Yeah, exactly. It feels kind of panicky. It feels as if we're trying to rescue something from 2022. I guess if he's seen as depth for RW and LW with Agade, and he can be that, it's a good signing. It means we're looking at Tzonis and Russell starting in 2023, maybe? He's done all right with houston. 6 goals, 3 assists in 1,500 total minutes and when i've watched him with Houston, he's looked lively. But BenDover is correct. In the attack right now, another "he could be just fine" type of signing is less than exciting.
I'd really like to see us bring in a high level 6 over the winter. to that end, these are the D-mids TM says are available for transferhttps://www.transfermarkt.com/spieler-statistik/wertvollstespieler/marktwertetop/mw/spielerposition_id/6 I linked to page 6 because we cannot afford the first five pages. that said, Stephen Eustaquio, kind of jumps out. If he's surplus to requirements at Porto, he'd be a really nice addition. I assume, though, that if he was up for MLS, he'd want one of the Canadia sides, probably that would be Montreal right now. Also, re Montreal, how much better shape would our attack be in right now if we had lured Kei back home for a final season. The man is timeless.
Espinoza as well (and I don't "really" count Sinovic since he was gone less than a week). Espinoza is really the only returning player under PV to really produce the 2nd time around, the others (S Thomas, Olum, Juliao, Saad, Nemeth, Feilhaber, Shelton, Dia, Rosell) were a mix of alright (Nemeth) to just plane bad (Juliao). Pretty sure Eustaquio just recently reupped with Porto.
On the first, Kei was good, as well. Shelton was better right after he returned, but quickly turned to much. On eustaquio, true, he's under contract, but he's being shopped, and for pretty obvious reasons. https://www.transfermarkt.com/stephen-eustaquio/leistungsdaten/spieler/512913/plus/0?saison=2021 Look at his game time post Jan 21, 2022. In the final 15 games, despite reportedly being healthy, he played a total of 84 minutes (If I counted right, i probably did not). Before that, he started and played 90 most of the time. they didn't change the manager, which means the guy who used to play him decided he wasn't worth the time anymore. He would mean buying down a DP, but he should be cheap-ish compared to his value, as a 20 minute outing is now a good long run for him
Shelton's contract expires in 2022. I assume this move is for 2023 and (hopefully) a sign they don't pick up Shelton's option.
I was thinking Agade is the new Shelton, as Pasher has only been playing the wide slots for Houston (where he's had success compared to SKC). So, for next season, the salary we definitely have to work with: Fontas $1.125m, $481,000 vujnovic, Roger $300,000 Zusi $450,000 and probably: Melia $529,000, Salloi $506,000, Uri $475,000 (under contract, but I can't believe he wants to come back), Shelton $350,000. Now, Thommy and Agade are not listed, and Pasher cost Houston $165,000, but the total from above is $4.26 million. Of those in the list, I don't see us re-signing anyone outside of Salloi ( for quite a bit more) and possibly Melia, for less. It's a good year to remake the squad. I'd expect 2 starters (6 asnd keeper), and a lot of solid depth., added to the return of Kinda and Pulido. I assume Vermes gets this chance, but it's a big chance to remake the team.
SKC picks up Tyler Pasher while FCD trades for Sebastian Lletget. This is more of other clubs improving their squads while SKC is patching theirs. Although, dropping Shelton is improving the club.
I don't think it's a guarantee that Zusi's option doesn't get picked up. I mean there's likely to be a combined difference in acquisition of probably close to $400K in GAM/TAM in these two trades too. We've all seen PV would rather use his _AM on the roster he builds, not give it to other teams in the league (shown by the fact that KC hasn't even made a trade within the league since 2019).
Is the option year still $450.000? Another year slower, I can see (based on this year) bringing him back on half that, but I'm not sure Zusi would want that.
Don't know specifically how much the option year would be. Just saying it won't surprise me if Zusi is brought back.
Not too sad about this. What I am sad about is Cincinnati having the rights to Matt Miazga. He would have been a great addition to SKC for rebuilding the back line.
For a Max TAM deal which I'd put good money on KC not being able to afford this year. And him wanting more than that, which would mean buying down a DP and questioning roster compliance with 3 U22 players.
Yeah, frankly, this window grabbing Thommy and Agada was pretty sharp. We're not getting big needle-movers, as we have a lot of salary tied down till the end of the season. Filling in depth and promising young players is the best scenario for the team. Then in the offseason, do some work on the CBs and the defensive midfield, and possibly some real money (if that's viable, I never really know) onto a LW as I still assume Salloi is gone.
Thommy seems like the real deal. Agada is better than Shelton, but so are most of the house players at All American. Meanwhile, added to MLS during this window: Bale, Herrera, Insignie, Bernadeschi, Gioacchini, Puig....
