if this is becoming a 5-loan affiliation deal now then mccue getting loaned out basically says we don't anticipate him being in the top 5 reserve prospects for whom we would burn our allotment. before spring training even starts, which says something. I was telling people this transition year would be awkward for a youth movement. you go from a farm team which can sign directly or take players on loan to a 5 loan affiliation. it does occur to me that if the pro roster limit ends up being low (~30) then an affiliation probably more closely resembles the future. if we're allowed 35-40 players then we're unnecessarily shedding players in the transition year. but in any event mccue didn't impress me much.
Worth noting that the Battery were the original USL affiliate of the Dynamo. https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2014/12/22/houston-dynamo-affiliate-usl-pro-side-charleston-battery That's where Memo saw his initial minutes. I'd guess that Jordan maybe still knows someone over there and they're a back-up plan.
Also, I'm not convinced that RGVFC is really going to operate as an affiliate regardless of what it says on the tin. We sincerely might not loan them anyone. Bit of an awkward deal with Cabrera down there and they're banking big on turning around their performance. I don't think they want any of our academy players down there and I'm not sure we really want to be sending them down there either.
C'mon dude, be real, they have 5 rostered CBs, would probably dress 3-4 of them and keep 4 around for practice, and we're implicitly favoring the draft pick over him, with no spring training competition to decide it. That's what we think of him. I wouldn't be surprised if the RGV relationship is strained but it is in fact our affiliate, they agreed to it. We agreed back. If we wanted a split we do a one year deal with the Battery or someone else, or just work ad hoc. However annoyed we are of each other, they chose to maintain a limited one year relationship of the nature we used to have with the Battery. Instead of the Battery. And if we need an emergency player during a pandemic it makes far more sense for them to be within a drive or short plane ride. I showed you some tape where he was getting abused. McCue is not very good. At worst it's loan in lieu of release. I'm not sure why we didn't just cut him. At best, we did not deem him one of the 5 best or most useful prospects worth keeping within the state. Only other theory I have is we maybe know Cabrera dislikes him and that if loaned there he would just sit some. However my blunt assessment is he should have gone to college and probably wouldn't even be that dominant there. He looked a little slow and less than fluid. I would say in theory loan leaves open a return, and we have like once or twice had a Memo earn his way back up from USL wilderness. But Memo was kept within the pyramid. We have a more extensive history of external loans like Ibeagha that were basically an off ramp. Ibeagha even played well on loan and eventually got back to MLS but his loan to OKC was basically the end here. He was nominally rostered here and never played a minute. He has a handful of games in a couple years at USL, the highlights of which do not particularly impress. I don't understand why a player you think so little of he's not sent back to RGV wasn't declined as a senior player and essentially released. The hint is RGV wasn't interested, either when they had him on loan or in terms of ambiguously signing him for themselves. I mean, we kept him on the roster, they hire Wilmer, we lose all passion for the project.
The Dynamo and RGV recently restructured this agreement. That could be why. https://www.uslchampionship.com/new...e-valley-fc-restructure-affiliate-partnership
I don't know if he ever will play with the first team, but I think you're being way too quick at leaping to conclusions at what the organization views his immediate future as. They exercised an option on him three months ago. He has had a spate of injuries and barely been available for play. They are sending him to the old, pre-RGVFC affiliate. I don't see that they're walking him out the door even if you think he sucks. Your comments on "emergency player" also are under the assumption that MLS will let free movement happen between the USL and MLS. That was not the case last year from listening to Ramos' interview. Was season long loan or bust, in some fashion (maybe you could recall, but then subject to quarantine rules). I don't expect that they will relax that rule. I'll also believe we will loan academy players to RGVFC when I see it happen. I don't know why anyone in their right mind would want to loan young players out to Cabrera, who has more or less opined in the past that new professionals are best served by sitting on the bench for a season or two. Anyways, I digress. I'm not really arguing whether the guy is good or not because I have no clue. Barely has played. Maybe he sucks. I am saying it's sad because they keep signing these guys to first team contracts, never play them a minute and then cut them loose. That's doing a real disservice to these kids who could have played college ball instead and come out with a useful degree.
Right, but my point is the precise number of allowed loan players changes the nature of that relationship and what we can do with our roster. Before when we ran RGV it was effectively unlimited. We are now merely "affiliated." Last time we were with the Battery "affiliated" meant 5 total players on loan. That is more constraining. You can't just dump the roster down. You have to look at, will they actually play, etc. That might actually be "focusing." A team with unlimited farm space can be a little sloppy or indulgent. Send him down see what happens. A team with 5 slots stuck with the rest as senior roster space needs focus. Who do I really give a crap about. Do I really see a future. Am I going to risk player X being released to spend the loan on him. My argument is if we are allowed 5 players with RGV now -- assuming that's the deal -- then this communicates we do not perceive McCue as among those best 5 prospects worth spending the quota on. Either that or we see Cabrera and McCue as not a helpful pairing. You have to ask why we didn't send him on loan to RGV. And I still say it's telling that he didn't get spring training to compete, he got shipped out. That says to me he was not perceived as a league game player (not even a sub), as USOC filler, or even as someone RGV could help enough short term to spend that effort in 2021. And that it happened sight unseen suggests it was not even a close decision. Either that or he doesn't get along with Wilmer, or wanted a release, and this was the compromise.
fwiw per TM Bajamich got 8 games on loan back in the Argentine second division, all starts, 6 of them as a DM, 2 as RM, 2 goals. his team lost in the playoffs and their season is over. they don't restart until march so he should be here for spring training assuming the deal didn't blow up. i will be curious precisely where he plays here.
