Other MLS games and Teams/Players [R]

In his 1st season (2021), Vanney took a team that finished 15th and had them in a playoff spot the entire season until the final matchday.
In his 2nd season (2022), the Galaxy made the playoffs, with a home game, won it, and lost in the conference semis to LAFC (eventual champs)
In his 3rd season (2023), the season started with a fan boycott. The boycott happened as fans reacted to sanctions imposed on the Galaxy for actions taken before Vanney was even hired, but they hamstrung Vanney in the summer window regardless.

2023 was insanely frustrating because we WERE on an upward trajectory. Most of us expected to build on the 2022 performance and minimally make a conference final or Cup Final. It's not to say Vanney is blameless. I'm saying it would've been challenging for any coach (which we don't have to speculate about that, really -- many coaches struggled during that time, including Bruce).

 

Vanney has been here 3 years and has one playoff win. That's with one of the highest payrolls in the league. Last year he stood up at a press conference and blamed the fans, talking about an 'us vs them' mentality. He and Klein made it clear that the roster was Vanney's, the only real holdover being Chicharito. He can't seem to get the defense right after 4 years, and I would argue he is frequently out-couched.
I think he is an average manager, who gets on well with the players, and with excellent talent, can be a winner. But I don't think he wins us games through his tactics. Like any other position on the field, if we can upgrade the coach, we should do it. He hasn't done anything in his tenure so far to warrant keeping him for next year.

 

Nancy was with Montreal in some capacity since 2011. Greg Vanney has been an LA Galaxy coach since 2021.

I would also argue the Crew were not as down bad as the Galaxy were. Since 2014 (our last championship)
Crew when Nancy took over: 2x Cup finalist (1 win), missed playoffs 4 times
Galaxy when Vanney took over: Missed playoffs 3 times, never made it to conf final

Yes, literally. It's common knowledge that this happened to every coach the Galaxy have had since 2014: Arena was forced to sign dos Santos and Gerrard, Sigi was forced to sign Zlatan (that worked out, obviously -- but remember Sigi had just signed Ola Kamara coming off an excellent season from (who else?) the Crew), GBS was forced to sign Chicharito, Vanney was forced to sign Costa.

It's also common knowledge that the Galaxy were doing most of their scouting in France even prior to Greg Vanney being hired; it was a well Kirovski frequently went back to. Before Vanney there was Alessandrini, Michael Ciani, Clement Diop and Didie Traore.

If we get a better coach than Vanney, that would be great obviously. It's not any specific loyalty to just point out facts about his tenure (I know you're joking a bit)

 

Yes, Wilfried was in some capacity with Montreal since that team entered MLS in 2011. I guess that's what we should have done with Vanney. Had him work with the youth programs for 7 years and then do assistant coach work for another 3 years for the 1st team and then made him head coach. To follow your logic.

You and I both know handling U15, U-20, U-21 in no way shape or form allows to go hang with the first team and see what's going on internally as far as chemistry, tactics and locker room environment is concerned. I guess Nancy absorved knowledge through osmosis.

Montreal under Saputo is a team with a lean budget. Columbus has a bigger wallet but under no stretch of the imagination do they have the sacks of money Galaxy throws around year after year. so succeeding there is a bit more of a challenge and yet he guy does succeed spectacularly for what he is which is still a rookie coach.

But now we need to somehow break out the violins and harp over poor old downtrodden Vanney and the lousy teams he's been handed year after year (if indeed he was absolutely not allowed to choose any player as you suggest) by the former FO. Is that right? galaxy has never had horrible teams man for man under Vanney. They've just performed horribly.

At what doorstep then do you leave his personal tactical acumen in matchday performances and his rigid one-dimensional style of coaching and substitution pattern that has had Galaxy lose matches they were winning or failed to adjust tactics to try and recover from one or two goal down games or from one game to another against opponents with different tactics?

One playoff win in 3 years with Galaxy?

Where is the accountability?

 

You really have to write off last year - with the boycott and the injuries. I understand the anger over Vanney's defense of Klein, it was super-defensive. His interview style and corporate/platitude-speak is annoying. But I don't think the final Vanney chapter has been written yet. Let's finish the year and see what it brings. Lots of challenges to integrate a lot of new players. The team is off to a good start, although we do see the myriad of flaws waiting to come up and bite us.

 

I think that's true. I think a conference final is the minimum expectation, depending on how we do there.

 

Yeah, I mentioned last year as a wash to MP9 in fact. Hopefully the Summer window brings more help. Vanney needs more help.

 

Fun fact: the Goats have hired scouting director Neil McGuinness from Columbus Crew as technical director or #2 under CSO and co-pres John Thorrington.

This guy is who helped bring in Cucho, Zelarayan, Rossi, Nagbe and others to the Crew.

The previous #2 was our very own saviour Will Kuntz.

 

looks like Messi is pissy about him and his buddies not being able to game the system in MLS, with the rule changes, it will not surprise me if MLS modifies the rules to appease Messi League Soccer

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/40128992/messi-unhappy-mls-sideline-rule-miami-victory

 

Really surprised to see Philly’s recent fall. Two points from five games is surprising. They were undefeated at the start of this run.

 

oof, the quakes were in control leading 2-0, a red card later and its 2-2 and they're just hanging on to the tie.

 

and the quakes collapse and give up their second PK and now are down 3-2

 

Wait, RSL’s stadium is called The America First Stadium?

 

from my understanding its naming rights were bought by a credit union, and I'll leave it at that.

 

They also sponsor the NWSL Team the Utah Royals. Some of their fans are boycotting the jersey because of it, in fact.

 

Interesting. And looks like they’ve been around since 1939. I don’t envy whomever is responsible for their branding.

 

Say what you will about Beckham’s commitment to LA when he stayed in Milan longer than he said he would. He never took time off with his buddies

🚨⚽️🐐BREAKING: Messi, Suarez, Busquets did not travel to Vancouver for Inter Miami game Saturday. Not injured, taking game off to rest, confirmed by league sources. Sellout crowd of 55,000 was expected. Story to come. @MiamiHerald @HeraldSports #Messi #InterMiami #VWFC #MLS

— Michelle Kaufman (@kaufsports) May 24, 2024

 

While true, I seem to remember that he did take games off on turf fields which Vancouver had and has. Did he ever play there except for his last game there in 2012? Note: He did play against them when they played in Edmonton on a grass field.

 

It’s been a while, but I know he played on turf fields in Seattle, Portland, RSL (before their new stadium), so it may have been coincidental rather than specifically to avoid turf. Or maybe Vancouver’s was particularly bad, though RSLs was pretty awful back then.

 

I think they take care of Messi because he does injure as seen after he came here and he means more to Miami than Beckham meant to Galaxy back in the day. Especially in the beginning when it took a while for Becks to find his rhythm and groove with Galaxy

Becks was 32 when he came here. Messi is about to be 37 in a June. You gotta take care of your elderly superstar players. All that money and hope invested in the guy by Miami and the league itself. You can't just run him into the turf.

 

yes it sucks for them, and I know its wishful thinking, but I would hope this would push this league to mandate all grass fields, so this doesn't become a common occurrence with needle moving stars because all this really does in punish the fans especially because more often than not they get duped into paying for a certain experience and end up with something else and "event subject to change" really bails out event organizers.

 

And maybe this will allow those fans to see a win at least.

 

Becks was injured when he arrived. He should have never played that first game.