everything DC does comes from that right side with Stroud and Herrera, even though opponents know it’s coming. It helps to have Benteke finishing the chances, but they had him last season and got very little from Ruan and whoever lined up at wing.
Guess you mean senior DC, not MNT, as so far none of them shows major talent if any. I hope the rest of them not as overhyped as Ku-DiPietro.
As a die hard DC fan, I don’t think any of these guys will sniff the national team, except maybe Akinmboni as he’s only 17 and already big and fast. His last start for DC was dismal though, thus the loan to Loudoun. I worry Ku-Dipietro is headed to Nick Deleon territory. Nice rookie season, handful of goals while looking dangerous going on mazy runs through defenses. Then there’s this season, where he can’t finish and is mostly injured anyway. Too soon to call but trending badly.
21 Americans make over $1 million, which is the average pay in Ligue 1 without PSG. If you're a top domestic player, not a teenager, and the Top-5 aren't calling, you have to desperately want to go Europe to forgo MLS money.
Dunno how much muscle is behind it but there’s some inertia in Indianapolis for an MLS team. People are making moves and saying things, the MLS quotes read as standoffish to me though. Think they’re holding out for other markets but will keep an eye on it. They’re more interested in Detroit and Tampa out east but there’s nothing but silence on both of those fronts. yesterday sac republic said there’s “movement” on a stadium with MLS in mind…….. just to keep kicking us in the nuts
Yep, zero news here in Tampa Bay. I gotta think that this is the league pushing to find an ownership group. It makes absolute sense, the area is demographically more and more like Miami with each passing year and both Florida teams have been pretty successful.
USOC round of 16 went pretty much as expected. Seattle 2 Phoenix 1 FCD 2 Tampa Bay 1 Atlanta 0 Charleston 0 [Atlanta advances on penalties] SKC 4 Tulsa 0 LAFC 3 Loudon 0 New Mexico 3 NYCFC II 0 Sacramento 4 San Jose 3 Indy XI 3 Detroit 0 So only one MLS club eliminated. So the quarterfinals are set for July SKC versus Dallas Atlanta versus Indy Seattle versus Sacramento LAFC versus New Mexico So its just sorta like, we drastically reduced the number of MLS participants......................and we'll see if we have any non-MLS semifinalists. As far as scorers of interest last night, Dallas got a goal from U23 forward Logan Farrington. That's pretty much it.
Lucchi can't be long to be let go. Buzz at 3rd Degree hopes the Hunts offer him a job immediately to take over the academy again. I agree as he was great at that and mediocre as a coach.