to be clear i have nothing against mccue, i wish him well, it's just HGP is a throughput situation. setting aside our academy has historically sucked, it is the nature of the beast to have some players never play here and be sold (at least at the good ones), to have some players be first team contributors (memo), to have some players dress (lemoine), for some to be farm material. he's not even at the lemoine junqua level of hanging onto the senior roster by his fingertips. he's clearly not even that integral to RGV, almost like barely hanging on at that level. as bad as we are, we need all the good help we can get, and i'm interested in the ones we can sell or who are "in play" to contribute here. he is not even close to that after 2 years. i don't wish him ill but the name of the game on players not panning out is cut and give the next one a chance. maybe they are worthy. spending years on optimism is a waste. there are a long list of such players who pass through, were under kinnear, are now. the idea is identify the really good ones and then bring in another batch. historically USL would have given us a place to stash projects but that has ended. if it's 5 loans now, you're either ready to help here or in the 5 best kids we want to keep busy or work on. he is apparently not. based on what i see he should have gone to college. bartlow is actually a year older but by virtue of his path will show up more momentum behind him. loaning mccue suggests bartlow is rated ahead of him to either dress or at least merit the RGV loan he used to have. personally i would stay in school unless i thought i would either make our dress roster or at least be starting in USL. otherwise you're better off going to college and being the center of coaching and playing time attention, and then signing with wind behind you. if they allow long rosters when the reserve league starts, maybe we can indulge projects like this again next year. if not, you have to be picky. and in either case we aren't FCD and we need to be tough and keep only the ones who can really help here. it's like a draft pick and we know every year some of them are ok and others get cut to play minor league or others maybe don't ever play soccer again. to me the tougher ones worth fretting about are the alex lopezes where they clearly have something going in one area but aren't complete players and the question is if i give them one more year can i put them out there.
The bubble has popped on the MLS expansion cash flow strategy - Major breaking news:The MLS Sacramento expansion franchise is dropping out."Earlier today, Ron Burkle informed the League that based on issues with the project related to COVID-19, he has decided to not move forward with the acquisition of an MLS expansion team in Sacramento" pic.twitter.com/8AsoZfrRub— Jonathan Tannenwald (@thegoalkeeper) February 27, 2021
This was interesting from the Athletic: “While larger markets remain in play, sources questioned whether, in the midst of the pandemic, MLS would find any potential buyers willing to put down $300 million for an expansion team. Another source pointed to the fact that there are three MLS teams currently on the market — Orlando, Houston and Real Salt Lake — that can be purchased with the infrastructure already in place for around the same price as what MLS will likely ask for an expansion bid. “
https://www.houstondynamofc.com/pos...amo-academy-players-join-first-team-preseason 1366148171043393549 is not a valid tweet id Preseason games against Austin Bold, Louisville and Tulsa. No preseason games with RGVFC announced in further signs that that relationship is kaput.
Dynamo GM Matt Jordan on club expectations: Making playoffs and win a championship@TheStrikerTexas #HoldItDown— Victor Araiza (@victoraraiza) March 1, 2021 Dynamo FC Head Coach @RamosTab: @HoustonDynamo looking for a DP but not desperate to add anyone@TheStrikerTexas #HoldItDown— Victor Araiza (@victoraraiza) March 1, 2021 These two were funny to me.
https://sbisoccer.com/2021/03/horva...players-poised-to-be-free-agents-this-summer? horvath CCV both should be in the MNT 23 and just need a platform from which GB can see his requisite "first team minutes"
In case any of you Dynamo fans are looking for a fun project this afternoon:Asked about the club bringing in a player from Africa, Matt Jordan said the club has been tracking an African player who is currently playing in Switzerland.— Corey Roepken (@RipSports) March 1, 2021
fool’s errand. this is Matt Jordan we’re talking about. it can be any African player in Switzerland from the first to fourth division.
"tracking?" you mean scouting? i'd expect we are "tracking" hundreds, perhaps thousands. we have had kamara and ngwenya before, so what.... i think what he would be missing is if i literally go scout africa maybe i get someone on the cheap like a honduran. if i go sniff around a swiss based player that is likely some more substantial combination of salary and a fee. but it's more first world of a junket.
Instead of "play the kids" Houston is "loaning the kids" 📰 @marcelopalo will join @Independence for the 2021 USL Championship season. https://t.co/GOVao8HWWO— Houston Dynamo FC (@HoustonDynamo) March 3, 2021
Yeah. I'm sorry, but the fanbase was willfully delusional that Ramos was going to bring a "youth" movement to this team. All hung up on his youth national team past, but there's nothing in the moves they made that suggested they would do this. As with McCue, notably not going to RGVFC. Edit: Obligatory "Youth movement!"
I think actually unless you’re 100% convinced that academy players can contribute there’s more to lose than gain by putting them in the lineup early. If they fail too badly too early it can derail their career. Also I’d think you wouldn’t want an entitlement culture developing because of a sense of getting preference over other professional players
It’s all about Ramos only having a contract thru this year and Jordan in his final one-year extension term so they need to win now and will do a bunch of short term moves and then get fired at the end of the year anyways. We have a completely insecure organization at every level the president and the owner down to the actual trainers probably. So you get insecure short-term decision making
I guess I wouldn't be as vocal about this if Ramos wasn't touted as such a great teacher of the game and youth developer by the team. I just find it disrespectful that they play this stuff up in press releases and social media and have no intention of backing it up with action. Same thing with this tasteless flirting about Salcedo in a vain and stupid attempt to generate a positive buzz. Wouldn't hurt to be honest at least on some level. Westie's correct here. Jordan and Ramos are both probably out of a job at the end of the year so they aren't going to screw around with youth players. Just look at the roster they have assembled. It is a one year rental roster that will blow-up at the end of the season. They just hope that it's good enough to sneak into that last playoff seed, but there's not really much to build off here because most of these guys are gone come 2022.