Last year this team nearly won the treble, something really special. Today it is discombobulated beyond belief. We fired the coach and things have simply gotten worse. It is nice for Carlos that he got inducted into the US Soccer Hall of Fame, but now it is time to start to question whether our fast start was simply dumb luck or catching lighting in a bottle. I am so frustrated.
Cubo Torres is not the answer. He's already clashed with Barco, and he's gonna clash with Josef eventually, but probably only once. Locker room virus. They seem hell-bent on doing the opposite, tho. Now there's another name on the radar, Moreno from Lanus. It's like they're trying to save this season by making buys. I don't know what that's about. They don't have to write off the season, but they can sit on their wallet until the transfer window and fight with the guys we have. It was neither. we had the best manager in the league and the best roster in the league in '18, and one of the best rosters in '19. We're now essentially a new team with less talent, and a manager who's never run a first team before. I'm not frustrated, because we're what we're supposed to be right about now. I'll be frustrated if we get another manager whose tactics clash with the best attributes of the roster, and then try to rebuild the team in his image.
We are what are supposed to be right now? WTF does that mean? Things have fallen apart in less than a year.
We've lost our top scorer to injury, the best midfielder in the league left to go home, a veteran game-reader at center back retired, a proven and reliable link to our best scorer was traded along with two other massive contributors in Tito and LGP, and we have a manager who's never run a first team before. WTF do you think that means? In reality, it's been more than a year. The cracks started to show in the foundation early last season, but we had enough talent and on the pitch leadership to offset the tactics and win anyway. We didn't have that at the beginning of 2020 (Nashville and Cincy?), and then we lost JM7.
Yep. Starting with the managerial hire in 2019. My post was simply to point out that we're where we're supposed to be. We've done everything possible to put ourselves in that position. LMAO! You're so bitter the tears are running down MY screen from scrolling thru this post! Pack a bowl and calm your plastic self. Proost! Forgive me, but just remember that if the season had been cancelled earlier, like I suggested months ago, your boy would still be here turning thoroughbreds into Clydesdales. You're just Pissy Patty because he's Dutch. If he were from anywhere else, you'd have gotten over this long ago... We can't fix it, not really, lol. We're back at square one, with no more or less attractiveness than anybody else in MLS, thanks to the monumental mishandling of Pity's development. So get ready for a team that looks like every other team in this league, unless the FO can sell another proven South American talent magnet on us.
Regardless of blame or where the team is supposed to be the bottom line is the current model isn't working. The Stripes aren't starting from scratch, per se, but there's very limited personnel to whom they need to remain tethered. Everything from here forward should be about 2021. Take the players you know who will factor in into next season and make them the core of the side ASAP, regardless of what holes that leaves in the team. If they happen to make a playoff game or 2 then hooray for them, but realistically you're not hoisting a trophy so focus on what will help the team in the long run. The team has said they're committed to a style of play and (allegedly) a standard of success, so finding the right coach is, I agree, top priority. I don't think that precludes them from landing a talented player if the right one falls in their lap but they'd better be sure he's an upgrade over one of these squad players who won't be around next season. But focus on the coach and lean heavily into the Martino model. This should be Eales top priority 24/7. Ask Tata for suggestions and don't be afraid to swing for the fences. I'd also go to Parkhurst and Larentowicz and Josef (etc.) and build a clubhouse profile for the type of guys the club should focus on in building the team. Build a template profile of the character and personality you're seeking that will fit in with the club, the city, and the goals you're striving toward. Make sure the players are on board from the start, and that they're not going to become a cancer from day 1. This is surely an imperfect science but you can at least identify a few key traits and descriptors that might make a difference between getting Barco and getting a Miggy.
Agreed. I do want to point out that we're not starting from scratch, but we are at square one- with some players chosen and no manager atm, same as before Tata arrived. He came in, helped the FO choose some guys and we went from there. Yep. That would be (IMO) Guz, Miles, Esco, Bello, Meza, Red*, Remedi, Rossetto, maybe Mulraney. If I had to make the hard calls... Lennon, Barco, Hyndman, Jahn, Wolff, Castillo, and Mo might be on the block. Torres can go, too. Only one of those has ever been a "better than MLS" talent, and he hasn't panned out. *he ain't going anywhere- too old. He'll finish here. A lot of managers don't have it in them to accept that. I hope the next one is enough like Tata that maybe there isn't a need. Miggy had two seasons of tutelage under Tata. Barco had only one. That's a major difference in level of development right there.
Trust me, I am over Frank de Boer. It seems to me like it is you that has issues. Franks faults were that he was Dutch, which means he was blunt. And if you think the Dutch don't play a beautiful football tells me you aren't a student of the game and not very knowledgeable. That said. Lets get an Argentine manager to really ******** things up.
As always a voice of reason. Funny you mention team unity and clubhouse profile. I've heard rumors that the players tend to isolate themselves. The South Americans have their clique and then there is the rest of the team. That can't be good. I've played on teams like that, and while we might win because we were better we never reached our potential. The best teams I played on everyone was friends.
See, that's why there's fewer than 20 million of y'all on the planet. It's like the answer to the eternal question of what engineers use for birth control. Anyway, bluntness is curable. So is bluntlessness, lol. Apparently the players we had weren't good enough to grasp the Dutch style. We certainly weren't beautiful at it. The autocensor catches "Liven"?
Not every Dutch manager is Rinus Michels or Cruyff. Good grief that 2010 team was ugly to watch. Thankfully, the current version is fun again. And not every Argentine manager is Zubeldia. It's fantasy league stuff, but I'd take Bielsa or Pochettino in a heartbeat. Anyway, I know you know all this. And I agree with both of you that Bocanegra and Eales need to sort this out quick. Put someone in place so they can start implementing some sort of identity for the squad, because right now, it doesn't have one.
This isn't gettinhhh Certainly the final. It was a mess. Spain wasn't playing beautiful football either.
Official today: Atlanta United announced the signing of Marcelino Moreno as a Designated Player on Tuesday. Assume it will be another 2 weeks before he can play and at least a week after that before he's considered for starting. Given the likelihood this side misses the playoffs we basically won't see his true form until next season. Might as well have him spend his whole off season with Josef and Lopez in hopes of building chemistry. Also, Torres is done for the season. Sprained knee. Sucks for him, no real change for us. Barring another Josef injury I don't see him playing for Atlanta again.