It should though. Zusi's current salary is full time starter in MLS. It's essentially Brooks Lennon money. For that, to this point, we've gotten one peak Zusi level performance this season and a couple of the nagging injuries that are entirely predictable at the tail end of a career. next year, there will be more injuries, less speed, and if we play him as often as his salary dictates, he will again be keeping us from fully learning if we have a replacement on the roster. In a season that is chock-a-block with troubling issues, his performance has been one. He cannot on a consistent basis play the way PV insists his back play, but he is not (never was) a good enough pure defender to justify playing him in a withdrawn role. The upside of keeping him is that he is and will always be a club legend and has a lot of fans. I am among them. He has been great, and I rate him as our top ever RB. but earlier this year, I'd made a comment to some SKC podcast about the need to sit Zusi before he broke down. The podcasters had a meltdown, ein fussball gott, he's everlasting and everready, etc... and Zusi broke down two days later. It wasn't a particularly impressive prediction, we all knew it was coming. IMO, Pierre is pretty much at a current Zusi level. and is ascending Same caveat, I think RB might be Duke's best position, once he learns it (after his last two outings, if sure AF does not appaear to be the 8). We should have a Zusi day. We can justify a Zusi statue. But we do not need more declining Zusi. As you've said, we may well hold on to him. But we shouldn't.
Duke's performances at fullback worried me more than he does in the central midfield role. Petulant red aside, haha. I don't think he's looked even decent at RB in the games I've seen. Pierre and even crusty Graham are way ahead of him, unless he had some brilliant matches there I didn't happen to see? I say we give Zusi a low-wage final season and also sign another RB to challenge/spell Pierre, who I think is coming along pretty well.
If Zusi wants to play a final year a $225,000, then yes, that would be great, is we were expecting 10 games, tops out of him. But he is a legend and I kind of like the idea that he's going out when he's near the top. For that, he shouldn't have signed on for this season. But going out on the lowest salary of the last decade for him seems like hanging out at the party after the hosts are in their pjs and have turned off the lights.
Huh. A different way of seeing this season, which I stumbled across thinking I'd be proving a different point. Salaries, by club for 2020: 13. Austin FC: $13,750,000 2022 highest-paid player: Sebastian Druissi, $2,317,000 14. Sporting Kansas City: $13,630,000 2022 highest-paid player: Alan Pulido, $2,200,000 15. CF Montréal: $12,920,000 2022 highest-paid player: Victor Wanyama, $3,091,667 16. Minnesota United: $12,840,000 2022 highest-paid player: Adrien Hunou, $2,687,702 17. DC United: $12,480,000 2022 highest-paid player: Edison Flores, $1,733,000 etc... If you remove the $3.3m salaries to the out for the season brigade, we are the lowest salaried club in MLS, by more than a million. Clearly, salary numbers don't mean results. But by the numbers, we would be expected to suck. So, if Kinda and Pulido, is it unreasonable to think we'd be somewhere around the playoff line? 7th or 8th in the west?
I'd never heard of the source before, but they used the MLSPA numbers, which are pretty definitive. I could have done this on my own but i didn't feel like it. As an aside, the MLSPA numbers are pretty amazing transparency. however: https://boardroom.tv/highest-mls-team-salaries-of-2022/
So, Doyle looked at all the teams in the transfer window and rated them wins or losses. Of course, SKC was a loss. His words: "The inability to get meaningful intra-league deals done is brutal, especially when you consider how good Sporting were at that exact thing in building that great side of the 2010s. Musovski, for example, would’ve been a great fit, as would Lletget, as would Shaffelburg, as would Berry. As it stands, things seem pointed toward a pretty deep and wide teardown in the offseason." Yea, no kidding...
It's been noted that the league has shifted toward using -AM to complete intra-league trades. PV style is to use other means to acquire the intra-league talent and use -AM to pay down contracts only. This may be a clear example of where the league roster building has evolved and passed PV by. If he can't adapt and do something really meaningful this offseason then next year will be just as bad. Sure, we'll get some players back from injury, but there is at least half the roster coming off contract, right?
So I'm starting a bit of research potentially for something I'll post on the Blue Testament in the next few days/weeks depending on my research time, looking at the trades specifically for players. I've done 2022 and 2021 so far. Combined of the 87 trades so far 63% have ONLY involved _AM being traded. When you add _AM plus other things (draft picks, transfer sell on %, etc) that number rises to 89% of all trades where the primary part of the trade is _AM. Only 10 of the trades over the last 2 years have not involved _AM, which we've all seen PV prefers to use internally to buy down salaries. On that same note, KC has only been involved in 1 of those 87 trades (Lindsey to Charlotte), the fewest of any team (Orlando is 2nd with just 2 trades). They're also one of only 3 teams who has not acquired a player via trade in the last 2 years (NYCFC and Portland the other 2).